Текст книги "Hard to Break"

Автор книги: Bella Jewel

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

She goes from angry to pouting in about three seconds.

“Told you, Shey,” he mutters. “None of your business.”

“You’re always my business,” she says in a way that freaks me the hell out. “Now get rid of your little toy so you can play with a real woman.”

Oh. My. God.

I open my mouth to retort but Tazen looks to me. “I’ll call you later.”

I blink and hurt swells in my chest.

He is kicking me out, even after she just insulted me. He’s just going to let her treat me like a dog. I look to her and she’s smiling at me. I give her a cold smile back. “You’re welcome to him, I don’t really go for the quick fuck type anyway.”

“Quick?” She scoffs. “Tazen Watts isn’t quick, honey. He’s slow and thorough.”

“Oh,” I say casually. “Well maybe he was like that with you because you’re so,” I look her up and down, “boring. It must be hard not being able to excite a man enough that he can—”

“Enough,” Tazen barks, cutting me off.

I glare at him, and then I step past the two of them. “Have fun. You deserve each other.”

With that I rush out the front door, horrified, humiliated, hurt and most of all, angry. How dare he treat me like that as soon as she comes in?

Maybe I was wrong about Tazen.

Maybe a leopard really never changes its spots.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“So it’s been worth it then?”

I’m out to dinner with Jace, because I haven’t seen him for a week. Besides it’s a good distraction. I don’t want to think about what happened with Tazen tonight. I don’t want to think about Sheyenne and what role she plays in his life and I certainly don’t want to think about how much it fucking hurts.

“It’s been a great experience,” I tell him, which is the truth. Working with Tazen has been amazing.

“And you got to build?” he says. “Lucky bitch.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I must admit that part is fun.”

“Fun,” he scoffs. “That shit is epic.”

I nod and look down at my half-eaten burger.

“You’re not yourself tonight, Quinnie.”

I shrug. “It’s been a long week, Jace.”

He reaches over the table and taps his finger on my hand so I look up at him. His eyes are concerned and he studies my face. “But that’s not all it is.”

I sigh, slumping. “No, it’s not.”

He frowns. “Tell me it’s not Tazen…”

I swallow and look away.

“Ah, Quinnie … you didn’t.”

I continue looking away.

“You did,” he declares. “Shit.”

I nod turning back to him. “That about covers it.”

“So, was it one time or…”

My cheeks burn. “No, it’s been a few.”

“Quinn,” he says, seriously. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Coming from the guy who probably has an entire bed with notches on it.”

He gives me a look and I snort.

“I don’t work with the women I fuck, and I certainly don’t like them.”

“You just made yourself sound like a giant douche.”

He shrugs. “At least I don’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

“Okay, so Tazen’s my boss and we took things a little too far, but I like him, Jace. A lot.”

“Jesus, woman,” he says, titling his head back and muttering some curses.

“You can’t help who you … like.”

He stares at me, unamused.

“Let’s change the subject.”

He crosses his arms.

“Ack,” I mutter, throwing my hands up. “Come on, Jace, let’s just talk about something else. I’ve had a bad enough day as it is.”

“Fine,” he says, narrowing his eyes. “But we will be talking about this.”

I don’t get the chance to answer him, because a text flashes on the screen of my phone.

T—Where r u?

Oh no, he does not get to text me when he’s ready to acknowledge that I exist.

I reply before thinking.

Q—Eat a giant DICK

Jace snort laughs and I look up to see he’s reading my message. I snatch my phone away and glare at him. “Uncool, Jace.”

“It’s funny though.” He smirks. “I can just imagine that will go down well.”

Just as he finishes his sentence, my phone rings. Tazen’s name flashes on the screen and I let it go to voice mail before typing out another text.

Q—Perhaps one dick isn’t enough for you, as it would appear one vagina certainly isn’t. I know! Go and eat TWO giant dicks.

Jace roars with laughter, leaning back in his chair. “You’re evil and I love it.”

