Breaking Even(25)
Jerk.
“Really?” I ask, playing along.
“The shit hurt a lot worse than I thought it would,” he says while chuckling, still sounding as though he’s making fun of me.
From there, conversation just flows. I detail my very demanding yet low paying job, and he tells me all about his garage. His career is by far much more fascinating, and I actually enjoy listening to him speak so passionately about it.
I laugh when he tells the Tinker Bell story and how Tag still taunts him. And for a little while, the rest of the world gets shut out. It’s... nice. And a guy who looks like Rye Clanton should not be so easy to talk to. It just isn’t fair that he’s so damn perfect.
***
BRIN
“You’re such a horrible drinker,” Rye says through a laugh, helping me out of the cab as soon as he finishes paying.
I just giggle, because right now, everything is spinning and it’s all hilarious. He laughs, too, finding the world just as amusing as I do.
When I start to fall, he bends and scoops me up as though I’m weightless and carries me the rest of the way to the house.
“You’re right,” I murmur while resting my head against his chest.
He smells so terrible. I wish I hadn’t bombed him because he’d probably smell so good right now.
“About?” he asks while fumbling with my doorknob.
“You’re a terrible excuse for a bad boy.”
He laughs again as the door swings open, and I squint against the lights inside to see a grinning Maggie.
“Hey!” I exclaim, half singing the word, and she starts snickering.
She must be drunk, too.
“Liquor?” she asks as Rye steps in, carrying me toward my bedroom.
“Lots and lots of liquor,” I answer, beating him to the words.
He navigates my house too well, and gently places me on the bed. “Might want to get her some water,” he says while grinning.
“On it.” Maggie disappears as Rye slides my shoes off and pulls down my covers on the other side of the bed.
He moves me to be there once he finishes, and then he moves my hair from my face as I nestle in.
“I take it you had fun with Wren?” Maggie asks, fishing for information.
Rye takes the water from her and forces me to sit up enough to drink it against my silent protest.
“Wren was completely uninterested in me. We’re supposed to have a date tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure he’s planning to cancel,” I say flippantly.
Maggie frowns, as does Rye.
“Why do you say that?” he asks, forcing me to take another sip.
As my glass comes back away from my lips, I answer, “Call it women’s intuition. Can I go to sleep now?”
He chuckles quietly and leans down to tuck me in while setting my glass of water on the nightstand.
“This war resumes tomorrow,” I mumble, earning another snicker from him.
“Your ass is mine,” he teases.
I just grin as my eyes grow too heavy to hold open another moment.
Chapter 5
BRIN
As expected, Wren sent a text during the night to cancel our Sunday date. That’s fine. He’s really not my type. Though I’m not actually sure what my type is. Well, Rye would be my type if he wasn’t so far out of my league.
“I think it’s cowardly to break a date via text,” Maggie growls.
She’s been badmouthing Wren all morning, but it’s not necessary. That spark wasn’t there, and we both knew it. Everything felt so... forced.
“It’s fine. I need to run to the store. You want anything?” I ask as I pick up my keys.
“Donuts would be nice,” she teases, and I glare at her.
That reminds me... I need to do something to get back at him for the red mouth. I’ll come up with something while I’m at the store.
When I walk out, my mouth falls. My car... It’s gone! Who the hell would steal a wrecked car? An old wrecked car.
“It’s at my garage,” a deep voice says, prompting me to look up just as Rye crosses the street, his jean-clad legs taking long strides on his way to me.
Why does he look so good even under the influence of my cruel hangover? “I’m on my way there now. I just need your keys.”
My mouth opens and closes a few times, and then panic sets in. I can’t afford his garage! I told him this already.
“No. You can’t fix—”
“It’s fine, Brin. It’s seriously no big deal. We happen to have a surplus of the parts, and this gives me a reason to get rid of them. Besides, I can’t torture you if you get yourself killed in that thing. You can drive one of mine for a few days until you get yours back.”
He reaches me and pulls my keys from my hand and exchanges them for his Range Rover keys.