Page 121 of A Little Jaded
“That’s what your sister’s afraid of,” I reply. “You doing something stupid and fucking up your future for her.” My mouth twitches. “The irony is, if I was in your position, I’d be the same way. Don’t worry, though. I’m not the enemy. I’ll keep her safe. Promise.”
“Dodge,” a grumbly voice echoes from the stage. It’s a command. My head snaps in its direction. Sure enough, a guy in his early thirties with tats covering every inch of his skin from the neck down is at the mic. It’s the drummer. Judge, I think? The name’s fitting. Or maybe not. Executioner is a better choice, and right now, his sight is set on me and Dodge.
“Duty calls.” Dodge shifts back on his feet, leaving mespace to move past him. “Talk soon.” Then, the same carefree smile takes up his expression when he jogs toward the limelight like he was made for it.
My head spins as I watch his entire demeanor change right before my eyes. When the intro to the next song starts playing, Dodge winks at me from the stage, and Raine’s dad stands up, offering his hand.
“I’m letting you pass,” he decides. “Don’t make me regret it.”
With a snort, I take it. “Thanks, I guess?”
“Now, go make my baby girl feel better.” He tugs me closer. “And I mean that in the most PG way possible.”
My mouth lifts. “I’ll see what I can do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
EVERETT
She didn’t want to talk. She wanted a hot shower, then a cuddle. Her words, not mine. Honestly, I’m surprised she even asked. The girl’s been so skittish about her own wants and needs, having her voice her desires felt like a win in my book, so I gave her exactly what she asked for.
A hot shower and a snuggle.
No questions asked.
The sheets are cold now, though. I lift my eyelids and search my room, only to find it empty. It’s four in the morning. With a frown, I shift out of bed, heading to the kitchen. The lights above the island are on, and the fire is crackling, but otherwise, it’s dark. Raine sits on the couch, her bare feet resting on the coffee table as she balances an open notebook on her knees. Brows bunched, she tilts her head and glides her pencil across the paper, oblivious to my presence.
Fuck, I could watch her like this all night. Her concentration. The way her lips move. As if she’s talking to the drawing. Or maybe herself. Hell, maybe a song is stuck in her head or something, but it only feeds my curiosity.
A loud crackle from the fire snaps her out of her daze, and her attention shoots to it until she finds me leaning against the edge of the mantle.
The surprise in her eyes turns to warmth, and her mouth lifts in a smile as she whispers, “Hi.”
“Hey.” I push myself away from the fireplace and stride toward her. “Pencil this time, huh?”
“Figured I could use the backspace button today.”
“Is that what you call it? A backspace button?”
“I mean, it does the same thing, right? Gives you an opportunity to fix your mistakes.”
“Have you ever considered using an iPad or something instead?”
“Sometimes I do but only at work. I’m a sucker for paper.” She lifts her notepad and wiggles it back and forth.
I nod and motion to the cushion beside her. “Mind if I join you?”
She scoots a little closer to the armrest, giving me room, and I sit down. On the paper is a tree. It’s similar to the one from weeks ago. When I tracked her down at Lucian’s shop. The one with messy, twisted branches. But this one is…softer somehow. Less prickles. More leaves. Sunshine slips through the branches, casting light and shadows along the paper. Even the bark feels delicate somehow.
“What do you think?” she asks. I can hear her reservations. Her anxiety. The way she wants to clam up, like all the other times she’s shown me her art.
Tearing my attention from the drawing, I look up at Raine. At the little divot between her brows. The way she chews on the soft flesh on the inner edge of her bottom lip. The hesitant sheen in her eyes. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to erase her fears. Her reservations. To rip away the bullshit insecurities surrounding her brilliance in hopes of her seeing what I see. What I’ve seen since the moment we first met.
“It looks amazing, Stormie,” I tell her.
“You think?”
I nod. “You’re insanely talented.”