Free Something to Believe In (The Renegade Saints Book 4) by Ella Fox Page A

alrighty then.”
    “I’ll be nothing but nice from here on out,” I vowed.
    “So we’d be starting fresh?” she asked.
    “Yeah, which brings me to my next point—”
    She completely ignored me and plowed right on. “Of course. You want us both to write off the whole bathroom thing as a giant mistake. I agree. In fact, it’s a relief.”
    My eyes damn near bugged out of my head. “It is?”
    “It’s not like it was memorable or meaningful,” she said.
    My head snapped up and I stared at her in disbelief. Not fucking memorable! Was she out of her mind?
    “That’s bullshit,” I said. “We were together every step of the way. I fucking wanted you then and I want you now.”
    Her eyes widened as she stared up at me in surprise.
    “ What ?” she squeaked.
    “That’s the second reason I’m here. I’d like us… well, first, I’d like us to be friends. No matter what you say after this, I swear to you that I’m going to be nice. But I was thinking…”
    I trailed off, uncertain of how to continue. How the fuck did one ask someone to see where things went? I mean seriously. I hadn’t ever had a goddamn girlfriend so it wasn’t like I had a clue.
    “You were thinking?” she prodded.
    “Maybe we start by being friends and then… see where things go. I…” I swallowed thickly as I stared at her. Taking a breath, I blurted, “I like you.”
    Her smile was instantaneous and damn near blinding.
    “You do?” she questioned softly.
    “It’s why I’ve been so insufferable,” I admitted anxiously. “This isn’t something I know how to do, but… I want to try, if you’ll give me a chance. I’ve got more baggage than a fuckin’ luggage store, but I want to see where this goes. This chemistry we have can’t be ignored.”
    Her expression changed as she took in my words.
    “I’m not sleeping with you tonight,” she said stiffly. “I swear to God if that’s why you’re here—”
    “No! No, no, no,” I assured her. “I’m being for real. We’ll be friends and just see where this goes. I do best with small steps. Of course, this is all contingent on whether you’re willing.”
    The wait was awful. It felt like it went on for an eternity, but I think it was really only a second or so.
    “Obviously I’m attracted to you,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t make it a habit of going into bathrooms with people I don’t like.”
    I chuckled. “I didn’t think so.”
    “I’ll agree to starting as friends and seeing if something naturally happens. You’ll have to prove yourself. I feel like this has been all over the place since I started so I’m almost afraid to believe this is going to go well.”
    “It will,” I vowed. “I’m not running anymore.”
    “Then we’ll give it a go,” she agreed.
    “Okay,” I said with a relieved exhale.
    “But,” she cut in, “you should know that if you decide to be a shithead tomorrow, I’m not taking it.”
    “I’m not going to be a shit—”
    “ And from now on,” she continued, “I’ll be knocking on your door and handing the daily brief directly to you, the way I do with the rest of the band. You will be polite and take it from me without any lip.”
    “Yes ma’am.”
    “Darn right,” she said with a smirk. “I was fixin’ to fight for that one. You and your rudeness have had me madder than a hound dog trying to shit a peach.”
    I chuckled and nodded my head. Her southern accent was a-fucking-dorable. There was something so alluring about her.
    “Now that we’ve got everything all cleared up I’m going back to coloring and listening to music,” she informed me.
    I wasn’t in a big hurry to rush off. I stepped closer to her and looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there were coloring books and two clear plastic containers full of colored pencils and markers sitting on the table behind her.
    “Coloring?” I questioned.
    She shrugged. “Yep. Believe it or not it’s really relaxing.”
    “Huh,” I said