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care what they called me as long as they left me
alone.
    Arriving at Kirk’s place, I found it empty as
usual. His home wasn’t my home, but I was more comfortable there than at where
I’d grown up.
    After I had showered in his blissfully clean
bathroom, I searched his place for an extra blanket to use for my makeshift on
the couch. I eventually cuddled under a thick comforter and worried Kirk might
return home with a woman.
    Even if he was alone, he might be angry and decide
to take back his key. Sometime after ten, I dozed off thinking about Kirk and
me riding on his Harley. We were leaving Chesterfield, my mom, and every other
shitty thing about this place. Fantasy or not, I wasn’t ready to let go of a
future with Kirk.

7 - Kirk
    I walked into my apartment after three in the
morning and found the TV flickering in the otherwise dark living room. My hand
immediately went to my gun. Even startled, I knew none of my enemies were dumb
enough to leave the TV playing while lying in wait. I shut the door quietly and
walked to the covered lump on the couch.
    My club brothers sometimes dropped by when hiding
from their women or cops. The lump was too small and smelled too floral to be a
man.
    Kneeling down, I pulled back the blanket to find
Jodi’s sleeping face. I wished she didn’t look so much like a fucking angel.
Why couldn’t she be a nasty whore teenager just looking to party? That way I
wouldn’t care about her so much. I never caught any breaks.
    Jodi’s eyes suddenly popped open, and we stared at
each other.
    “I had nowhere to sleep at my place,” she said.
    “Did anyone hurt you?” I asked, sounding like an
angry beast.
    “No,” she said.
    We watched each other for another minute. I didn’t
know what to say to her. Everything I’d been thinking about involving Jodi
Sears wasn’t something a man should say in a dark room with a teenager.
    “Can I sleep here tonight?”
    “Yes,” I said, standing up. “Don’t leave tomorrow before
I get up. We need to talk.”
    Jodi mumbled thank you while I walked away. I felt
her gaze on me even after I was inside the kitchen. Despite the shock of
finding her in my house, I was tired after a long day of chasing idiots around
town. I kicked off my boots and jeans before crashing within minutes of climbing
into bed.
    I dreamed of Jodi cooking me breakfast. When I
awoke, I even thought she might be cooking until I remembered there was no food
in the apartment for her to use.
    Showering, I scrubbed my skin extra rough. I wanted
to smell good for Jodi. This thought was fucking stupid. I couldn’t help myself
with Jodi, who made me dumber than when I was a horny teen looking to land my
first lay.
    I found her sitting on the couch, watching Jaws on TV. She glanced at me and then stood up and walked to the kitchen where I
opened a beer can.
    “We need to get food,” I said.
    “I don’t have money for food. Robin already used
our food stamps for the month.”
    “It’s my place. I’ll pay.”
    “Are you mad about me staying here?”
    Crossing my arms, I studied her perfect face.
Jodi’s blue eyes revealed true fear at my reaction. I liked seeing her scared.
If she knew how much power she had over me, I’d be a dead man.
    “Think your mom would notice if you didn’t come
home?”
    “No. She sleeps all day and is wasted all night.”
    “So you’ll stay here then.”
    “Are you done waiting then?” she asked, not fucking
around.
    “Do you even know how to play things coy?”
    “I don’t even know what ‘coy’ means, Kirk. I like
your apartment, and I don’t like my place. I want to stay here, but I want to
know what you want. Is that playing coy?”
    “No,” I said, reaching out and caressing the soft
skin on her bronzed skin. “I like your honesty better anyway.”
    “So what do you want?”
    “You in my bed,” I said, not fucking around either.
    Jodi’s eyes widened slightly, but she recovered
quickly. Nodding, she glanced at my