Текст книги "Hard to Break"

Автор книги: Bella Jewel

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next few days at work are crazy. Tazen gets the car out and then a new job comes in, so it’s right back to square one. I’m busy helping out where I can, but I so desperately want to work on those cars with him. When the new job comes in, things slow slightly because we have time to move with it, so Tazen calms down. It’s then I get my revenge.

He purchased a whole heap of nuts for the guys, which he puts out during the day for them to nibble on. He’s been doing this since I’ve been there, but today they’re getting a whole new level of snacking. When they’re busy, I go in and swing the cupboard open, pulling out all the nuts. I bring them into the men’s room, lock the door, and drop them all in the toilet, which is in need of a good cleaning. Then I dredge them out and put them in a bowl. I have my phone held out in front of me as I’m doing this, filming the entire thing.

I may or may not do this laughing like a hyena. I shuffle the nuts in the bowl, and they look perfect, like nothing sinister has happened to them. Wiping my smirk off my face, I carry the bowl out to the guys.

“Hey, nuts are up.”

As always, the guys don’t hesitate. They’re in the middle of their lunch breaks, so all of them take a good handful of nuts. Tazen included. I watch with bubbling laughter as they throw them into their mouths, chewing happily. Poor, helpless males.

“How’re your nuts?” I ask, making a choked, laughing sound.

Tazen has just thrown a few into his mouth and is chewing, but at my words he stops. His eyes flick to the guys, who seem oblivious to my little outburst.

“They don’t seem as salty,” Kellan says, chewing. “Did you get the unsalted ones in an attempt to keep us healthy?” He pats his belly.

I burst out laughing, I can’t hold it back. Tazen leans forward and spits the nuts onto the ground. All the guys stare in horror at Tazen’s chewed-up nuts and then their eyes flick to me. With hysterical laughter rising from my throat, I open my phone and pull up the video, turning it towards them. As they realize what I did, they start spitting their nuts out. Some even get up and charge to the bathroom.

I’m laughing so hard my belly hurts.

“That’ll teach all of you for being assholes and pranking me!”

I’m laughing and hiccupping and laughing some more. I double over, wrapping my arms around my belly.

“You’re seriously evil,” Tazen grunts.

“I told you I’d get you back. Now if you don’t start treating me like an equal, my next prank will be much worse. Got it?”

The guys’ reactions range from grunts, to chuckles, to nods. I have come to get to know their names and their roles now. There is Rick, who is Tazen’s second in command, Kellan and Toby who are Tazen’s apprentices, Drasco and Kyle who are his painters and detailers, then Lloyd and Michael who are seriously amazing mechanics that do all the engine work with Tazen. I haven’t had a chance to talk to many of them, because I really only work with Kellan and Toby on the easy jobs. Kellan is coming around, but Toby is an angry dude.

“Well,” I say, doing a graceful bow. “That’s me for the day!”

I turn, still laughing, and get back to work. I realize only after I’m midway through my afternoon jobs, that it’s the first time I’ve truly felt at ease for a long, long time. I never thought that would happen when I lost the garage, but I’m slowly coming to terms with all the changes. They’re more challenging than I could ever have bargained for, and that isn’t a bad thing.

I think I might just like it here.

*   *   *

Yawning, I stretch and take lazy steps as I head into the garage. It’s just about 7 a.m., but no one is here yet, which is strange. It’s Friday and Tazen told me to be in earlier for a job that needed to go out by closing of business today. I pushed my ass out of bed and made it in on time, but no one is here. I figure I can get started anyway, so unlock the front door and step in.

I don’t see it coming, because obviously no one sees a giant paint tin swinging towards their face coming. I open my mouth to scream but it hits me straight in the forehead. I stumble backwards as a sharp pain radiates through my head. I topple to the ground as I lose my balance. I crash down with a cry, trying to steady my fall with my hands but not succeeding.

I land flat on my back.

Agony.

Something warm is gushing down my forehead and I realize it’s blood. Tears burst to my eyelids and I try to push up, but my head is spinning so I stay down. I hiccup and a sob tears from my lips. This was a prank, obviously, but it was a cruel, heartless one. He could have killed me. A mix of anger and pain swirl in my chest and my tears flow harder.

I press my hand to my forehead to stop the blood flow, but do no more because I can’t control the tears.

I don’t know how long I lay like that, clutching my head, but I hear a shouted, “Fuck,” and then Tazen is kneeling over me, his hands on my face.

