FUEL (DirtSlap Series Book 1) (8 page)

When Cassie stepped
through the door, furious drumming echoed through the house. She dropped the keys on the kitchen counter, sauntered to her room and leaned against the doorframe to watch Thrand pound away.

Shirtless, his muscles strained and accentuated the full tattooed sleeve on his left arm. The sound was deafening in the tiny room. His eyes were closed, and sweat dripped off him like he had been at it for a while.

Her heart pounded. The anger he poured into his kit was as frightening as it was enticing. She wasn’t sure what had made him so furious, but she couldn’t look away. So oblivious and lost in his own world, he sucked her in with it.

He stopped suddenly and stared at her.

Oh hell. He was mad at
her
.

She swallowed hard and clenched her hands, waiting for the hateful words she knew had to be coming. Although she had no idea what she’d done.

He tossed his sticks and stalked toward her. She backed up against the doorframe and clung to it. She wasn’t short, but with him breathing heavy, his eyes almost black with rage, he towered over her. She lifted her chin and stared right back. No way in hell would she cower.

“You,” he said and pointed at her. “It’s all your fault. Turning my world upside down in only five fucking days. I was happy. Content with what I was doing, where I was. Then you waltz in and rip it all apart.”

Her fingers dug into the doorframe for support and tears strangled her. He was going to throw her out, and she had nowhere to go.

He rubbed his head and dropped his arms, fury glittering in his darkened gaze. “I didn’t get a fucking wink of sleep last night. All I could think about was you and your damn green eyes. Your words that dug up all the shit I wanted to leave buried.”

“Fine. I’m sorry. I’ll leave,” she said.

“You think it’s that easy? That you can walk out as quickly as you came in and everything will fall back into place?” He laughed bitterly. “I’ll always be haunted by whatever your dad did to you. And I’ll never be able to wipe from my mind what I did to Cam’s little sister.”

Stunned, Cassie shoved his sweaty chest, which was so close—too close—to her.

“I’m not
just
Cameron’s little sister, and we didn’t do a damn thing.” Enraged, she pushed him again so he backed against the door. “I’m Cassie Rose Dalton, a grown woman who has lived through hell to get to this point. You better get that through your thick skull, Thrand Cornelius Medlam. If you can’t recognize that, then that’s your problem. And your loss.”

He said nothing. Just stood there with a dazed expression. She wanted to shake him. Kiss him senseless. Force him to admit she was right. She was more than what he refused to see.

Then the fucking doorbell rang. She spun on her heel, picked up the keys, and flung open the door.

Ryan’s smile disappeared when she scowled at him.

On impulse, she grabbed his head and kissed him with every ounce of anger she possessed. Then, just as quickly, she thrust him away and stalked out the door. Tears blurred her eyes as she wiped at her lips. The only lips she wanted were Thrand’s.

“What the hell—” Cassie heard Ryan mutter right before she fired up Thrand’s truck and peeled out of the driveway.

Cassie sat at
a corner table in Booseys. A few shots of whiskey did nothing to wipe out the words Thrand had so carelessly tossed at her. She was waiting for Lila to get off because she didn’t have anyone else to talk to, and she was tipsy enough to need someone.

What she really needed was a new place to stay, but with very limited funds, her choices were nil. She could ask Lila, and would if it came down to it, but even she knew she didn’t
really
want to leave Thrand’s house. She knew where she wanted to be, but she had to be wanted in return.

Lila fell into a chair beside her. “All right girlfriend, what’s going on? You look like someone just shot your dog.”

She sulked at the petite redhead and puzzled on where to start. She opened her mouth several times before anything would come out.

“Thrand only sees me as his best friend’s kid sister. I’m more than that. I know he knows it, but right now, denial is his mantra. I didn’t get free of that hell I was in just to be pigeonholed into some role that doesn’t exist anymore.” She dropped her head to the table on a groan. “Why the hell did I get stranded here? And to have him, of all people, end up saving my ass? I wish I’d never seen him again.”

Lila snorted. “Really? I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“You can’t be serious. This is a mess. It’s just my continued bad luck that I run into him after finally being free.”

“So? Then you would never have known for sure.”

Cassie lifted her head and peeked at her. How had she figured her out so quick?

“Have you banged him yet?” Lila asked all matter of fact.

Cassie would have thought it funny, except for last night.

“No. Not for lack of trying, though.” She picked up her whiskey glass, realized it was empty, then set it back down. “I’d say he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want me, but that’s not true. His eyes say one thing, his lips say another, and his words say something totally different.”

Lila leaned forward, her blue eyes spooky bright. “Tell me something. If you walked away right now, would you always wonder?”

Would she? Hadn’t she told him life was too short not to take in everything—because you never knew when your number would be up? Hadn’t she promised herself just last night that she would have him one way or another? Regardless of the outcome, she wanted to know the end result.

So she’d landed in the same town as Thrand. She had no clue why or how it happened, but she would regret it if she didn’t see this through. Life was a clusterfuck maze. There wasn’t a crystal ball or fairy godmother to tell her what to do. All she had was instinct. And instinct told her to go after what she wanted.

She lifted her head, determination steeling her.

Lila’s freckled cheeks broke out into a knowing smile. “Then make him see you. As a woman, and not the girl he knew.”

Cassie took a breath and nodded. “You’re right.”

“There’s my girl.” Lila’s grin spoke volumes as she patted Cassie’s hand and hopped up. “I’ll see you later, sweetie. I’ve got an appointment at the nail salon.”

She waggled her fingertips and headed out the door.

It wasn’t long before Cassie was tired of the crowd, so she wandered outside and down the sidewalk. She hadn’t seen the Cumberland River at night yet, so she ambled toward its edge. She propped her arms against the railing and stared across the wide expanse. From here, she could see LP Field and the metal art statue called Ghost Ballet, which she thought looked more like parts of a suspended roller coaster.

