Pitiful lies, p.6
Pitiful Lies, page 6
If I thought I was obsessed with this woman before, it is nothing to how I feel right now.
No, we ain’t done. She ain’t getting rid of me.
“You’re just saying that cause you feel bad for me. You don’t have to. It’s okay. I’ll be okay,” she says, her voice muffled because she is speaking into my shirt.
I didn’t even realize I said any of that out loud. Oh well. She might as well know my plans.
“Damn right you’re okay, Koukla. I won’t let you be anything else, you hear me?” I grumble, and I mean it.
I mean it so damn much.
The thought of her being anything other than whole, safe, and sound is too much for me to bear, so I don’t even go there.
“You’re fine. You’re safe,” I repeat against her soft, sweet smelling hair, “and you were right. You deserve a better man than the one I’ve been. But that’s on me. But I need you to understand something. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. Not anymore. Not again. Got it?”
“What are you talking about?”
Giselle’s muffled voice reaches me, and I smile. I love the feel of her in my embrace as she sniffles against my chest.
“Exactly what I said. I know you have doubts, but I have every intention of blowing those right out of the water. I’m the man you need, the one you deserve, me and no one else. And I’m gonna prove it to you.”
I back up, and her arms slip away from me. Her nose is red, and her eyes are glassy. She looks sad and exhausted, but I don’t know if that is physical or emotional.
Her eyes are still glassy, and her nose is pink from crying, and my heart feels like it might break from the way she is looking at me. Like she’s scared to believe in me.
Goddamn.
I never wanted anyone to believe in me as much as I did her right then. But I am self-aware enough to know I need to earn that from her.
And I will. There is no other choice.
She is so beautiful. I can’t help myself. I dip my head and steal a kiss, loving the way she responds even when she doesn’t want to.
My Koukla leans her head back and opens her lips and I slide my tongue into her mouth twice before relenting.
Going home alone with a hard on isn’t ideal, but I get it. She needs time and space. And I’m gonna give her everything she needs.
Me. Only me.
“Now, get back in your seat, Little Doll, and buckle up. I’m taking you to your parents’ house.”
CHAPTER NINE-GISELLE
This is not how I imagined I would end up at my age. Sleeping on my mother’s couch.
FML.
After hours of tossing and turning, I finally pass out only to be woken up by a godawful racket.
“What the shit?”
Ugh. This is what’s wrong with health conscious people.
I grunt and get up from the sofa at the sound of the blender going nuts.
Grabbing my phone, I check the time.
It’s only five in the morning, and someone is about to get punched in the nose.
Angel dropped me off last night with a chaste kiss on the lips and nothing more, and I have to admit I felt more than a little confused.
The things he said about his intentions and stuff really threw me for a loop. I have no idea if I believe him.
But I want to. And that’s bad.
The second I allow myself to trust him, I know he’s going to break my heart. I’m just not built to deal with all that.
Cheating.
Other woman drama.
Nope. Not me. But how can I expect a man like that to be satisfied with someone like me?
Ugh.
I hate that. Self-doubt is a nagging bitch, and I wish I didn’t feel this way. But I’m no simpering virgin. I’ve had boyfriends and I’ve been cheated on. It sucks. And for some reason, I always take the blame.
It’s always you never try to hold my attention, Sisi or she’s got the perfect body, I couldn’t help it, Sisi.
As if their dicks ruled their brains and their commitments to me meant nothing. Who knows? Maybe they didn’t. Maybe I was the one in the wrong to expect a man to be faithful.
My own father strayed from the marriage bed and how my mother forgave him, I have no idea. But they’re still together after thirty-seven years, and I know how hard they work at it.
Counseling helped. But I remember my mother’s sadness and I remember promising myself I would never go through that.
So where does that leave me?
Alone. Or rather, on my parents’ couch listening to my idiot sister make a protein shake at this ungodly hour.
“Resa, knock it off!” I shout.
“Oh shit, Sisi, is that you? Why are you on the couch?”
My sister is supposed to be dorming at her university, but she isn’t getting along with her resident advisor. So, she’s been commuting from home.
“Yeah, it’s me. And I’m on the couch cause Mommy turned my old room into her crafting room,” I grumble and walk into the kitchen in my underwear and long t-shirt.
“Shit, I forgot,” she says
Resa isn’t alone. Her boyfriend Dan is with her, and they are both dressed for whatever horrible exercise they’re going to do.
“Morning,” Dan says with a grin.
“It’s definitely morning,” I grumble, making sure my shirt is long enough to cover my fluffy ass.
“Sorry about the noise, Sisi. We have yoga then classes start at 8,” she tells me.
I nod and start making a pot of coffee.
“It’s fine. You need any help dealing with the RA?”
“Nah,” she tells me. “I think it just has to work itself out,” she says, and I note with amusement her curly hair is sticking up all over the place in her messy bun.
We have the same hair. But while I’m short and chunky, Resa is tall and willowy with a big butt most women envy.
She’s beautiful, and I love her. But I know I can’t live here long, or I just might murder her. And that would really piss our mother off.
