Chapter Twenty-Seven: Don't Leave

Hadley

My knee shakes as I sit on the couch in Trick's living room. The damn cat has taken up the seat next to me and keeps looking up at me. I swear he's taunting me. Five minutes ago, Trick asked me if I wanted to shower first, and when I said no, he went into the bathroom and shut the door. I can hear the water, and my imagination's running wild.

I don't want to have sex with him tonight, it's too soon, but dear Jesus it's been a long time for me, and the man is hot. Not to mention the emotional baggage we laid out for each other earlier. I just need some human contact. I need someone to hold me, I want to feel someone's lips against mine, fingers digging into my flesh. I'm raw, and I don't want to deal with the emotional fallout of my past by myself. I've been doing that for such a long fucking time. There's a bottle of Jim Beam on Trick's counter, a sign I should do what I'm thinking of doing.

Getting up, I march over to it, rip the top off, and take a fortifying drink. I h