I laugh, unable to hold it back. My phone buzzes and I glance down to see Tazen has texted again.

T—Where the fuck r u?

He doesn’t find my texts funny.

Q—Eating giant dicks.

I smirk as I wait for his response.

It doesn’t come.

Someone is angry. Good. I hope he’s angry. I hope I piss him off. I hope he feels desperate. Those are all the things he made me feel tonight, when he kicked me out as though I was no more than a quick fuck.

I turn my phone off and look up to Jace. “I really have to go. I’ll call you during the week and we’ll go out.”

He smirks up at me, nodding at the same time. “Yeah, honey. No worries.”

I wave with a big grin. “Later, Jace.”

“Later.”

*   *   *

I arrive at home and see the lights are out inside. That either means Dad is asleep or he went out. I hope he’s asleep. I really do. I’m not in the mood for him tonight. I walk up my front steps in the darkness. “Where were you?”

I scream at the sound of the voice coming out of the darkness. I spin around to see a shadow in the corner of my porch. I know it’s Tazen, but him standing in the dark at my house is just weird.

“What the hell?” I cry, clutching my chest. “Why are you standing in the corner of my porch, in the dark, like a creeper?”

He grunts. “Because you wouldn’t have stopped if you saw me waiting.”

“That’s disturbing.”

I walk towards the front door but he stands in front of it, blocking me off. “We need to talk.”

“No,” I say, trying to reach around him. “We don’t.”

He takes my hand and curls his fingers around it, stopping me from going any further. “We do.”

“No,” I say, jerking backwards. “We don’t. You made it very, very clear where I stood tonight.”

“You don’t understand the situation, Quinn. If you did you would know that what I did was the best way to handle it.”

“Oh.” I laugh bitterly. “You mean tossing me out like a cheap hooker when your girlfriend came in?”

“She isn’t my fucking girlfriend,” he grunts.

“Well, I’m sorry, when your lady of the night came in and treated me like shit.”

“There’s a lot about Sheyenne you don’t know. I was doing what was best.”

“You’re right,” I say, stepping back. “I don’t know and I don’t want to know. We made a mistake doing this. We should have never taken it past professional. It needs to stop. Tonight proved that.”

Tazen moves quickly, wrapping his arms around my waist and spinning me so my back is flat against my front door. He leans down close, and even though I can’t see him, I can feel his breath tickling my face. “We are not ending any-fucking-thing.”

“Ah yes,” I say, pushing at his chest. “We are.”

“No,” he grunts, shoving my hands down. “We’re not.”

“Jesus, Tazen, you treated me like a cheap whore and now you’re asking me to just understand and play happy lover.”

He growls.

“Don’t you growl at me,” I warn.

“I wouldn’t if you weren’t acting like a fucking brat. Let me open my mouth and speak for long enough for me to tell you about Sheyenne.”

I reach back and curl my fingers around the door handle. Then I lean into his face. “I don’t want to know about Sheyenne. Good night, Tazen.”

I open the door quickly, doing a stealthy side slide in and slamming it shut. I lock it and press my back against it, breathing a sigh of relief. Tazen pounds on it, warning me that if I don’t open it, he won’t be happy. Join the club, buddy. I know I should probably hear him out, but I’m hurt and not ready yet.

I push off the door and walk through the darkness towards my room, passing Dad’s as I go. He’s in his bed, sound asleep and snoring. Thank god. I continue on to my room and when I get in I go straight to my bed without turning the light on. I kick my shoes off, strip down to my bra and panties and slide under the covers. My phone buzzes with a text and I glance down at the screen.

T—This isn’t over, angel. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.

Q—No you won’t. I’m taking a job on the corner.

I smirk at my comeback, even though I know it’ll piss him off.

T—Every time you smart mouth me, I’m going to add it up. Then I’m going to fuck you until every single remark is gone from my mind, and yours.

Q— Ohh , I’m scared.

T—Tomorrow, Quinn. Don’t be late.