“So, what are you going to do about your apartment?” Dan asks.
“I don’t know. I have to try to figure out if anything is salvageable, I guess. Then I have to contact my clients, let them know what happened and that I’ll be out of touch for a couple of days,” I say, making a mental list of all the things that need doing.
We chat a little bit longer, then they both leave, and I am all alone. But before I can fall into the abyss of self-pity I’ve been circling, my phone chimes.
I look down and I grin. It’s a text from Anna.
Anna
You’re back? And you didn’t call me! Sisi, pick up the damn phone!
I smile at her irritation. Anna has gotten super bossy since she’s been married to Nico Fury. It suits her.
My bestie needed a little backbone, and that man seems to have provided her with more than enough.
I wait and pour myself a mug of steaming ambition, but before I can dial her number, I see her name flashing on the screen. It’s a video call and I grimace, but I accept it.
“Giselle Vega, you have some serious explaining to do!”
“Oh my God, did you just I Love Lucy me?” I ask, and she holds her angry stare one more second before we both start giggling.
“Angel called Nico last night. He told him about the explosion. Now, don’t freak out when you leave, but you have a security detail now just in case,” she says, and I’m shaking my head.
“Security detail? In case of what?”
“Well, you’re like my sister, Sisi. And well, Nico and the guys have enemies. If anyone knows our connection, they might come after you as collateral damage,” she whispers, and I can hear the apology in her tone.
“Anyway, I wanted you to know you can use the condo for however long you need. Now that we moved. I mean, I know it’s being renovated, but at least you will have your own space,” she offers, and I have to admit my parents’ place is packed.
Their apartment was always small. But with my room gone and Resa staying with her boyfriend while our parents are in Florida, I do feel cramped.
“I will definitely consider that, Anna. Thanks,” I say. “But as for the security, I think that’s jumping the gun. I don’t need—”
But before I can finish there is a knock at the door.
“Hang on,” I tell her just as I hear the sound of a baby crying.
“Oh, I’ll call you back. Junior wants his breakfast,” she says and hangs up before I can reply.
We’ve been talking for weeks since I’ve been away, but I know it’s not the same as being in person. I missed so much of my best friend’s new life and role as a mom.
How many of Nico Jr.’s milestones did I hear about after the fact? I’ve never even seen Anna’s new home.
I suck.
I feel so guilty that my eyes tear up. They’re just spilling down my cheeks when I pull the door open.
“Morning—what the fuck happened? Is someone here?” Angel says, pushing his way inside.
He thrusts a bag at me and takes a pistol from the back of his pants, looking around like some real live action movie hero with his gun in his hands. He checks the room with military precision, and I am too stunned to say anything.
“Little Doll?” he questions, coming back towards me and tucking the gun away.
“What? Oh! Nothing. No one is here. I was just—”
I shake my head, feeling a little silly. But he doesn’t seem to care. He just steps right into my space and cradles my cheeks with his big hands.
Hands that were just holding a deadly weapon.
“You okay?” he whispers and his thumb pulls on my lower lip.
Icy blue eyes stare into mine, and I sway on my feet. It’s like I’m being pulled towards him by some invisible force. Even more amazing, I think Angel might feel it, too.
“Koukla,” he whispers, bending his head.
Then he kisses me, and it is the best I’ve felt all morning. Instead of pushing him away like I know I should, I lean into it. Into him.
Holy Christ.
He feels so good. Strong and warm. Like the September sun kissed his skin.
I can smell his soap clinging to his skin, and I imagine he’s already had his workout. A man like him doesn’t stay in such excellent shape without a vigorous health program.
But unlike most guys who work out, he doesn’t preen. He doesn’t have to.
Angel is a professional, and his muscles aren’t for show. As if I needed a reminder after the way he came inside, gun in hand, eyes promising destruction to whoever or whatever he might have found. Which makes me wonder.
I slow the kiss, and he lets me, dropping his forehead to mine. Angel’s breaths are warm against my face, and I love the way it feels. Like soft caresses against my skin.
He smells so good. Feels so good. I want to climb him like a tree.
I can’t help it. He’s everything I never knew I wanted in a man. I mean, he’s enormous. So tall and wide, like he could be a professional athlete or something.
He makes me feel small, And that is no easy feat, let me tell you. Anna and I are both bigger girls. Chubby is the word polite people use. Fat is a mean word I grew up hearing a lot.
Especially from my cousins. My cousin Mikey is such a little prick. Every Thanksgiving he used to tell me I should just put my plate right in my back pocket cause it was all going to go straight to my ass, anyway.
Shithead.
The truth is Angel doesn’t make me feel anything but good about myself. The way he looks at me?
Hell.
No one has ever looked at me like that. Like I’m something he wants to devour.
And I feel it down to my toes.
“Um, what’s this I hear about security?” I ask.
“Who told you that?”
“Anna,” I say.
“After last night, I did some checking. The Vipers have enemies, you know this. Besides, it’s just a precaution.”
“But I’m not a Viper,” I say, waiting for him to answer.
