by Olivia Devon
“Okay Dr. Smarty Pants. I was thinking, that even though, yes, I was annoyed with you, we’re still standing here wet and naked having a conversation in the shower like we’ve done this a million times before.”
“I know,” said Wyatt. “It’s great.”
“I was gonna say weird, but okay.”
“Now I get it.”
She glanced back over her shoulder again. “Get what?”
Wyatt smiled, then ducked his head under the spray. Shampoo ran over his face, and he sloughed the water out of his eyes with his fingers. “Now I understand.” He pulled the shower head from it’s perch and handed it to Jinx, taking the shaving cream and razor from her, and putting them back on the shelf while she rinsed her legs in the spray.
“Alright, enlighten me. What do you understand?” Jinx leaned over him and replaced the the shower head. Wyatt caught her by the hips and settled her in place, face to face, her hands in his.
“I understand that you’re scared,” he said. “You’re scared of how right this feels, how good this feels, how easy, this feels. You’re scared to care, because if you don’t care you can’t get hurt. You’re scared of having something to lose.”
Jinx’s throat constricted, and her eyes felt scratchy. Wyatt’s gaze pinned her, unyielding. She bit her lower lip and tried to slide her hands from his, but he held fast.
“You’re getting pissy at me, because it protects you,” he said. “That tells me this is a bit of a hang-up for you. You’ve been hurt.”
“Big whoop,” Jinx sneered. “Everyone has been hurt.”
“Yeah but this is a big one, maybe the big one for you. Big hurt equals big fear. Only one way to heal a wound that big.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Go for broke, head straight into the storm, burn it out with fire, rip off that Bandaid.”
“Okay are you a SEAL, Dr. Phil, or a thesaurus of bad metaphors? Because-”
“I love you,” Wyatt said, and Jinx’s jaw fell to the floor.
“What the fuck? Jesus Wyatt—”
“I love you Jun. I’m in love with you. Completely, madly, helplessly. Head over heels. I have been since the first time you Tasered me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she stammered. “We just met! We barely know—”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, shaking his head. “I never believed in that love at first sight shit until I met you. I felt it,” he said, thumping a fist on his chest. “Like a bolt of electricity right here. I told you. Remember?”
“And I told you!” She ripped her hand from his. “That was literally a bolt of electricity. I fucking Tasered you, idiot.” Jinx scrubbed her hands over her face. “Oh my God, this is my worst nightmare.”
“Your worst fear and your deepest wish. I know that feeling all too well. I know it’s early in the relationship to say these things, but you need to hear them.”
“Relationship?” Jinx stared at him. “Do you hear yourself? We fucked! Once!”
“Yeah, but it was epic.” Wyatt grinned.
“Wyatt. You do not love me.”
“Do too.”
“Do not.”
“Yes, I do.” Wyatt reached for her, pulling her into him, his lips lowering to hers for a kiss. His tongue swept over her lower lip, teasing her open, rushing in taste her, to lay claim. “I love you,” he said again, breathing the words softly against her cheek. “I love you, and I’m going to marry you and we’re going to have a bunch of kids together and give them terrible names and adopt lots of dogs that need wheely carts and eye patches.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Hey!” Aiko’s shout sounded from the far side of the bathroom. “You two have any idea how fucking loud you are?”
“Oh my fucking God!” Jinx bellowed. “BOUNDARIES you psycho! Learn some fucking boundaries!”
“Whatever. Listen, I gotta motor. Jack needs me at the office, so I have to skip the field trip to Daisy’s lair. I’ll catch you guys later.”
“Die in a fire!” Jinx called back, and Wyatt stifled a laugh against her shoulder.
“Alright, see…” Aiko stomped into the bathroom and stood just outside the shower door. “I was gonna be cool and leave and give you guys your privacy or whatever, but then you had to go and be mean, and so now I’m gonna tell him.”
“Aiko,” Jinx warned. “Don’t you dare.”
Aiko ignored her sister and caught Wyatt’s eye through the foggy glass.