“Y-y-y-you,” I croak. “Piece of shit.”

“Baby,” he whispers, his voice pained. “I didn’t…”

“Do you think it was funny?” I sob. “You could have killed me.”

“Shit, it wasn’t meant to … it was meant to just spill.”

“Yeah,” I laugh brokenly. “Well clearly it didn’t.”

He leans down, scooping me into his arms. “I’m so sorry, angel.”

“You’re not sorry, you’ve wanted to hurt me like this from the start.”

“No,” he says, striding towards the bathrooms. “No I didn’t.”

He sounds truly pained, and I know he didn’t mean for it to go like this. I can tell just by his reaction, but I’m hurting and I’m embarrassed. I squirm in his arms, but he holds me tighter. “Hold still, you’re covered in blood. Fuck. Where are you hurt?”

“My, ah, head.”

I blink as I feel a bit light-headed. “Tazen,” I whisper. “I’m dizzy.”

“Shit,” he says, kicking the door to the office open. “Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

“I don’t … ah … know.”

“Sit, let me see.”

He places me down on the desk and rushes towards the cabinets to pull out the first-aid kit. He doesn’t speak as he starts wiping my head, and getting the blood away so he can see the gash. I stop feeling dizzy as he works and when I’m cleaned up, he leans in close to inspect the gash. I don’t know what comes over me, but the sudden urge to taste him, to feel him, overwhelms me. I try to push it back as I whisper, “Tazen?”

His eyes dart down to mine. “Yeah, angel?”

“We took it too far.”

He closes his eyes for a moment and nods sharply. “Yeah, baby, we did.”

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes shoot open and he stares at me in shock. “No, don’t you say that. I’ve been a fucking dick to you.”

“And I’ve been a royal pain in the ass.”

His eyes go back to my gash. “I hurt you.”

I reach up before thinking, and place my fingers against his cheek. His eyes find mine and everything just seems to move quickly from there. He leans down and captures my lips with his, and before I know it, we’re kissing. It isn’t a deep kiss, but it’s long and it’s sweet. His lips explore mine with no tongue for a while, then he snakes an arm around my hip and pulls me closer to him, forcing my legs apart so he’s standing between them.

That’s when the kiss gets hot.

In fact, it gets frantic.

Weeks of sexual tension, anger, passion and lust explodes. I capture the back of his head with my hand and tangle my fingers in his hair, kissing him hard and deep. Our tongues dance, our groans fill the small space and passion radiates through my body, making me want so much more from him. I open my legs wider, angling my hips up so I can feel him right there, right on my sex.

“Fuck,” he breathes, pulling his lips from mine. “You’re hurt. We need to stop.”

“No,” I breathe. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Angel,” he growls. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine. The pain has eased. I want this, Tazen. I’ve wanted it since the start. You can take me to the hospital after you fuck me.”

His eyes flash with need and he leans back down, taking my lips again. His fingers glide up my sides, taking my tank top with them. He pulls it up and over my head, then he unclips my bra, not wasting any time. He leans back when he’s got my bra off and stares down at my exposed breasts. “I knew,” he says in a husky rumble, “that these would be fucking beautiful.”

He leans down and captures my nipple between his lips, rolling the hard bud around until I’m gasping and squirming against him.

“Tazen,” I plead. “Oh God.”

He sucks and pulls, flicking the tip with his tongue. He sucks and licks the soft flesh of my breast, before taking hold of my pants and jerking them down. I shift so he can get them off, and then I’m sitting on the desk, fully naked while he’s fully clothed. Color rises to my cheeks and I squirm uncomfortably, not knowing how I feel about being in this situation with him, even though I want it so badly it burns inside me.

“Don’t be ashamed,” he rasps, his voice so thick I can hardly make out his words. “You’re beautiful, angel.”

He drops to his knees in front of me, taking hold of mine and spreading my legs wide. I suck in air when he leans forward and closes his mouth over my aching sex. A loud whimper escapes my throat as my backside launches off the counter of its own accord. Tazen takes hold of my hips, holding me down as he spreads me wide and sucks my clit into his mouth.

It’s then my whimpers turn into pleasured cries.

He doesn’t take it slow, doesn’t hold back, he sucks my clit deeply, drawing it in and out of his mouth to create friction. I gasp as little bolts of pleasure shoot right to my core. “T-T-T-T-Tazen,” I stammer as a thrilling sensation radiates through my body and right to my center where he’s still sucking.