But he doesn’t. Angel just looks at me instead, and I am keenly aware of the fact I am standing there in a threadbare t-shirt and panties.
“We got a long day today. Gonna take you to see Anna first on the king’s orders,” he starts.
“Oh, but I need to see about my place,” I interrupt.
“Already done, Little Doll. Everything that could be saved is in the back of my SUV, which brings me to the second thing we’re doing, and that’s moving you into the king’s condo.”
“How do you know about that? Anna only just asked,” I reply, and again he just stares at me. Like he’s waiting for me to catch up.
So bossy.
“Okay, fine. I’ll go, I mean I can’t sleep on this sofa another night,” I grumble, and my stomach echoes the sound.
My cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. But that’s my problem. I mean, obviously I eat.
Oh well, I’m only human.
“You, uh, hungry, Koukla?” he asks and gestures to the bag I am still holding.
I blink, still trying to find my feet. I swear it is like every time he touches me, I lose all sight of where I am. This man has me so mixed up.
I am trying to establish a boundary, but it’s like Angel doesn’t even know what one is.
Why should he?
I doubt he’s heard no very often. And if I am honest, I don’t really want to tell him no.
But I also don’t want my heart broken.
So, no, it is, I remind myself.
The man is like a bull. Just running roughshod over whatever perimeter I try to set up. He makes a noise deep in his throat and I swear I feel it in my core.
Why the hell is that so sexy?
“Brought you some buttered rolls and sliced fruit from Delilah’s,” he adds, naming Anna’s bakery.
My bestie still owns it, but she has nothing to do with the day-to-day operation anymore, and I think she is happier that way.
“Oh, thanks. Are you hungry?” I ask, and his eyes roam down my body, stopping where the bottom of my shirt barely reaches the tops of my thighs.
“Always,” he growls and moves forward, invading my space.
I bite my lip to stop from moaning, retreating a step in the process. I tuck my wild hair behind my ears.
“I’m gonna grab a quick shower. Help yourself to coffee,” I say and run to the bathroom.
I hear him chuckle, and my cheeks burn.
Fucker thinks he can waltz in here with all his manly hotness and throw me off balance?
Well, two can play that game.
CHAPTER TEN-ANGEL
For some reason, September always reminds me of fall even though it doesn’t start till the end of the month.
Still, I’m over here wanting pumpkin spice and apple cider donuts, but Koukla is dressed like she’s going to the fucking beach.
She’s wearing this bright white halter top that stops about two inches of skin above the long, gauzy, patchwork skirt she’s wearing in a myriad of patterns, all with white, gold, and burgundy in them.
She looks good. Really good.
The skirt is long and flowy, so it should be more than decent. But the tantalizing glimpses of leg that peek through the slits in both sides make it sexy instead of Sunday school.
With her tits propped up by the top and that skirt hanging low on her hips, revealing her sexy as fuck belly button, I don’t know where to look first.
Giselle’s fashion sense is something between wild child and sex siren, and it has me all but panting for her.
The women I typically date don’t ever look that soft or comfortable in their skin. They don’t look free. They look hard and put together. Like they put in work to cover up what they see as flaws.
All plastic and cosmetics. Fake.
But not her. My Koukla is real. She is authentic.
She just is. And that is more than enough for me.
She’s perfect.
She has this thin chain around her waist, and there are tiny beads dangling from it. Every time she moves the light catches it and my pulse starts to race.
I want to see her in nothing but that.
Wanna feel the cool metal against her warm skin.
Taste it, too.
I grind my teeth as we walk past a group of assholes who don’t know better than to stare at my girl like she’s a juicy fucking cheeseburger, and it’s lunchtime.
I growl at them, and they jump where they stand, each of them looking away just before I lose my shit.
We’re at some mall she found on the way to Nico and Anna’s house. I don’t want to be here, but she does, so here we are.
Giselle is busy picking out a gift for Junior. I already told her the kid has everything, but she insists she can’t go empty-handed.
So, yeah, here I am, in a fucking shopping mall in the suburbs at eleven AM. The place is crawling with people, which I think is odd for a weekday.
But it’s not. She reminds me folks are still school shopping.
It’s late because we stopped by her old apartment. Little Doll insisted on going there first, and sucker that I am, I oblige her.
For the first time in my life, I want to make someone else happy, and when I say yes, she smiles. She’s happy. So, yeah, I do what she wants.
“Put it on here,” I hand my platinum card to the cashier after she rings everything up.
“Oh, but I wanted to pay,” Giselle starts, but I just stare at her, and she gives in.
I put my card back in my wallet and take the bag from the cashier, then I turn to Giselle.
“Okay, I just have to stop at one more store. You don’t have to come with me.”
I look at her like she’s nuts.
“Of course, I am coming with you.”
“But I, uh, need some personal things,” she murmurs, and her cheeks go pink.
“That’s fine. Let’s go,” I tell her and gesture for her to lead the way.
We stop at a lingerie store, and I should wait outside. Really, I should. I mean it’s kind of pushy of me to just follow her inside while she’s picking out panties and shit, but I already know Victoria’s Secret.