Q—What are you going to do? Fire me?

T— Tomorrow .

He’s no fun, really he isn’t.

Tomorrow should prove to be interesting.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I’m under the engine, tinkering with it when I hear Tazen’s voice fill the garage the next afternoon. He’s been missing in action all day. Rick said he has business meetings, but personally I think those meetings start with an S and end with an E. That woman’s sudden appearance has put Tazen off guard and made me wonder why. He’s usually so cool, calm and collected but since she entered the picture, he’s on edge.

I want to know their story but I’m still not ready to forgive him for treating me the way he did, so it’ll have to wait for another day. I don’t roll out from underneath the car when I hear him ask where I am. I just keep doing my work, knowing he’ll head over and no doubt demand something of me. I’m right, because a moment later a booted foot hits my slider and he pulls it out, taking me with it. I glare up at him, waving my spanner around. “I could have been doing something important.”

“You weren’t. Get up, we need to talk.”

I kick his foot off and slide back under the car. “No, thanks.”

With a grunt, he slides me back out. “I don’t have time for your games today, Quinn.”

“Oh,” I laugh. “You don’t have time? Well you should have thought about that before you stuck your dick in me and then treated me like shit.”

I kick his leg again, but he doesn’t pull it back. “I’m warning you,” he grinds out through clenched teeth.

“Oh, you are?”

He glares at me.

“I’m busy, Tazen.”

“And I’m your fucking boss.”

“No you don’t,” I say, my voice getting hard. “You don’t pull that role when you want something, or I’ll pull the ‘you shouldn’t fuck employees’ card. We don’t want to go down that road, so drop it.”

“I just want to talk to you. Fuck, woman, do you always have to be so difficult?”

I think about that, then nod and slide under the car. “Yes, yes I do. Good day, boss.”

With a frustrated growl, he mutters, “I have shit I have to do tonight, Rick. Don’t know if I’ll be around in the morning. You open.”

He’s got shit to do.

My interest is piqued.

“No worries, boss,” Rick says.

“If Murray calls, I might be out of service. Tell him I’m on my way.”

I jerk. Murray. Now I’m very interested. I slide out from underneath the car to see Tazen disappearing out the front door. I get up quickly and turn to Rick. “I just remembered I have a doctor’s appointment. Shit.”

He gives me a look that tells me he absolutely does not believe my story, but nods and says, “Whatever, we’re done for the day.”

I nod and rush out, coveralls still on, and see Tazen’s car pulling out onto the street. I jump in my Mustang and reverse out as quickly as I can. I get onto the road and see Tazen’s car four spots ahead. I keep my eye on him as we move through the afternoon traffic. I want to know where he’s going tonight. I want to know what Sheyenne and Murray are doing. I’m also a little too proud to ask because I basically rejected him when he tried to tell me. Besides, this way is more fun.

As we move out of town, the traffic clears and the sun begins to set. That’s perfect for me because then Tazen is less likely to recognize my car. We seem to be going further west, closer to the next town. Why would Tazen need to go a town over? He’s up to something, I just have no idea what it is. As the sun continues to go down, we go further and further out of town until the traffic thins out and there are only a few cars on the road.

When the sun finally ducks down behind the trees and the night sky spreads itself out, I see we’re finally coming to a stop. Tazen pulls off down a long road and I give it a few minutes before I follow him, not wanting to seem suspicious. As I move down, I see bright lights ahead. We’re well off the road now, and as we move closer, I see why. I know exactly what this is. I’ve watched The Fast and the Furious …

Racing.

Illegal racing.

This kind of racing is dangerous and is highly frowned upon. I pull my car over a fair way down and get out. I start walking up the long road to the masses of people and revving engines. There are a good two hundred people here, all betting illegally. They’re making money, and they’re probably getting a good amount if they win. I can’t see Tazen any longer, but I blend well in the groups of people.

“You betting tonight, girly?”

