Come Hell or High Water - Striker x Reader (18+)

35. Pillow Talk

"I gotta tell you somethin'."

I lifted my head from Striker's chest and looked at him, my brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

Striker stared up at the ceiling, his fingertips lightly caressing my back. "When I leave this time, I've gotta go away for a job." He glanced at me before looking back up at the ceiling. "It's probably gonna last a while."

"How long is a while?" I asked warily.

"Not sure," he answered. "Could take anywhere from a week to a couple months."

A knot formed in my empty stomach. "Would I be able to contact you?" I said after a moment, watching his expression.

He shook his head slightly. "No," he said quietly. "I don't think so."

The knot in my gut tightened, and I looked down at the deep scar on his collarbone. "Oh. . ."

We lay in silence for a while, neither of us looking at the other. My hand fell to his bare chest, and he took it in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. His eyes focused on me again, softening when he saw the worried look on my face.

"I'll need to lay low while I'm on the job," he continued. "Which means no calls, no texts, no nothin'. There's a big possibility I could run into some . . . conflict." He brought a hand to my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. "I can't have anybody findin' out about you."

My eyes fluttered closed at his touch. "You think they would try to use me as leverage?"

"I know they would," he said in a low voice.

My brows knitted together, and I let out a dry chuckle. "Am I really that important to you?"

Striker's hands froze, and I felt him stiffen beside me. He stayed silent for a minute, then grabbed my arms and pulled my frame directly on top of his, our faces only an inch or two apart. He took my face in his hand so I couldn't look away from him, and a small smile tugged at his lips. "You really gonna make me say it?"

Every muscle in my body relaxed at the sight of his expression. Those eyes — those damn eyes — their soft glow like a fire to the freezing.

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "No," I said. "You tell me whatever you need to when you're ready." I mirrored his half-smile. "When you're sure."

He lifted his head to press his lips to mine. He kissed me gently, cupping my cheeks. I tilted my head to deepen the kiss, parting my lips slightly. He followed my lead, a quiet moan escaping his throat. His hands wandered down my naked body, rubbing my back and shoulder blades, his nails lightly grazing my skin. I sighed against his lips, and Striker promptly snaked his tail around my torso and anchored me down on top of him. He kissed me a little harder, a little deeper, before pulling away and looking at me. He pushed the hair out of my face, and I held his hand there and laced my fingers with his.

"When do you have to leave?"

"The day after tomorrow," he said. "I'll need to head out pretty early in the day."

I nodded hesitantly. "Okay." I flashed him a hopeful smile. "Well, we've still got a whole day left. We should make the most of it."

Striker smiled. "What was that fancy place you wanted to go to?"

"It's a pretty nice restaurant inside the Pentagram," I replied, propping my chin on the back of my hand. "Al and I used to go there all the time. The food is to die for."

He chuckled at the irony of my choice of words. "Alright, then. I reckon I can clean myself up for that. Could use one more good hot meal before I gotta eat on rations for the next few weeks."