“You have her number, Wyatt,” said Aiko. “Don’t worry about that. You’re right. She was hurt. Bad. By a total douchebag who humiliated her in front of all our friends.”
“Aiko, I swear to God.”
“Shut up Jun, it’s true. And it’s also true that he was a complete tool. Nobody liked him, he’s a monster loser, and you are so much better off without him it’s not even funny. So ovary up, get past that shit, and stop using it as an excuse. Wyatt deserves better than that.”
Jinx glared at her sister.
“And you deserve better too,” Aiko said. “Stop overthinking everything. Just take a chance and see what happens.”
They were locked in a silent staring contest for a few moments, Jinx’s anger a palpable force that seemed to have sucked all the air out of the room.
“Well,” said Aiko, breaking the tension. “On that note. I’ll be going. Later dude!”
“Great chat!” Wyatt waved a hand at her over the top of the shower as she headed for the door.
“Oh wait!” Aiko stopped, turned and rifled through a vanity drawer. A second later a handful of condoms rained down on them from above.
“What the fu—” Jinx began.
“Well, I figure you two are gonna have angry sex now, and as much as I’m looking forward to nieces and nephews with terrible names, I don’t want you getting ahead of yourselves.”
Jinx flipped Aiko the bird while Wyatt squatted to pick up the condoms.
“Ooo ribbed for her pleasure. Thanks sis!”
“I got you bro.” Aiko pounded her chest twice and flashed the peace sign. “I’m out!”
Jinx waited until she heard the bathroom door click shut, then sighed in relief.
“Well that was a total shitfest.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Wyatt frowned and nodded in response. “So inappropriate.”
“Oh stop. You thought it was funny.”
“Not funny no,” he said. “Just… validating. She’s you’re sister. She loves you.”
“I know.” Jinx pushed the shower door open and stepped out, grabbing a towel and draping it around her.
“Wait,” Wyatt said, following behind her. “What about the angry sex?” He held out a palm full of condoms. “Whaddaya say?”
“Well duh. But wouldn’t you rather go to the bedroom? That shower is so cramped.”
“No no no.” Wyatt peeled the towel off of her and dropped it to the floor. “You do not understand the epic feat of self-control it took to refrain from ravishing you in that tiny steamer pot.” He leaned back into the shower and turned the hot water up till steam billowed, took her hand, and led her back inside.
“There is a time for talking,” Wyatt said. “And that was earlier, when we needed to figure out why you were annoyed.” Placing the condoms on the tiled seat he reached for the lilac rose body wash and poured some into his palm. “And there is a time for play,” he said. “Which is now, when I can rub my soapy hands all over this sinful body and just…” He shuddered with pleasure when his hands cupped her breasts, slippery and silky, his thumbs rubbing over her hardened nipples until she shuddered too.
Every care washed away. All hint of annoyance was cleansed from her when those nimble fingers began caressing. Wyatt pulled her close, crushing her hips against his, his cock already hard and hot against her stomach as he kissed her deeply. Soapy hands glided down her back, over the curve of her ass, down, around, to stroke slowly through her folds.
“Wyatt,” she breathed against his lips.
&nb
sp; “You have no idea how difficult it was,” he said, one finger dipping to circle her entrance, “when you were bent over in front of me, that round pink ass bobbing up and down, to resist all my instincts.”
“And what instinct was that exactly?” Jinx arched a brow. “Cowboy.”
“And just like that,” he said, his gaze searching hers. “Just like that, we’re back.”
“What do you mean?”
“You called me cowboy, kitten.” He grinned. “You’ve gone all fuzzy in my hands. You’re practically purring. No more brick?”
Jinx shook her head and smiled. “No more brick.”
Wyatt ripped a condom open with his teeth and swiftly rolled it on. When he lifted her, she circled her legs around his waist, groaning as his hands grabbed her ass and his cock sank deep.
“God I love you,” he said, his voice hoarse and strained as he stroked into her hard.
“I can’t say that back.” Her voice cracked on the words. “Not—” Yet was the word she thought in her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to say even that. “I’m sorry.” Two words, not even close to the three he really wanted. She felt terrible.