I turn at the voice coming from my left. I see a young, lean man smiling at me. He’s got flaming red hair and blue eyes. He holds out the massive pot of cash he’s collecting. “Ah, betting?” I say.

“Yeah, on the race. Big share if you get it right.”

I nod, and then glance around before taking a risk and saying, “Is Sheyenne racing tonight?”

For a moment, the man stares at me like I’ve lost my marbles. Oh God, is she not a racer? I had a feeling she was, because she seems involved in all of this from the conversations I’ve heard between Tazen and Murray.

“You want to bet on Sheyenne?”

Okay, I wonder why he’s suspicious about that. He doesn’t seem to like the idea at all. Is she a shitty racer? Only one way to find out.

“Sure,” I say casually.

He shrugs and then says, “Fine, your loss.”

My loss. Why would it be my loss? I decide to prod a little further.

“You don’t like her?”

He snorts. “No one fucking likes her. She’s a cheat and she’s crazy. She smashes up so many cars in fits of rage that I honestly wonder why they continue getting her more. But,” he says, leaning in close. “When her head is screwed on, the woman is a maniac on the track. She’s worth every penny if she wins. The problem with Sheyenne is nobody knows what kind of mood she’s in, so they don’t want to risk putting money on her.”

Interesting.

“Well, I’ll take the risk.”

I hand some cash over and he hands me a little sheet with information on it in case Sheyenne does win. I thank him and then push closer to where the loud roaring of engines is coming from. I step out of the crowd and see six cars lined up on an old racing track. Now that I think of it, I remember there being a track out this way that isn’t being used anymore. It’s perfect for this kind of thing.

I study each and every car, and they’re all impressive. Some more so than others. I can tell right away which ones are home jobs, and which have been done by a professional like Tazen. My eyes reach a sleek, orange car with purple flames licking up the side and I see Tazen standing beside it with his hand on the roof, leaning down and talking to whoever is in it.

My guess? It’s Sheyenne.

I see Murray standing beside him, and two other men. Tazen leans back, waves his hands around and barks something. The car door swings open and Sheyenne launches herself out, waving her hands around too and getting in his face. He grabs her by the wrists and pins them behind her back, slamming her against the car. Confusion swells in my belly, still unsure about what this girl means to him.

He says something else, then he pulls back and has a set of keys in his hands. He’s taking her keys. I watch from my higher spot in the crowd, as he pushes her out of the way and gets into the car. Then it’s taking off with a growl so low I have to clench my legs together. Tazen hammers the car around the lap with a few other people who are warming up. Knowing it’s him inside that car has a certain warmth building between my legs. I’d love nothing more than to see Tazen Watts racing.

I take my eyes off the car for a second, to see Sheyenne having a shit fit, getting in Murray’s face and throwing a seriously childish tantrum. Maybe that guy was right, maybe she is crazy. She seems to have dramatic mood swings, and clearly when they’re bad, they’re … bad. My attention is taken from her when Tazen comes to a screeching stop, the car fishtailing to the side before correcting itself.

He gets out and goes right around to the hood, lifting it up. Something is wrong with the engine. My palms itch, because I want to go over there and check it out. I know this is all very wrong, but there’s an atmosphere here that is truly thrilling. It’s dangerous and edgy, it’s living on the dark side. I like it, as much as I hate to admit it. What worries me the most, however, is that Tazen could lose everything by being involved in illegal racing. It surprises me that he is allowing that risk to be a part of his life. He’s worked so hard for what he’s created. It seems like a silly thing to put it all at risk for.

I lean closer to the railings and watch as all the drivers prepare their cars. Tazen is busy under the hood, and Sheyenne is leaning against the car still carrying on about something. The final five minutes is called and Tazen doesn’t move from under that hood. When the racers are told to take their places, Tazen steps out and slams it shut. He says something to Sheyenne and she simply snatches the keys out of his hand and gets into the car.

