Revved (Axle Alley Vipers) (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

O
ver the brim of her coffee cup, Rusty watched Reid dish up the scrambled eggs he’d made for breakfast. She could never have predicted what happened last night. She had been positive that the man standing across from her had every intention of letting her go,
had
let her go.

But here she sat, almost as if the last week hadn’t happened. Almost. Because although she knew his reasons for what he’d done—good reasons—for pushing her away, it would still take her time to get past the pain he’d caused, for that wound to repair. To build her trust back to what it was. The man had issues, and now she knew what they were. She just hoped that the next time he went to that dark place, he let her be there for him, to help him through, instead of trying to shove her from his life.

She took a sip of her coffee. “Smells good.”

He wore only a pair of jeans, his back bare, displaying the thick slabs of muscle, the smooth skin, all that lickable ink. Looking at her over his shoulder, he grinned. “Don’t get excited. I can’t cook for shit. I can do eggs. I can fry bacon. That’s as far as my skills in the kitchen go.”

She snorted. “I see a lot of takeout in our future. I’m about as handy in the kitchen as a spare tire.” The muscles in his shoulders and arms bunched as he scraped the last of the eggs from the pan, and her mouth went dry when he turned, carrying her plate to her. The top button of his jeans was undone, and she couldn’t help but follow the enticing trail of dark hair that dipped below. She knew what the man hid down there, and it was nothing to sneeze at.

Reid had woken her a short time ago by sliding into her from behind, his sleep-roughened voice skating across her skin, fingers expertly working her clit, and here she was, hungry for another taste of the man.

The bulge in his jeans started to grow before her eyes, and she licked her lips, eyes darting up to his. “Does that thing ever get tired?”

“Baby, you’re staring at my cock like you want to eat it for breakfast. What do you think’s gonna happen?” He put her plate down in front of her. “Eat this first, then we’ll take turns eating each other.”

His voice was doing the growly, raspy thing she loved, and she had to squeeze her thighs together to stop the ache. “I like that idea. A lot.”

“Shit, woman, you’re gonna be the fuckin’ death of me.”

She smirked. “I didn’t know you could die from having a constant boner.”

He returned her smile. It was full-on, completely gorgeous, all straight white teeth, and sent a hit of pleasure from her head all the way down to her toes. “Smart ass.”

“You love it.” She shoved a mouthful of eggs in her mouth and groaned. They had barely come up for air since they left Alex and Deke’s engagement party the night before, and she was starving.

When she looked up from her plate, Reid was watching her, that intense gaze locked on hers. “Yeah, I love it. And don’t forget it.”

She swallowed down her mouthful, heart fluttering madly against her ribs. “I’ll try not to.”

“Good. Now, hurry up and finish your breakfast. I wanna take you back to bed.”

“You’re getting no complaints from me.”

Reid’s phone rang on the counter beside his plate, and he cursed when he saw who it was. “I need to take this.” He put it to his ear. “What?”

He grunted a few times, did some more cursing, then ended the call.

“Everything okay?”

He shook his head. “I need to head into work for a bit.”

“On a Sunday?”

“We have an urgent job, and the client just called with some last-minute changes. I need to go in and sort a few things out, call in a few favors to get the parts we need today.” He walked around to her side of the breakfast bar, moved up behind her, then brushed her hair to the side and kissed her just below her ear. “I won’t be long. You hang out here, watch a movie or something, and I’ll bring lunch home with me.”

“Okay.”

One of his fingers moved over the skin at the back of her neck, tracing the ink there. “Why a rose?”

She leaned against him. “Alex…has a scar on her arm, one that reminds her of a time she’d rather forget. She chose red roses because they were her mother’s favorite flower. She wanted to cover the bad memories with ones that were good, you know? Me and Pipe got them as well, a solidarity kind of thing, I guess. She’s our sister in all the ways that count, and we wanted to show her how much we love her.”

He came around in front of her and pushed her knees apart, filling the space with his hips. “She’s lucky to have found you by the sound of things.” He stared down at her, tenderness and heat in his gaze.

“We were lucky to find each other.” She wanted to get closer, or worse, throw herself at him and beg him to stay. Instead, she cleared her throat. “Okay, so…if you’re getting lunch, I think you should know, I love cream, and I love chocolate.”

He gave her another one of those killer smiles, and the way his eyes glittered with humor, the guy had totally read her mind. Thankfully, he didn’t call her on it. “Noted. I do, too, as a matter of fact, and I’m gonna enjoy licking it off your tits when I get back.”

