Page 19 of Spike (Iron Thunder MC 5)
I sat back in my chair, drinking some more of my beer.
“The world doesn’t stop because I got a scratch.”
“Spike, that looks more than just a scratch.”
“I’m taking it easy.”
Her nostrils flared and she thrust her chin up.
“You think this job is easy?”
“You’re not going to pull a knife on me, are you?” I asked.
We were looking into each other’s eyes and then she tilted her head to the side and smirked.
“I don’t know what that would feel like. To live your life every day when you could get seriously hurt at your job.”
“I’m not the only one in a job like this,” I said and she shook her head. There was a change in her eyes, but I couldn’t tell what exactly it was.
She picked up another burger. I wasn’t expecting her to. This girl was definitely full of surprises. When I first saw her last night, I wouldn’t have expected her to plough through a couple of burgers and drink beer for breakfast.
Maybe there was another side to Sabrina Wyndham I didn’t know about.
“How was Paris?” I asked her, the kind of question I had never asked anybody before. For the first time, I was genuinely interested.I had to admit that this was a side to Sabrina that I wasn’t expecting to see. I had her pegged as a spoilt brat, Daddy’s precious little angel, a breaker of hearts, a seductress. Yet, today, as she sat there, matching my every beer for a beer and a burger for a burger, I was seeing her in a light that was making me want her even more.
She laughed and made jokes about Paris. Not only describing how beautiful it was, especially after it rained, and the smell of the cakes in the cafés and their perfect coffees…but she didn’t hesitate to make jokes about the famous Parisian people. How they weren’t warm and she found it very difficult to fit in or make friends. She knew she was under constant scrutiny and they were talking about her behind her back.
“I just wanted to bitch with them, you know? But they just wanted to bitch about me.” That made her laugh and I grinned too.
I was finding myself drawn to her, drawn to how adorable she was. It was more than just her beauty, or the way she spoke and how fashionably she wore her clothes, or that thick shiny ponytail that swung behind her. Sabrina was funny and observant. There was something very earthy and real about her, which I wouldn’t have expected from a girl like her.
“So, I’m guessing you’ve never been to Paris?” she asked. I realized I was lost in thought for a long time. Now, she was expecting an answer.
“No, never. I’ve never been anywhere outside this country. Never felt the need to go anywhere,” I replied. “Among other reasons.”
She arched her brows high up on her forehead.
“While I completely agree with you—there is so much to see in this country and I don’t think I’ve seen enough of it yet—I still want to know about the other reasons.”
I looked at my watch. It was nearly noon. We’d been sitting here and talking for over two hours already. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it and piqued her curiosity.
“Don’t try and evade it, Spike. Come on, you have to tell me. I told you all the reasons why I have such a love-hate relationship with Paris.”
Maybe telling her would be a good thing. I was beginning to feel a different kind of attraction toward her, and if she knew the truth, she would keep her distance from me. That would make it easier. To keep this strictly business.
If she stayed away from me, I could do my job better.
Sabrina tilted her head to one side, a faint smile dancing on her lips. She was waiting for me to explain.
Normally, it wasn’t this difficult for me to talk about it, but today, for some reason, I didn’t know how to say it to her.
“Well, it would have been difficult to travel the world from prison,” I replied.I could see she was stunned into silence. A bottle of beer was still in her hand and slowly, after a few moments of no movement, she brought it up to her lips and drank from it.
I was in prison. It may not have been a huge deal in my circle, but it was certainly a huge deal in hers. Maybe she had never met someone who had been to prison before.
She licked her lips and put the bottle back down on the table.
“I’m sorry, are you implying that you have been in prison?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”
I was expecting her to return to being the girl I first took her to be. Maybe she would stand up, demand to be taken back to the house. Maybe she’d even speak to her father and demand that he change her bodyguard. That way, I’d be out of this job and wouldn’t see her again. Order would be restored.
