me cry anymore."
"He'l always make you cry," Kira said. "But go.
Whatever. He's got a magic cock. I get it."
Remembering the times she'd left me stranded so she
could go home with someone she met in a bar, I didn't feel
nearly as bad as she wanted me to. "I'l wait until Tony
gets here."
I could do that, at least.
I could do that, at least.
Going to Austin's place was one thing, driving with him
another. I wasn't going to get in the car with him after he'd
been drinking, for one, and for another, I wasn't going to
be stuck at his house without knowing for sure I'd be able
to get home.
He grinned when I went over to him, but I fended off his
kiss. "I have to wait for Kira to get picked up. I'l meet you
there."
Austin puled me close and nuzzled my neck exactly how
he knew I liked it best. "Just come with me."
"No." I pushed him slightly away. Drunker, I'd have given
in. More sober, I'm sure I'd have gone home alone. Stuck
in this midway point where I wanted to taste him again and
knowing lust is never as pretty the morning after, I shook
my head. "I'l meet you there. Give me the address."
Maybe things were different, after al.
Austin kissed me again, harder, and this time I let him. He
knew just how to do it, where to put his hands and his
tongue and how to bump me with his groin to make my
breath catch in my throat. My nipples throbbed, poking
breath catch in my throat. My nipples throbbed, poking
the silk of my shirt.
"Don't take too long." He stepped back, steady on his feet and not slurring his words. He reached as I turned and at
the last moment, captured my wrist with his fingers. I let
him tug me closer. "You're not going to bail on me, are
you? Like last time?"
Last time I hadn't had Kira to remind me that I'd vowed
never to go to bed with Austin again. Not that it was
stopping me. Last time I'd caled him just after two in the
morning and told him I wanted to come over, but when I
hung up the phone, good reason had won over the desire
for his hands on me. That had been months ago, before I
moved here.
"Are you stil angry about that?"
"I wasn't mad. Just disappointed. Do it again, I'l be mad."
He grinned and dipped his head to kiss me but stopped
short of my lips, just brushing them. "And disappointed."
His blue eyes bore deep into mine, and for half a minute
nothing else mattered. I felt Kira at my elbow, but I didn't
turn to look at her. I looked right into Austin's eyes when I
turn to look at her. I looked right into Austin's eyes when I
replied. "You won't be."
He let me go with another kiss and a nuzzle that sent
shivers marching along every nerve. I found Kira waiting
for me by the door. Oblivious to the crowd buffeting her,
she held her place instead of stepping aside until I showed
up to pul her by the elbow onto the sidewalk.
"You sure you'l be al right?" The chily night air had done a pretty good job of sobering me up, but I wasn't
reconsidering my rendezvous with Austin. At least not yet.
Kira nodded. "Fine."
She didn't look fine, she looked pissed off. I glanced out
onto the street. Lots of cops. No cabs. I'd only turned
away for a few seconds, but when I turned back to face
her, Kira's expression had turned stormy.
"You asshole!" She took a couple of steps forward, her
heel catching on a crack in the sidewalk, and stumbled.
Jack.
With an inward sigh, I went after her. Jack was with the
same woman from earlier and he did his best to ignore
same woman from earlier and he did his best to ignore
Kira. I saw him give his date a pained glance she
answered with a shrug, and they started walking.
"Hey, Jack! Jackass! Don't you walk away from me!"
"C'mon, Kira, don't." I didn't blame him for ignoring her. I was a little less pleased he was also actively ignoring me,
even though I knew it was realy for the best, al around.
"He's not worth it!"
"Fuck you, Jack!" Kira couldn't let it go, apparently.
Jack grimaced and puled his cap from his back pocket.
He put it on, but didn't look at her. We hadn't gone more
than another few steps down the sidewalk when Kira
launched herself at his back.
Jack stumbled forward as she slammed into him, her legs
and arms flying. She didn't actualy manage to hit him more
than once or twice, but the spectators leaped out of the
way of her drunken tornado performance. She was
shrieking insults, mostly stupid and incoherent ones.
Jack gave me an angry look that pissed me off. It wasn't
like I'd told Kira he and I had hooked up or anything. Her
issues with him were his own problem and had nothing to
issues with him were his own problem and had nothing to
do with me. He pushed her off him firmly and grabbed her
arm at the same time so she wouldn't fal. She kept trying
to hit him and missing.
"Stop it," Jack told her and gave her arm a little shake
before letting her go. When she flew at him again she
managed to knock his cap off. I stepped forward, wishing
I'd gone with Austin and left Kira to her theatrics alone.
This was a scene I realy didn't want to see.
"I hope your Prince Albert fucking rips out and you have
to piss through three holes!" Kira screamed.
"Kira, c'mon." I reached for her.
Kira alowed herself to be led away, stil shouting insults.
By the time we got to the parking garage the crowd had
thinned and we had a better shot at hailing a cab. I rubbed
my bare arms and shivered, but Kira had anger as her
cloak and she danced back and forth on the nubbly
pavement, waving her hands and muttering curses.
"He's not worth it," I repeated. "Jesus, Kira. What's wrong with you?"
"He's a jackass," she said sulenly. Her makeup had
smeared, her hair tangled. She needed to be in bed.
Fuck. I wanted to be in bed, and not alone. Yet here I
was, instead, babysitting her while she had a tantrum about
some guy she'd had a crush on a milion years ago but had
never even dated.
I didn't correct her, even though I didn't agree. "You're
drunk. Cal Tony. Go home."
She sniffed and crossed her arms. "Oh, you don't care!
You're going to screw Austin. What difference does it
make to you if my heart is broken?"
I laughed and knew I'd made a mistake by the way her
brows puled low over her smeared eyes. "Your heart's
not broken. You didn't even go out with him. He doesn't
even have the Prince Albert anymore."
She glared at me. I thought suddenly she was maybe way
less wasted than I'd thought. "Did you fuck Jack?"
"It was ages ago."
"You fucked Jack?" Kira's fist clenched at her sides, then
"You fucked Jack?" Kira's fist clenched at her sides, then opened as her shoulders slumped. "I thought you were my
friend!"
"Kira, it was years ago, and you weren't—"
"That doesn't matter!" she cried, and I knew she was right.
"You knew how I felt about him! I loved him!"
I'd never loved him. At least there was that. "I'm sorry."
Kira whipped her phone from her purse and stabbed the
buttons with her fingernail. She turned her back to me. I
should've counted myself lucky she didn't try to punch me
in the face the way she'd done Jack. As it was, I was cold
and my stomach had begun to churn.
"Your sorry is shit." Kira spoke into the phone next. "It's me. Come pick me up. Yeah, I know what time it is. I'l be
waiting at Tom's Diner on Second Street. Harrisburg, you
'tard."
She hung up and stalked off down the sidewalk without