When he slides a finger inside me and curls it upwards, hitting that sweet spot, I explode. My head drops back and I don’t care that it throbs when it does, it feels so fucking amazing that nothing else matters. I scream his name as my hips buck furiously and my orgasm tears through me. Tazen pulls his mouth from my pussy with a hiss of pleasure and stands, fumbling frantically with his jeans to get them undone. I watch with a hooded expression as he jerks them down and frees his cock.

My eyes widen.

Oh. Wow.

Tazen’s cock is beautiful. It’s long and thick, but not too much of either. It’s the perfect size, not so big it’ll hurt and not so small you wonder if it’s in. He’s perfectly structured and I can’t tear my eyes away from the throbbing thick length that is now in his hand being stroked while his other hand is reaching into his jeans pocket. I watch in fascination and a little terror as he pulls out a condom and tears it open with his teeth. Then he rolls it over himself and steps closer to me.

“Need to fuck you so badly it hurts. Tell me if it’s too much, but I gotta get in there, baby.”

He can get in there any day of the week.

I nod and a flutter of nerves hits my belly. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this, and I’ve only ever done it once. Will it hurt like it did back then? Panic swells in my chest as Tazen spreads my legs wider and presses the thick tip to my entrance. He pushes it in slightly and I gasp from a mix of pleasure and pain. Tazen notices and stares down at me. “Fuck, it’s been a long time. You want me to warm you up some more?”

I love that he’s offering that, but I don’t want him to stop. I want him inside me and I want it to happen right now.

“No,” I whisper. “Don’t stop.”

His eyes grow hooded as he pushes in deeper. I groan as he fills me, inch by inch. The mix of pleasure and pain isn’t unpleasant. The more he fills me, the more pleasure takes over and pain is forgotten. With a ragged groan, he jerks his hips and fills me completely. I drop my head back and gasp his name as a million sensations take over my body.

“God dammit,” he grinds out. “So fucking sweet.”

“Tazen,” I pant. “More.”

He gives me more. He slides his cock out and then sinks it back in and we both let out long, pleasured groans. Then he takes hold of my hips and he fucks me. He fucks me just the way I asked. He does it slow but deep, his hips creating the perfect rhythm for this thrusting. His head is dropped forward, his eyes on mine, but his jaw is so tight I can see the muscles jumping there.

He wants to let go.

From the pleasure rocketing through my body, racing for the finish line, I’d be happy for that to happen.

“Let go,” I pant. “Fuck me harder.”

His eyes flash with something animalistic, and he lets go.

His thrusts go from long and deep, to short and fast. The sounds of our skin slapping and panting, breathy moans are the only thing filling the small space. My back arches as an incredible sensation fills my lower regions. I feel myself winding tighter and tighter as that amazing feeling looms closer.

“Fuck,” Tazen grunts. “You’re going to come for me, baby. You just got so fucking tight.”

Come? That’s what’s going to happen?

God, if it feels as amazing as it’s promising to be, I never want it to stop.

“Tazen,” I yell as that sensation reaches its peak.

I explode. Pleasure unlike anything I’ve ever felt dances through my body as Tazen thrusts hard to keep it there. My knees wobble, my toes curl, my hands slap the desk beneath me and I scream. I scream his name, I swear and I convulse as the most amazing sensation takes over my body. I can feel my sex clenching and spasming around his cock, and by the sounds being wrenched from his throat, he likes that.

“Can’t,” he grunts. “Hold on.”

He throws his head back, showing me a gorgeous corded neck, and bellows my name as everything comes to a standstill and he thrusts deeply, then stops. I can feel his cock pulsing inside me, and color rises to my cheeks when I realize he’s coming. He’s coming inside me, because of me. That feeling makes everything inside my body feel warm. I can’t take my eyes off him as I watch his face go through all the motions of pleasure, from his jaw tightening to it suddenly going slack.

God. Yes.

He finally looks down at me, and his eyes are flaring with something intense. He pulls out slowly and reaches down, cupping my cheek in his rugged, rough hand. “I’m going to get something to clean you up, okay?”

I nod, unable to find my words after that amazing sex.

He pulls his jeans up and disappears out of the office. A moment later he returns with a clean, damp towel. He cleans me up and my heart falls a little more in love with this man.

Love?

I blink. Love. Why would I say love? I don’t love Tazen Watts … do I? No, of course not. I barely even like him. Yes, I’m infatuated by him, but it’s against my better judgment, and I certainly don’t love him. If I’m being honest, I know that I could love him and that scares the hell out of me.