“Something for us both to look forward to, then.” Wrapping her fingers around the side of his neck, she pulled him down for a kiss. His lips landed on hers, and the kiss he gave her was not a good-bye kiss, it was hard and delicious. His hands moved up under the T-shirt she was wearing,
his
shirt, over her ribs to her aching breasts. He squeezed and massaged the tender flesh as his tongue slid over hers hungrily. She gave him back the same, rubbing against the bulge in the front of his jeans.

When he finally released her mouth and rested his forehead against hers, he was panting. “Jesus. What did I say? You’re killing me, woman.”

“I know the feeling.” She squirmed on her seat. “I might have to make use of that fancy detachable showerhead while you’re gone.”

He nipped her bottom lip. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare. I want you wet and ready for me when I get home. No touching yourself, do you understand?”

She grabbed his ass. “Maybe.”

“You touch yourself, make yourself come while I’m gone, I’ll know, and you’ll pay the price.” He ran his thumbs over her nipples and heat flooded between her thighs. “I’ll bring you to the brink and pull it back so many times before I finally let you come, you’ll be begging me for it.”

She didn’t doubt he’d do it, too. “Sadist.”

He planted another quick kiss on her lips, then stepped back, all male perfection, cut chest and abs, cock hard and straining. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Fifteen minutes later, Reid was gone and Rusty was all by herself in his stunning beach house. Besides the living area downstairs and Reid’s bedroom, she hadn’t really checked out the rest of the place. Pouring herself another coffee, she padded upstairs. The walls were painted in neutral colors. Not a lot of personal items or pictures. It still had a new smell, and she guessed he hadn’t lived here long. She also guessed it was worth some serious bank. The man worked hard, had ambition in spades, had grown one shop into ten thriving businesses across the country. He didn’t live large, but then that wouldn’t suit him. He had what he needed and didn’t flaunt his wealth, his accomplishments.

She admired that about him. Admired a lot of things about him.

Poking her head around the next door down from Reid’s room, she found another bedroom. It had a queen bed in the center, the duvet a dark burgundy. A guest room. She wondered if his mother helped him with that kind of stuff or if he did it himself.

She drifted across to the room opposite, another bedroom, but this one was empty apart from a few boxes and some exercise equipment.

Last she checked out the room opposite Reid’s. His office.

She shouldn’t snoop, but her curiosity was gnawing at her, and it wasn’t as if she planned to riffle through his filing cabinets or anything. A large map took up space on the wall behind his desk and there were red pins dotted all over it. The shops he already owned. She knew because she’d made it her business to know, even before he’d stormed into her life. To her he’d been the competition, and once they’d managed to poach a few of his customers, she’d done a little research. There were also green pins, not as many, but still quite a few that she guessed were where he wanted to branch out. There was a red pin in the Miami area—there was also a green.

Weird.

Why would he want another store in Miami?

She sat in his big comfy chair, put her coffee on the desk, and leaned back. It was hard to imagine him sitting here. She’d seen him in his office at R.I.P. Classics, but this was different. She always imagined him with his hands dirty, working on the cars, not behind a desk. This was where he planned his future, where he ran his empire, worked toward growing it.

She snorted.
He’s not freakin’ Darth Vader.

Taking another sip of her coffee, she took in the neat piles of paperwork on his desk. All very organized. She smiled to herself when she realized Reid was a bit of a neat freak. His whole house was organized, just like his office.

Her gaze landed on the desk’s top drawer.

That would be snooping, wouldn’t it?

Gripping the handle, she slid it open, unable to help herself.

Pens, a stapler, and other office-y crap filled the drawer. There were also a couple sheets of paper sitting on top of it all, on an angle, the corners creased, like they’d been hurriedly thrown in there.

But what drew her attention was the name at the top of it.

West Restoration.

What the hell?

Sliding it out, she set it in front of her and read it carefully. A contract. A contract to take ownership of her business. The business that she, Alex, and Piper had worked their asses off to build after her father died.

She shook her head.

No.

She read it again, then again, because it couldn’t be true.

This can’t be happening.

But it was. It didn’t matter how long she stared at the words, they didn’t magically change. It was right there in front of her in black and white. Her stomach lurched, and she doubled over, gasping for breath.