Panic rises in my chest. Is she going to race a car that’s not fit for racing? The way Tazen is now yelling at Murray, it would appear she is. I chew on my bottom lip as the girl with her checkered flags walks out onto the track. We can’t hear a thing over the roaring of the engines, but when she raises her flags and then drops them, no words need to be said. The cars screech off, smoke pouring from their back ends.

Adrenaline and excitement run through my veins, and my skin prickles with delight as I watch the cars hit the corners, sliding perfectly around them and picking up speed on the flats. Beautiful. I rub the little bumps forming on my arms over watching this racing. There’s a certain thrill that comes with watching a car in all its glory, rumbling and growling like a wild, uncaged animal.

I turn my eyes to Sheyenne’s car, and see she’s actually holding well so far. She’s hugging the corners and picking up speed on the flats. The crowd is roaring, and the atmosphere has become electric. I close my eyes and take in the deep, barking sounds of the cars and the way those sounds travel through my body. As they pass us on lap one, the zooming sound of each car speeding past has my body coming alive.

I can’t help it.

I start screaming with the crowd. After that everything explodes. People become frantic, the cars pick up speed and the roar of the crowd and engines combined is a sound I’ll never forget. The cars hit their final lap and I cross my fingers, watching Sheyenne taking the lead. They’re right, she’s an amazing driver when her head is screwed on the right way for the night. She’s got talent and she’s got skill.

Then her car makes a loud explosion and my head jerks to see her spiraling out of control. My eyes widen and I find myself jumping over the railing in a frenzy as the car spins and then slams into the railings at the side of the track. The crowd goes silent and real panic spreads through. It’s an illegal race, which means paramedics aren’t here. It’s a risk, but it’s a risk you take when doing something illegal.

I run towards the car, which is smoking. Sheyenne climbs out of it and I sigh in relief. She’s fine. This becomes clear when she starts laying into the car, kicking and punching it like a maniac. I reach the car and her eyes find me and widen. Then she spits. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Then we’re surrounded by people. Voices call out and arms start grabbing. It’s chaos.

“Get the fuck back!”

That’s Tazen.

“Move or I’ll use force.”

Murray.

The people back off and then Tazen and Murray come into view. Tazen’s eyes flick to me and flare with rage and confusion, but most of all with concern. I ignore him and turn to the smoking car. The loud sounds of the other cars can still be heard as they complete their final lap. I rush over to the hood and pop it. Grey smoke bellows out and I start coughing as I wave it away.

“You let me drive a dud,” Sheyenne screeches.

“I didn’t fucking let you drive anything. You took the keys even after I told you not to,” Tazen barks.

“Your cars are meant to be the best, this shouldn’t have even happened.”

I ignore them, as I start frantically checking over everything. The color of the smoke indicates an oil leak that has possibly gotten into parts of the car it shouldn’t. This can easily cause an engine fire. Sheyenne is stupid for getting in after Tazen told her not to. I manage to clear some of the smoke. I need something to cover my hand so I can check the engine. Left with little choice, I unbuckle my coveralls, hold them at my waist and remove my tank top from underneath them.

I have a bra on, so I pull my coveralls back over that. Wolf whistles flow in from the crowd and then suddenly Tazen is by my side. “What the fuck?”

“Don’t what the fuck me,” I mutter. “This car needs my attention.”

“This car is fucked.”

I look over to him, and he’s now leaning down with me.

“No car is fucked, Tazen. It’s just not treated with the respect and love it deserves.”

“What did you say?” Sheyenne demands.

I stand and turn to face her. “Did I stutter, Sheyenne? If you treated these cars like the pieces of beauty they are, you wouldn’t have so many problems. Instead you’re a hotheaded, careless bitch and you take that out on these cars. If you want to be a true racer, learn some respect.”

Her face swells red and Murray steps in front of her, glaring at me.

“What?” I say, crossing my arms. “It’s the damned truth. Protect her from it all you like, maybe that’s the problem.”