“Hey.”

I jerk and look over to see Tazen staring at me.

“You okay?”

I nod, biting my bottom lip. His eyes drop to that and his jaw gets tense again. “Keep biting that lip and I might just have to see how many rounds I can go before the guys get here.”

My cheeks grow pink and he smiles. “Angel is blushing, that surprises me.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re always so tough.”

“Yeah,” I say, pushing up off the desk. “Well, don’t get used to it.”

He chuckles.

Stepping closer he takes my hands and helps me stand. “How’s your head?”

“It feels fine now,” I say honestly, because it does. I have a slight burn in my forehead but there’s no pounding.

“Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“Do I need to be stitched?”

He shakes his head. “No, it looked worse than it is. It’s just a small split, but nothing that won’t heal normally.”

I nod. “Then I’ll be fine.”

He narrows his eyes. “If you have any problems at all, you tell me, yeah?”

“Yeah, Tazen.”

He reaches out, curling his fingers around the back of my neck, forcing me to step closer to him. He keeps his big, warm hand there as he speaks. “I’ve wanted that since I first laid eyes on you, Quinn. I know I fucked up taking this garage from you, and since then we’ve done nothing but taunt each other, but I truly am fucking sorry for hurting you.”

“I know you are,” I say in a soft voice.

“It’s time for it to stop. If you’re still interested, I’ll let you step in more with the cars, but no more pranks.”

“I agree.”

He nods, leaning down and kissing my lips softly. “I got a car to get cracking on. You good?”

I nod, staring into his beautiful eyes. “Yeah.”

“Get dressed and I’ll make sure no one comes in here. Come out when you’re ready.”

He turns and walks out of the office and I quickly pull my clothes back on. I find a spare pair of coveralls, pull them on and then tie my hair up. My body is still alive and so every movement reminds me of the intense pleasure I just experienced with Tazen. I’m sure I will feel that all day, it was that good.

When I’m ready, I head out into the garage. All the guys are there, starting their day. Kellan and Rick both stare at me as I go past, and their eyes widen. “What the hell happened to your head?” Rick asks.

I give him an ugly glare. “Like you don’t already know.”

He narrows his eyes. “I don’t know.”

So Tazen worked alone? I find that hard to believe.

“It was a prank that went wrong.”

Kellan’s eyes go big. “Shit, are you hurt?”

“I was. Where’s Tazen?”

“He had to go out to pick up some bits for this car, he’ll be a few hours.”

Great.

He does a runner as soon as he’s fucked me. That makes my chest feel tight, but I shove it aside and turn to Rick. “What am I on today?”

“Tazen said you can help me out today, you up for it?”

My chest swells. He’s giving me a chance to work on something bigger. Maybe things aren’t as bad as I first thought. He’s putting some faith in me.

And for that, I swear I will make Tazen Watts proud of me.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Fuck!” Rick barks, throwing his spanner down.

I lift my head from the engine I’m helping piece together, and see Rick storming across the workshop.

“What’s going on?” I ask as he passes me.

“That piece of shit is refusing to start. I fucking give up.”

He charges outside and I can’t help myself. I stand and walk over to the engine that Kellan, Toby and Drasco are all standing around, studying. Rick has let me help on it all day, but he hasn’t let me do any hard work. I guess he’s afraid I’ll stuff it up.

“You connect everything right?” Drasco asks.

“Yeah,” Toby says, scratching his head.

“Maybe one of the lines isn’t connecting properly,” Kellan adds.

I stare at all of them and then I stare at the engine. “Have you checked the gas lines?”

Their heads swivel to me. “You’re not allowed to work on these cars, you can help out but Tazen only lets Rick work on them when he’s not here,” Toby points out rudely.

“Well, I’m not touching it, I’m just asking a question.”

“We know what we’re doing,” he snaps.

“Listen, buddy,” I growl, stepping up into his space. “I get it, you don’t want me here, but you don’t get to speak to me like I’m trash. Do it again and you’ll find your balls in a place you really don’t want them to be.”

Drasco snorts and Kellan chuckles. Rick comes charging back in with a phone pressed to his ear. “Yeah, we can’t figure it out and they want to see it running by close of business. Where the fuck are you?”

He’s talking to Tazen.

“Yeah, well, get in here.”

Silence.

“Of course I fucking checked that.”

More silence.

“Whatever, just get back here.”

