Page 87 of Lick
I had nothing. My knees wavered. Probably due to the recent action they’d seen. Relief over him not taking to the groupies with a vengeance after our split couldn’t be part of it, surely. I didn’t even want to think about Martha, that tentacle-wielding sea monster from the deep.
Sex was so messy. Love was far and away worse.
One of us had to go. He made no move, so I left, hightailing it back toward the club to find Amanda and Jo. I needed new panties and a heart transplant. I needed to go home. He followed me, opening the door. The heavy bass of the music boomed out into the night.
I rushed into the ladies’ room and locked myself into a stall to clean up. When I came out to wash my hands, looking in the mirror was hard. The harsh fluorescent lighting did me no favors. My long blond hair hung around my face a knotted mess thanks to David’s hands. My eyes were wide and wounded. I looked terrified, but of what I didn’t want to say. Also, there was the mother of all hickeys forming on my neck. Hell.
A couple of girls came in, giggling and casting longing looks back over their shoulders. Before the door swung shut, I caught a glance of David leaning against the wall opposite, waiting, staring at his boots. The girls’ excited chatter was jarringly loud. But they made no mention of his name. David’s disguise was holding up. Arms wrapped around myself, I went out to meet him.
“Ready to go?” he asked, pushing off from the wall.
“Yeah.”
We made our way back through the club, dodging dancers and drunks, searching for Amanda and Jo. They were on the edge of the dance floor, talking. Amanda had her cranky face on.
She took me in and a brow arched. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Thanks for asking me out, guys. But I’m going to head home,” I said, ignoring the pointed look.
“With him?” She jerked her chin at David, who lurked at my shoulder.
Jo stepped forward, wrapping me up in her arms. “Ignore her. You do what’s right for you.”
“Thanks.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and followed suit, pulling me in for a hug. “He hurt you so bad.”
“I know.” My eyes welled with tears. Highly unhelpful. “Thanks for asking me out.”
I’d bet all the money I had Amanda was roasting David over my shoulder with her eyes. I almost felt bad for him. Almost.
We left the club as one of his songs came over the speakers. There were numerous cries of “Divers!” Jimmy’s voice purred out the lyrics, “Damn I hate these last days of love, cherry lips and long good-byes…”
David ducked his head and we rushed out. Outside in the open air, the song was no more than the faraway thumping of bass and drums. I kept sneaking sidelong glances, checking he was really there and not some figment of my imagination. So many times I’d dreamed he’d come to me. And every time I’d woken up alone, my face wet with tears. Now he was here and I couldn’t risk it. If he broke me again, I wasn’t convinced I’d manage to get back up a second time. My heart might not make it. So I did my best to keep my mouth and my mind shut.
It was still relatively early and there weren’t many people milling about outside. I held out my hand to the passing traffic and a cab cruised to a stop soon after. David held the door open for me. I climbed in without a word.
“I’m seeing you home.” He slid in after me and I scurried across the seat in surprise.
“You don’t need—”
“I do. Okay. I do need to do that much, so just…”
“All right.”
“Where to?” The cabdriver asked, giving us an uninterested look in the rearview mirror. Another feuding couple in his backseat. I’m sure he saw at least a dozen a night.
David rattled off my address without blinking. The taxi pulled out into the flow of traffic. He could have gotten my address from Sam, and as for the rest…
“Lauren,” I sighed, sinking back against the seat. “Of course, that’s how you knew where to find me.”
He winced. “I talked to Lauren earlier. Listen, don’t be mad at her. She took a lot of convincing.”
“Right.”
“I’m serious. She ripped me a new one for messing things up with you, yelled at me for half an hour. Please don’t be mad at her.”
I gritted my teeth and stared out the window. Until his fingers slid over mine. I snatched back my hand.