Tazen is by my side, curling his fingers around my arm in warning. God, why are they all protecting this woman who does nothing but treat them all like trash? It makes me angry, because she’s walking all over them and they’re letting her.

“You better watch yourself,” Sheyenne threatens.

“Or what?” I say. “You might have these guys by their dicks, Sheyenne, but I owe you fuck all. I say it how it is. If you can’t handle it,” I wave my arm towards the crowd, “I’m sure you know the way out.”

“I’m going to hurt her, Murray!” she yells, stepping forward. He turns and curls an arm around her, holding her back.

I roll my eyes and lean underneath the hood again. I cover my hand and start checking everything. I’m right, there’s a major oil leak and it’s damaged a lot of parts. Not to mention this engine has been flogged. She’s treated it badly. I can tell by the wear and tear. Why Tazen would ever sell this dragon a car is beyond me.

“It’s got a massive oil leak,” I say to Tazen, straightening. “It caused some serious engine damage. It needs a lot of work.”

“It needs to be burned,” Sheyenne snaps.

“I could say the same about you,” I mutter.

She bares her teeth at me, in a feral hiss. Jesus, issues much?

“It might not need to be burned,” Tazen says. “But it needs close. It’s fucked, Quinn.”

“It’s not fucked,” I say. “It just needs a rebuild.”

“And I don’t have time for that shit,” Tazen says. “Close the hood, I’ll get rid of it.”

“No.”

He turns to me, eyes flaring. “What?”

“I said no. You’re not getting rid of it. That bitch destroyed a masterpiece, and I’m not going to let it go to waste. Let me have it. If you’re just going to dump it, then at least let me have it.”

He studies me, then shakes his head and shrugs. “Fine, whatever.”

“Good. Oh, and if that new car is for her to destroy, I’m not helping you build it. I’d rather gnaw my own arm off than to see that disrespectful cow get behind another one of your cars.”

His eyes widen and Sheyenne lunges forward, but Murray catches her again, pulling her back.

“Let me teach her a lesson, Murray,” she screeches. “Stupid bitch, let me rip her hair out.”

I open my mouth to reply but Tazen clamps a hand over it and says in a low voice, “Be very careful, Quinn. There’s a lot you don’t know, things that can get you hurt. If I could tell you, I would, but you need to trust me okay? She’s bad news. Just simmer down, okay?”

“I know enough to have followed you here, where you’re involved in some pretty stupid stuff. If you want to risk your career to please that spoiled brat, you go right ahead.”

I turn and walk towards the crowd. I look back over my shoulder before I reach it. “Oh, have the car delivered for me. Will you?”

Then I blend in with the people.

Shit just got real.

*   *   *

“Stop, Quinn.”

I keep walking towards my car, parked in the darkness. Tazen is following me. Of course he is. I’m ignoring him.

“Jesus, stop, will you?”

I’m just about at my car when he takes hold of my hand and spins me around. I lose my balance and slam into his chest. It takes me a moment to gather my footing, but when I do, I push him backwards and shoot him a menacing glare.

“What the fuck did you follow me here for?”

I cross my arms. “I knew you were up to something, I wanted to see what.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Considering I’m your employee, I’d say it is. Oh, and there’s the fact that you’ve fucked me.”

“Fucked plenty of women.”

Ouch.

I flinch and anger bubbles in my chest.

“You know what?” I say. “Fuck you. I’m done with you. You’ve done nothing but play games with me from the start.”

“Me?” He snorts. “I think you’re the fucking game player.”

“Whatever,” I say, opening my car door. “I’m done.”

“No, you’re not. We’re going to talk.”

He takes hold of my arm, but I spin around and shove him backwards. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m finished with you and your psycho girlfriend.”

“She isn’t my girlfriend,” he growls.

“No, you just make her car after car, so she can trash them. I thought you cared more about your work than that.”

“Listen, Sheyenne is…”

“A spoiled brat who you all keep making excuses for.”

He sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “She’s not right in the head, Quinn.”

“No shit.”