Rick slams the phone down and glares at me. “You got any ideas?”

His question stuns me, and surprises me so much I open my mouth to answer but nothing comes out. Impatient, Rick shakes his head, clearly too frustrated to wait. Instead, he barks at the guys. “Toby, go and get the plans for this engine. Kellan, check everything again.”

“Give me a minute, I might be able to help,” I say, thinking hard about what the problem might be.

Rick is obviously finished giving me my chance. This pisses me off. Toby and Kellan rush off and Rick starts talking to Drasco, so I slip in behind him and study the engine. I run my fingers over all the pieces, checking to see if they’re connected right. I check the gas lines, and they seem to be correct. I look at all the fuses, and they seem fine. While Rick and Drasco are chatting, I slide underneath the engine, and mess around with the battery. Then, clear as day, I see the problem.

The starter connection is broken. With a snort, I slide out to see Drasco and Rick bickering about something, still not having noticed I’m under the engine. I find the correct tooling I need and slide back under the car to fix what is quite simple. I tinker carefully, not wanting to cause any more problems. I’m just about finished when I hear, “What the fuck?”

I ignore that and do the last adjustments on the connections, and then slide out to see Tazen, Rick, Drasco, Toby and Kellan all staring down at me. I stand up, slap my spanner into Tazen’s hand and then turn, flicking the engine over. It roars to life. I face them again with a smile. “You’re welcome.”

Then I walk off, but really, I want to skip.

I just showed them all up, and in front of their boss.

Finally.

*   *   *

I’m in the female restroom, washing my face and fixing my hair when I see Tazen appear in the mirror. He’s standing behind me, leaning against the door frame. I meet his eyes in the glass and he gives me a lazy, gorgeous half smile. “That was impressive what you did back there.”

“I told you,” I say, lifting my hair into a neater ponytail. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Just how experienced are you, angel?”

“I’ve been doing it since I was under five years old, Tazen. My dad before, ah, we lost my mom, was one of the best mechanics around. He taught me every single thing I know. I did an apprenticeship underneath him when I was fifteen for five years. Then I became a fully qualified mechanic.”

“Jesus,” he mutters.

“Yeah,” I say. “And you thought I was just a stupid girl.”

“Never thought that.”

I meet his eyes again. “Well, it’s beside the point now. You’ve seen for yourself what I can do.”

“Yeah I have, and it’s why I’m in here.”

I feel excitement bubble in my chest, but I keep my casual expression. “Oh?”

“I want you on my team.”

I want to scream inside, but I don’t.

“You … do?”

“Yeah,” he says, studying me. “I’ve been impressed with your work. Not just today but every day. It’s neater and more precise than any of the guys on my team. Men have heavy hands, but your work is delicate. In the business I’m running, that’s important. People want perfection. So, I’m offering you a full-time job as one of my mechanics.”

I’m inwardly screaming with joy.

“Will I get to help on the builds?”

He nods. “Yeah, you will.”

“And you won’t treat me like an idiot?”

He grins. “No, angel.”

“Then I accept.”

Happy dance. Happy dance. Happy dance.

“Good, then fix your hair and get back out there. You’re part of the team now.”

I let my hair go with a massive grin. I turn and his smile gets bigger when he sees how happy I am. He steps forward and his arm lashes out, curling around my waist. “I don’t fuck employees,” he murmurs, staring at my lips.

“I’d like to hope not,” I laugh softly. “They’re all men.”

He grunts, but he’s smiling. “Exactly. But this time, I think I’ll make an exception.”

“That might not be a good idea,” I say.

“It’s a great idea. There’s a fuck load of hoods to bend you over out there.”

My cheeks get pink.

“But,” he says, looking away. “We can’t make it known to the guys.”

“I get that.”

And I do get it. Relationships in a close-knit garage like this can cause everyone tension if they go wrong. Besides, right now, I just want this between us.

“Good, now come and kiss me before I take you over this bathroom sink.”

I go up on my tiptoes and he kisses me long and deep, with a hint of tongue, before letting me go. I grin and slide past him, practically bounding into the garage to announce to the guys that they have a new team member. They already know, but I’m so happy I don’t care. I rush right over to the build they’re working on, and pride and happiness is bursting from my chest as I slide under the car with Rick.

“You sure you’re ready for the big man’s world?” he asks, handing me a spanner.

I take it with a massive grin. “Oh, I’m ready.”

“Then welcome to the team, Quinn.”

Welcome indeed.