Reid wanted West Restoration, and apparently he was willing to go to any lengths to get it, including using his childhood to manipulate her into coming back—sleeping with her.

He’d been using her, lying to her this whole time.

That explained the green pin. It was her shop.

Did he truly think she’d just hand her business over to him, that she’d be so grateful for the attention he’d given her that she’d just roll over and let him take it?

Her heart was hammering in her chest, slamming behind her ribs with enough force she struggled to catch her breath. He didn’t want her. He never wanted her. He wanted their business. And she’d fallen for it.

She’d fallen for him.

God. She covered her mouth with trembling fingers. She’d nearly told him she loved him last night, when he’d made love to her.
No.
She slammed her hands down on the desk, knocking her coffee across its surface, a raw cry escaping her throat. He’d fucked her. Manipulated her. Used her feelings for him against her.

I’m so stupid.

She should have known better, should have never believed in him. Trusted him. She’d shared things with Reid she’d never shared with anyone else, and he’d twisted that trust into something ugly, all to win her over, fool her.

Jesus, she had to get the hell out of there.

She stumbled to her feet and lurched for the door. Thankfully, she’d brought her pickup. Racing from the office, she dressed quickly, hands shaking, heart pounding, afraid he’d come back before she could leave. He’d see how much he’d hurt her, and she couldn’t bear that.

Slamming the door shut behind her, she climbed into her truck and fired up the engine, peeling out of there a moment later as fast as she could.

She fought down the pain in her chest, the hurt, the disbelief, the utter devastation that threatened to pull her under, and focused on the anger because the rest of it wasn’t real. How could it be when she was the only one that felt anything? When she was the only one stupid enough to let her feelings get tangled up with a man who could fuck her, pretend he cared, all for his own gain. What did that make her?

Shaking her head, she tried not to let the pain take over, even as hot, angry tears ran down her cheeks.

She squeezed the steering wheel tight, tight enough her knuckles ached. Once he got home, and he realized she’d seen the contract, that she knew—that would be the end of it.

She’d never see him again.

Chapter Twenty-Three

A
nticipation thrummed through Reid as he pulled up outside his house. Going into work was a pain in the ass and had taken a lot longer than he’d expected. The last thing he’d wanted to do this morning was leave Rusty. She had been wet and willing, looking sexy as hell in nothing but one of his tees.

But it wasn’t just the way she looked that made her irresistible. There was so much more. He’d never met anyone like her. She might love it when he took control in bed, but she was no pushover. All she had to do was bat her damn lashes, and he was chasing his tail to please her. He wanted to please her. She had that effect on him, though she never asked for a damn thing. No, all she wanted was reassurance that she could trust him, that he would never let her down the way he had ever again.

Yeah, she was back in his bed, but he’d hurt her, and he knew, could see it in the depths of that vibrant soul, that he would have to work to gain her full trust again. And he would. He’d do whatever the hell he had to, give her whatever she needed to earn that back. To be the man she showed him he could be.

Grabbing the bakery bag filled with sandwiches and chocolate cream cake, he headed for the door. Though the chances of eating lunch before he had her at least once was slim. The thought of her here, waiting for him, hot and needy, had driven him crazy all morning.

Unlocking the door, he strode inside. “I have food.”

He moved through the open kitchen to the living room. No sign of her. The TV was off, which meant she hadn’t been down here. He walked to the foot of the stairs. “Yo, Rusty!”

No reply came. He headed up, taking the stairs two at a time. A grin lifted the corners of his mouth as he headed to his room. Images of how he’d find her there, waiting for him, flashing through his head. But when he walked in, she wasn’t in there, either. Dumping the bags he was still carrying on the dresser, he checked the bathroom. Empty.

He called her name again, doing a quick search of his place. Then it hit him, her pickup hadn’t been there when he pulled in, had it? Walking to the rear bedroom, he checked out the window and, sure enough, her pickup was missing.

Weird. She’d promised to wait. Maybe she’d gotten hungry and headed out to get lunch on her own. Moving out to the hall, he noticed the door to his office open and walked in, pulling out his phone to call her.

Scrolling to her name, he hit the call button.

That’s when he spotted it, the contract, sitting on his desk in full view. A mug lay on its side by his laptop, coffee spilled across the surface of his desk.

The phone, still held to his ear, stopped ringing suddenly and clicked over to voicemail, Rusty’s voice coming down the line asking him to leave a message.

He didn’t—he fired the fucker across the room.

