The toilet paper bounced off the floor. Seconds later, she scratched at my wrists, broke away from me. I let her go, though it was with obvious reluctance.
“What—what the hell?” she gasped, touching her mouth. Her fingertips came away, stained red. I'd nipped her enough to leave a small mark.
I wanted to cover her with more of them.
Breathing in loudly, I stood tall. “You don't need to believe in me. You don't need to trust me. But if you really only care about revenge, let me say this.” Scooping up her wrists, I held her in place. “If you think you're invincible, untouchable, you're going to make a fatal mistake. Then, you'll become an actual ghost. For the sake of your goal, remember that.”
Marina was stiff, cement in her bones. Gingerly, she linked her fingers with mine. The pressure of her touch made my already hard cock swell painfully.
Abruptly, she pulled away. “You shouldn't have kissed me.”
Rubbing my tongue over my lips, I tasted what remained of her. “No. I shouldn't have stopped.”
Jerking backwards, she looked ready to run. I hadn't moved, everything had happened within inches of where I'd been casually leaning. Her attention shot down to the front of my pants, then back to me. “I... I need to leave.”
Tilting my head, I slid my foot under the toilet paper. In a gentle, easy flip, I kicked it up and caught it. Narrowing my eyes, I offered it to her. I hadn't stopped smiling—I couldn't, not with her anxiety on my taste-buds. “Guess I'll be seeing you.”
She hesitated, like taking the toilet paper was a trap. Finally, she lifted her chin and grabbed it. “Thank you,” she said. Her mouth opened again, shut, and then she headed for the exit. Looking back, she paused, gathering her words.
Then, instead of speaking, she just left.
I pressed against the counter and stared at my ceiling. The air still vibrated like she was nearby. Grazing my lips, I looked at my fingertips and recalled her salty flavor.
Yes. Marina was a drug.
My drug.
And I wanted to overdose on her.
****
I called Kite twice before he answered.
I needed him to meet me at the Corner Velvet, to make sure he could watch the place while I went off to explore my leads.
“Sure man,” he said when I finally got through. “Of course I'll do it. Meet me there so you can show me where the paperwork is for the shipments.”
I came close to scowling. He should know this stuff. “Yeah. I can do that.” This meant I couldn't take my car, though. It'd be noticed if it was left behind the bar too long. Anabelle might ask questions. “Actually,” I said before he hung up. “New plan. Let's go together, you drive.”
He met me in the garage, his attention going briefly to my large bag. “Planning a camp-out?” he teased.
Dropping the bag in the backseat, I climbed into the car. “It might take a few days to find anything out. I don't know yet.”
Revving the engine, he guided us out of the underground. It was bright outside, the sun happy to shine and blind us. “I hate that you're going alone.”
“It's safer alone.”
“It's safer with the two of us,” he grumbled.
Sighing, I turned up the radio. “Stop worrying about me and focus on keeping Marina under control.” Classical music piped through the speakers. It made me think about this morning—about her lips, her heavy breathing. Quickly, I changed the channel. “What was she doing when you left?”
He tossed a look at me. “I don't know. Sleeping, I guess.”
I doubted that was true. “You didn't talk to her?”
Shrugging violently, Kite turned the car down the street. “No. Why does it matter?”
“You're acting strange.” Slowly, my eyebrows crinkled over my nose. “She was acting weird this morning, too.”
He slammed on the breaks, changing lanes abruptly. Someone honked behind us. “What?” he blurted, struggling to stare at me and also watch the road. “She came up to see you this morning?”
“Careful,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Don't drive like an idiot. Yes, she came up. How did you not notice?” I didn't like the fact that he wasn't keeping tabs on her.
He was silent for a single heartbeat. “What happened?”
My mouth was a neutral line. “You tell me, first. What's got you two acting so uneasy?”
Kite took a slow breath. Pulling into the alley, he parked behind the Corner Velvet. The keys twisted, engine dying and the last of the white noise going with it.
For a while, my best friend did nothing but sit there, staring at his hands.
Then, the back of his head thumped against the seat. His eyes were shut. “I fucked her last night.”
A tiny, tiny sliver of ice inched into my belly. I'd known he wanted to sleep with her, but I was surprised it had happened so fast.
Pressing two fingers to the bridge of my nose, I started to laugh. It was a soft, gritty sound.
“It's not exactly funny.”