Wyatt laid his cheek against hers, buried his palm in her hair and braced her against the shower wall, pressing kisses to her face as he thrust. “I know sweetheart,” he said tenderly. “I don’t say it to hear it back, I say it because it’s true.”
“But I—”
“If you want to, you can just say thanks. That’s enough.” He pushed back, his gaze traveling hotly from her eyes, down the length of her body to the place that they joined. His thumb found her clit, moving in circles, slow at first and then faster, in time with his hips.
Jinx bucked against him as the first spirals of orgasm began to hit her. “Okay,” she said, trying to talk through the pleasure, desperate to say something to him, something as deep, something as meaningful as the words he kept whispering to her.
“I love you.” He whispered it again while he fucked her, plunging inside, deep and hot and hard as though he thought he could make her believe it with his body, if not with mere words.
“Thank you,” she stuttered, as orgasm ripped through her. “Thank you.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Don’t think anyone’s ever actually thanked me for sex before.” Wyatt drawled the words over his shoulder, dimples flashing mischievously as he unlocked the door to Daisy’s apartment and stepped inside.
“Keep it up, cowboy,” Jinx said as she followed him. “That smart mouth will get you in trouble, and you’ll be right back on Dr. Shelley’s table, trying to undo the extreme damage I will do to you if you don’t knock it off.”
“Touchy, touchy.” Wyatt grinned and headed for the kitchen, setting his duffel bag on the counter before commencing his search. The sound of slamming cupboard doors announced the path of his progress. “Wouldn’t mind going back though. The shower sex was super fun, but I was hurting big time after. Now, not so much. Dr. Shelley has the magic touch. She’s a wizard, that one.”
“Hey,” Jinx said, following him into the kitchen. “I thought I had the magic touch.”
“Oh you do darling, you do.” His eyes popped wide. “No one is in your league. She’s like Gandalf to your Dumbledore.”
Jinx raised an eyebrow. “You think Gandalf is less of a wizard than Dumbledore? Seriously?”
“Um…” Wyatt bit his lip. “I’m more of a Harry Potter fan. I never did get through Lord of the Rings, all the son of this guy, who was the son of that guy shit. Made me want to gouge my eyes out.”
“Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m dating you. Gandalf is a far superior wizard to Dumbledore any day.”
“No he’s not! Dumbledore was the greatest, and by the way, I’d like the record to reflect you just admitted we’re dating.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“No no, I want to explore this.” He bent down and opened another cabinet door. “Ah shit.” Wyatt disappeared behind the kitchen island. Cursing and shuffling sounds echoed from deep inside the cabinet.
“Yep, Daisy was here alright,” he said, coming back into view, a pile of squashed TastyKakes boxes in his hands.
“Jesus.” Jinx eyed the boxes. “It’s a wonder she has a single tooth left in her head.”
“She’s using again,” he said. “Pretty sure of that. She always had a craving for this stuff when she was using. Got rail thin on it too. I guess a diet of soda, drugstore cupcakes and crystal meth will just melt the pounds right off.”
“That’s what she does?” said Jinx, her eyes wide with concern. “Meth?”
“I dunno.” Wyatt waved a hand. “I’m just being an asshole. Once upon a time it was heroin. Not sure what her poison is now.”
“She’s sick Wyatt.” Jinx crossed to him, and put a hand on his bicep. “Addicts have an illness. This is not the Daisy you know.”
“The Daisy I know has always been a horrible person.” Wyatt leveled his gaze with hers. “She’s not horrible because she’s an addict. She’s horrible and an addict.”
“Wyatt,” Jinx said gently, taking the boxes from him and setting them on the counter. “How do you know? From what you told me, she started young.”
“Yeah, like thirteen or something. That’s Bryce’s best guess.”
“So think, what was she like before that?”
Wyatt sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Kind of a brat to be honest. Selfish, spoiled. Liked to rat on us and then gloat about it later.”
“So kind of a shitty kid.”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“But you’ve known other kids that were kind of shitty.”