She’d seen the contract. She’d seen it and run.

He’d lost her.

I’ve ruined fucking everything.

With a roar, Reid swiped his arms across his desk, sending the neat stacks of paper and his laptop flying, crashing to the floor. Breathing hard, hard enough he thought he might be hyperventilating, he went to his knees, searching for his phone.

Finally, he found it. The screen was cracked, but it still worked. He tried her number again. It rang a few times, then clicked to voicemail. She’d cut off his call.

He couldn’t blame her.

You should have told her yourself.
Instead he’d come up with excuses, telling himself that keeping the truth from her was for her own good. That since he no longer intended on going through with it, it really didn’t matter. Anything to avoid facing the shitty thing he’d planned to do.

He had to talk to her, explain, make her understand. No way would he let her go this time without a fight.

Scrambling to his feet, he jogged downstairs, out the door, and climbed into his car. He had to tell her he loved her. Beg her to forgive him.

Somehow, even with his foot planted on the gas the whole damn way, he made it to Rusty’s cottage without a speeding ticket. The Plymouth rocked to a stop outside her place, and he shoved the door open, striding to the front of the house. He banged against the solid wood, but no sound came from inside. He rested his forehead against the door. “Rusty, open up, baby. Please, I need to explain.”

He waited. Nothing. Leaving the porch, he checked the street. No sign of her pickup. He walked around the back of the house. Piper’s Corvette was missing, but Rusty’s truck was parked there.

Relief washed through him, hard and fast.

She was inside.

He went to the door and started banging again. “Rusty. Talk to me. You’ve got it all wrong.”

To his surprise, a few seconds later, the door opened.

He took in the woman standing in front of him. Hair wet, smelling like the vanilla soap she used. She wore faded jeans, body covered up except for her bare feet, toenails still the same blue from the night before. The baggy Guns N’ Roses tee she wore swamped her frame. She looked small, almost fragile.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice was steady, cold.

“You didn’t answer my calls.”

“No, I was in the shower, washing your stench off my skin.”

Her expression was closed off, distant. And fuck, her words cleaved him in two. “Rusty…”

“Your smell, the memory of your hands on me…it makes me feel like a whore.”

He grabbed the door frame, because her words had the power to knock him on his ass. “Don’t say that.” He tried to step closer, but she crossed her arms and stepped back.

“Don’t touch me. You have no goddamn right.” Her eyes held his, but there was nothing there, the fire completely extinguished.

She was destroying him, every word out of her mouth a knife to the heart. “You know why I’m here, Rusty. Please let me explain. Will you do that? Will you hear me out?”

“Did you ask me out so you could get your hands on our business?”

Shit.
“At first, but…”

“There’s nothing more to say.”

“There’s a fuck of a lot more to say.”

“Not from where I’m standing. You’re nothing but a ruthless, using asshole, and I don’t want to see you ever again. Now leave.”

He lunged forward, grabbed her shoulders, and dragged her up against him. She stood motionless, a fucking statue in his arms. Her skin even felt cool.

He backed her up, pressed her against the wall, cupped her precious face. “You have to believe me. I changed my mind. I could never take West’s from you. I know how you feel about that place. Shit, Rusty, I want
you
, not your business. Baby, I’ve fallen for you. I love you.”

A sound that could only be described as agony broke past her lips. It tore him up, made him feel like the monster he’d always thought he was—until Rusty, until she made him believe he was more than that.

She started to struggle, pounded against his chest. “Don’t you say that, don’t you fucking say that to me, you lying son of a bitch.”

He took it, took the hits, then held her away to look her in the eye and said it again. “I love you, Rusty. So fucking much.”

She seemed to shrink in on herself and jerked back, grabbing his wrists when he held on, shoving them away. She shook her head in denial. “No, you don’t. And I don’t love you. I could never love someone like you.” Her face was closed off again, all the fight drained from her.

He released her immediately, because yeah, that hurt. Hurt more than any hit he’d taken from his old man. More painful than the split lips and black eyes—all the broken bones put together. “You don’t mean that.”

She met his gaze. “I always mean what I say, Reid. Unlike you, I always have.” She took a retreating step. “Now, just go. Leave me the hell alone.”

He had no choice but to do as she asked. He’d destroyed what they had, all his hopes for a future with her. And he realized as she shut the door in his face, nothing could fix it.

He’d lost her, and this time there was no chance of forgiveness, no explaining it away, no getting her back.