“I’m being serious,” he yells. “She’s nuts and it’s getting worse. We don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she’s having massive episodes where she just loses it. She’s taking it out on her cars, on her friends and what little family she has left. She was my girlfriend for a while, and I noticed it was happening. When she tried to run me over after a fight one night, I knew it was spiraling out of control.”

I shake my head. I feel sorry for her, if that’s the case, I do. But them spoiling her is not helping anyone. All it’s doing is teaching her to be a bigger bitch. If they wanted to help her, they’d take her to a doctor.

“And you think that’s enough of an excuse for me to forgive you for treating me like shit and then handing her car after car?”

“I shut down on you in front of her, so she wouldn’t explode at you. I was protecting you. And as for the car, racing helps her but…” He trails off.

I knew it, there’s something else.

“What?” I prompt.

“Look, she is a loose cannon, and she knows I used to do things I shouldn’t have. If she exposes me, I could lose everything. Do you understand me? I can lose every single thing I’ve worked for.”

“You’re not making any sense,” I mutter.

He sighs. “Look … there’s a reason I know a lot about this illegal racing. I’ve done things, Quinn. I’ve sold cars to people I shouldn’t sell cars to, I’ve taken deals to build illegally, and worse, I’ve raced illegally. If that comes out … I risk losing it all. Sheyenne knows everything there is to know, and with Murray like a dog on her heels, it isn’t easy to flick her off.”

Ding ding ding. There it is.

“Maybe that’s true, but Jesus, Tazen, she is treating your work like shit. Surely there’s a way you can get around it, without losing your career. Does she have solid evidence?”

“You don’t get it, Quinn, and I don’t expect you to but Sheyenne has the means to destroy me if she wants to—I am pulling back, I am refusing builds, but she’s bringing in the threats hard and fast. I need the time to figure out how to sort her out, without risking my life’s work.”

“I get that, and it’s your business Tazen, but standing back and letting her treat you like shit and destroy so much beauty … do you really have to stand back and let her do that? I thought you cared about your builds more than that, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Jesus,” he grunts. “You’re in a mood.”

“No,” I say, leaning close. “I’m just sick and tired of you.”

“Yet here you are,” he spits.

“Whatever.” I jerk my door open again, but he slams a hand on it and presses my body against the car. He drops his head to my ear and I can’t help the shiver that runs through me.

“Maybe,” he says, “you’re jealous.”

“Dream on,” I mumble.

“Most girls wouldn’t take such an interest.”

“Yeah, well, most girls are probably okay with being fucked and treated like shit. I am not.”

“I told you, I was protecting you.”

“I can protect myself. Now get off me.”

He presses his hips into my ass and I can feel how hard he is. Right against my ass. I close my eyes, wanting to beat him senseless.

“I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty, that I have no interest in Sheyenne.”

“And that’s meant to make me feel better?”

He grinds against me and his hand goes down to cup my breast. “Will it make you feel better if I tell you that I’m cutting ties with her?”

It actually would, but I don’t say that.

“Why would that make me feel better? You’ve made it clear I’m not enough for you.”

He stills and then rasps, “Baby.”

“Don’t you baby me,” I fire back in a breathy tone. “You fucked me and then treated me badly, Tazen.”

“I didn’t mean for it to hurt, angel.”

Angel.

Damn him.

“Yeah, well, it did.”

“You want my apology?” he says, his lips so close to my ear I shudder.

“I do, yes.”

“Then I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t do it to be a prick. If I don’t show anything towards you, she won’t react. It was a sticky situation and I was trying to get you out of there so you didn’t have to deal with her. You’ve only seen a small percentage of Sheyenne, trust me when I say it was for the best.”

“Yeah, well, fuck Sheyenne. If you’ve been inside me, I want you to be damned proud of that.”

“Fuck,” he breathes into my ear. “I’m more than proud. You hear me?”

I shrug.

“You need me to show you just how fucking much I need you, Quinn? Is that what you need from me?”