“Well sure. Of course. But usually people grow out of that crap.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” said Jinx. “I don’t know that you can judge who she is as a person, who she could be, who she should be, when she never really had a chance.”
Wyatt stared at her, their eyes locked for one long moment. Then he shrugged.
“Fair enough. I acknowledge your point. But does that mean you think I should be handling all this differently?”
“No.” Jinx shook her head. “It just means that I think we should try to stay in touch with our compassion, no matter what we find out. And when the time comes, if we can get her real help, we should do it.”
“If she’s willing.” Wyatt held up a finger. “That’s the thing. Bryce has tried that, so many times. At some point, he’s gotta stop trying, for his own sake.” Wyatt placed his hand over hers, and squeezed.
“Well,” he said, his eyes surveying the rest of the apartment. “Whoever really lives here isn’t much of a decorator. But Daisy’s definitely put her own touch on the place.” He walked into the living room, and Jinx followed. “Dirty clothes, old food containers, empty cigarette boxes.”
“I didn’t realize she smoked,” Jinx said quietly.
“She doesn’t, usually.” Wyatt turned back, his gaze meeting hers. “Only time I saw her smoking was when she was trying to quit using. Which also explains the impressive quantity of those one-shot Keurig coffee cup dealies in the trash can. Trading drugs for cigarettes and coffee.”
“So she could be trying to quit?” Jinx asked. “Right now?”
Wyatt nodded. “She could be, but with this mix of evidence I’ve got no idea where she is in that process. Is it trying? Or tried?”
“Right.”
“C’mon,” he said jerking his head towards the hallway. “Let’s check out the bathroom.”
They walked down the hallway together and into a spacious bathroom, floor to ceiling white tile. Absolutely spic and span.
Wyatt whistled. “And the plot thickens.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Jinx spun a slow circle in the center of the tiled floor. “We’ve established she’s a slob, and the rest of the place is a mess. But this bathroom—”
“Has been handled.” Wyatt finished the thought for her. “Proof that she’s working with someone, f
or someone. Someone who felt the need to clean up after her.”
“Yeah but why only the bathroom?”
“Because something happened in here. Something specific that they wanted to cover up.”
“Oh no.” Jinx covered her mouth, her eyes wide.
“Right,” Wyatt nodded his head, knowing right where her mind had leapt, because his had leapt there too. “But let’s not jump to the worst conclusions yet. It’s possible she hurt herself, or was sick, OD’d or who knows. But definitely somebody else was in here and they cleaned up.”
“You think whoever is behind all this was here.”
“Nope.” Wyatt frowned. “Not the guy in charge. Just some henchmen.”
“Henchmen?” Jinx raised an eyebrow.
Wyatt echoed her expression, then grinned. “Yep, henchmen. Minions. Probably mean, definitely stupid.” He fished deep into his pockets and pulled out a hefty multi-tool utility knife. “And I’m betting, extremely lazy.”
“What’s that for?” Jinx eyed the knife.
“To prove my theory,” Wyatt said, leaning over the side of the tub. He used the knife to pry up the metal cap to the drain. “Hey, see if you can find me a wire hanger in one of these closets, would ya?”
“There was one in a pile of clothes in the living room actually,” said Jinx. “Be right back.”
When she returned she was already untwisting the hanger, anticipating Wyatt’s next move.
“Oh my God, you’re my dream girl. Look at you making me a snake for this drain!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jinx smiled and handed him the wire. “Have fun with that.”
Wyatt fed the wire into the drain, twisted it around a bit then fished it back out. A clump of stringy, red-streaked blonde hair dripped from the end.
“Blood,” he said, his gaze meeting hers. “Damn. I hate being right.” Wyatt threw the wire down in the tub and then crossed to the sink. He opened the cabinet doors beneath the basin, then lay on his back upside down underneath the pipes.
“What are you right about?” asked Jinx.
“Something happened in here, intentional, accidental, self-inflicted, or foul play, I don’t know, but somebody got blood all over the floor.”