I
t had been close to a week since she ended it with Reid—six whole days since he’d pressed her against the wall and told her he loved her in that deep, broken voice.

But when Rusty heard the deep growl of an engine roaring into West’s parking lot—even though it wasn’t the distinctive rumble of Reid’s car—her belly still flipped. And that pissed her off. What made her angrier still was the shot of excitement that spiked through her veins.

She shook her head. It had been lies, all of it. He didn’t love her. How could he and keep something like that from her?

But unfortunately, her traitorous body still hadn’t caught up, hadn’t gotten the memo from her brain that no, she would never feel his hands on her bare skin again, never feel him moving above her, pushing deep inside her. Never feel his mouth on hers.

Stop this. Shut it down.

The sound of boots hitting the concrete floor behind her, followed by Alex’s greeting, had her relaxing her shoulders, though she hadn’t even realized she’d tensed until that moment. She’d known without looking it wasn’t him, still her body continued to betray her, anticipation flooding her system.

“Rust,” Alex called. “Someone to see you.”

Great.

Rusty straightened from the engine she was working on, wiped her hands on a rag, and turned to face the door.

Law, Reid’s friend and business manager, stood by the double roller doors, shoulder propped against the frame, taking in the workshop with sharp assessing eyes. “I can see why he wanted it.”

Prick.

Throwing the rag on the work bench, she narrowed her eyes at him. “You taking a shot now, Law? Did your boss send you to woo me as well, seduce me into handing over my business to him? Or maybe Pipe’s more to your taste? Alex is taken unfortunately. It’s just my sister and me to choose from. You like blondes or redheads?”

He pushed off the wall and came toward her. “Reid doesn’t know I’m here.”

“Then why are you? Trying to earn yourself a Christmas bonus?”

He shook his head, crossing his heavily tattooed arms over his leather cut. “He’s not the man you think he is, Rusty.”

“No?” Jesus, she did not need this right now. Did not want to hear whatever he was about to say. “And you’re here to what? Enlighten me?”

“You could say that.” He stared at her for a few uncomfortable seconds, then gave her a sharp nod, as if he’d made some kind of decision. “He fucked up. Big. No one knows that more than he does. I don’t know why, but he’s spent his life trying to prove to himself, to everyone else, that he’s not like that asshole father of his. And sometimes it makes him do stupid shit. But I can tell you now, he gave up on wanting this place as soon as he spent time with you.”

Rusty mimicked his pose, crossing her arms, fighting to ignore the way those words struck their mark. “I doubt that very much. He’s a heartless, scheming bastard.”

“I don’t know if you know this, but the guys that work for him all have pasts, extremely shitty pasts. When everyone else gave up on them, Reid was the one who gave them a chance, was there for them.” He stared her down. “He’s a good man.”

God, she couldn’t bear to hear any more.
Stay strong.
She’d made her decision. Reid had forced her to when he’d used her to try to get what he wanted.

“Well, that gives me the warm fuzzies and all, but I don’t know what it has to do with me.”

“I don’t think you’re hearing me.”

“Because nothing you can say will make any of this okay. None of it.”

He shook his head, expression grim. “It was real, Rusty. All of it.”

Jesus, she wanted to believe him, believe what he was telling her, but how could she? What Reid planned to do was unforgivable, wasn’t it?

“You’re wasting your breath.” The words felt torn from her throat.

He dropped his arms to his sides. “Look I’ve…” He clenched his fists at his sides. “He’s messed up over you. And I mean
messed up
. I’ve never seen him this way, and it’s not about losing his shot at this place. Like I said, he forgot all about that when he spent time with you. I don’t know, maybe you could…”

“I’ve heard enough. Reid and me are through, okay?” She would not end up the same way her father did, always pining after the person who stomped all over your heart. She deserved better than that and so had her father.

The muscle in his jaw jumped. “Fair enough. That’s your choice. I just thought you should know.”

“Well, now I do.” She tilted her head toward the door. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

After another uncomfortable pause, he gave her a curt nod and strode out the door.

She chose not to acknowledge the looks from her sister and Alex. No doubt Piper would give her a grilling when they were home later, but for now she didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to think about what Law had said. Didn’t want to feel the way his words had affected her.

So she bent back under the hood of the Caddy, and got to work.

There’d be plenty of time tonight, when she was alone, to dwell on what he’d said—then she could lock it away and get the hell over it.

What other choice did she have?