Here it was quiet with the noise of Honky Tonk Row behind her. The water flowing down the banks soothed her and the lights of Nashville reflected off the calm ripples. Not many people were taking in the peaceful setting, but she needed to clear her head.

She loved Thrand. She knew it like she knew her heart thumped harder when she was around him. She wasn’t in the habit of lying to herself. Lila was right. She couldn’t let him slip through her fingers so easily. What about their friendship? Could she even consider them friends anymore? So many years had passed without contact. Combine that with the heat in his eyes and none of it screamed friend. There was a whole lot more there than that. But what if all went bad? Where would that leave her?

A chill slithered up her spine.

She looked at the night sky as she rubbed the leather cuff that had once belonged to her brother and took a deep breath.

“Cam, I don’t know what to do.”

He didn’t answer. He never did when she talked to him.

But it made him feel not so far away.

*

Thrand was going
to take off after Cassie, but then she’d kissed Ryan. That had stopped him in his tracks. The squeal of tires let him know how pissed off she was.

He’d waited up for her. Sitting in a recliner stuffed into the corner of his living room. In the dark. What was she doing? Who she was doing it with? None of it was his business. He gripped the arms of his chair tighter and knew, without a doubt, he wanted to make her his business.

A war raged within him.

She’d woken that part of him he’d put to rest…Bedlam. Known for taking what he wanted and asking later. He tapped the arm of his chair as Cam’s face came to mind. The only thing Thrand should be doing is protecting Cassie and helping her get on her feet.

Not pinning her to the wall and claiming her.

He glanced up when he heard the click of the door. She never turned on a light so she didn’t see him as she went straight to her room.

He took a relaxing breath, got up, and went to his room.

She was safe.

The next few
weeks passed in a blur and Thrand avoided her when he could. But living together and barely talking was getting old. He honestly didn’t know what to say to her. Every time their paths crossed, all he could do was stare and remember her in his lap. His neck would sizzle just like the brand he swore she’d laid on him.

She didn’t bother to hide the fact she wanted him. Her eyes said it all. He would catch her walking around his house singing some song off the radio in nothing but boy shorts and a tight tank. Her bras were always hanging on his towel bar and, more than once, he’d found her clothes and panties mixed in with his laundry.

He was on edge, and the only way he could release it was to bang the hell out of his drums. Studio time used to be enough, but it was too tame. He needed something harder. So he had lined up a few gigs to work, even though he had been busy at the studio.

He pulled his Harley into the garage and noticed his truck was parked in the drive, along with Ryan’s motorcycle.

He walked in through the back door to the sound of their laughter and the strong smell of marijuana.

They sat on the floor, passing a joint between them.

“What the hell?” Thrand demanded and saw red. It was one thing for Cassie to have kissed Ryan when she was mad, but had something come of it? He glared at Ryan.

“Dude, chill. Not what you think,” Ryan said but was laughing as he said it.

“Why are you getting high in my living room?” He wanted to add,
and alone with Cassie.

She was smiling, her eyes a bit glassy. “I wanted to try it.”

“You wanted to try it?” He arched a brow at Ryan and crossed his arms over his chest. “And you just happened to have some on you?”

Ryan shrugged. “I came to see you. You weren’t here, and Cassie and I got to talking. Somehow it came up that she had never tried it. So, I helped.”

“Of course you helped.”

Thrand was at a loss. Cassie was reckless and hell-bent on driving him mad. She sat on the floor, legs crossed, with her head leaned back against the couch. Her hair looked like gold spread out over the black leather.

She licked her lips and smiled. “Ryan’s a good friend. He’s helping.”

He turned an eye on Ryan who wasn’t as high as he first seemed.

“Hey guys, I gotta split.” Ryan climbed to his feet.

“Awww, but we were just getting started,” Cassie said with a sulk. “He was telling me all about your crazy conquests.”

Ryan coughed. “Yeah, sorry, Cas. Maybe another time.”

Faster than Thrand thought possible, Ryan was out the door.

Thrand sat on the couch beside Cassie and couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Do you really have to try everything? Is there any line you won’t cross?”

She pursed her lips while she pondered the ceiling before her gaze settled on him. “There might be, but I haven’t found one yet.”

“I was afraid you might say that.” Exactly what he didn’t want to hear.

“Thrand, do you want me gone?” A trace of sadness lingered in her eyes.

“What?” He shook his head. “No.”

“You avoid me. You don’t talk to me. It’s like I’m in your way.”

All true. He sighed and slid to the floor so they were eye level. “I’m sorry. I’ve been an ass, haven’t I?”

“Yes.” Then she scooted up against him and snuggled into the crook of his arm.

He had no choice but to wrap an arm around her.

“I missed you,” she said softly against his shirt.

He knew she wasn’t just talking about recently. He kissed the top of her head, the silkiness of her hair brushing against his lips. “I missed you, too.”

“Can we please talk?” Her arm lay carelessly across his waist. “I don’t like all this silence. You used to talk to me.”

There was a time when they would talk about anything and everything. But it was so long ago. He’d gotten a glimpse of that those first few days she was here, but then she’d kissed him. That had changed everything. He wanted the easy companionship they had before, but every time he looked at her, all he felt was her lips on his. He was all twisted up and he had no idea what to do with any of it. Guilt, mixed with this insane attraction, was driving him out of his mind. He couldn’t make peace with it.

She turned her head up toward his and he met her gaze. High cheekbones, full lips and green eyes tempted him. He tried to not want to kiss her. But those lips were right there. Had their first kiss been a fluke? Had he just imagined that intense feeling? His heart hammered in his chest, he tightened his arm around her and claimed her lips.