Revved (Axle Alley Vipers)(39)

“I’m good.” Yay! Words actually came out of her mouth.

“Knew it’d be great, but fuck, Foxy, I wasn’t expecting that.”

She understood completely. “I know what you mean,” she whispered. Then she turned to face him, running her fingers over his whiskered jaw. “I need to apologize to you.” He frowned, and she quickly carried on before he could interrupt her. “I came up with some wild assumptions about you, about where you came from, how you got where you are. I was wrong, and I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” She slid her thumb over his bottom lip. “You’re not the man I first thought you were, Reid Parker.”

He cleared his throat, held her gaze. “No?”

She shook her head. “You’re so much more.”

His eyes flashed, and he sucked in a sharp breath through his nose before he pulled her closer and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Could say the same about you, sweetheart.” He ran a hand down her back, kissed her hair. “You sore? You want me to run you a bath or something?”

“I’m fine where I am.”

“Yeah.”

It was one word, but the way he said it, pulling her tighter against him as he did, she knew it meant so much more.

She was completely and utterly screwed.





Chapter Thirteen

Reid slid out from under the Cadillac he was working on. “That should do it. Take her for a test run.” Law gave him a chin lift and another sideways look before climbing into the Caddy and firing it up.

Reid scowled at his friend to cover his ass. He’d zoned out several times that morning, and every damn time Law had been the one to catch him staring into space. Which included holding a wrench suspended in one hand and staring into the engine of the Caddy with “a pussy-assed, vacant expression”, Law’s words. He had to pull it together. This was not him. He did not get all twisted in knots over a woman.

But then Rusty wasn’t just any woman.

When the car rolled out for its test run, he went to this office and shut himself in, since he was apparently useless in the workshop.

Walking to the window, he stared out at the street. He’d tried, Jesus, had he tried to keep emotion out of it. In the past he’d never had to. Fucking was fucking. It was easy to keep his brief encounters only physical. But not with Rusty. The feisty redhead had gotten under his skin, and she’d dug deep. She hadn’t let him pull back the night before, no, she’d made it clear what she wanted—him—and then she’d proceeded to blow his mind.

Last night, she’d shown him the sweet trusting nature she kept hidden, and today it was tormenting the hell out of him. Because the way she saw him, it reflected back through those outstanding green eyes, and God help him, he wanted to believe in it. He wanted her to be right so bad it hurt. What if there was more to him, more than his shitty past? What if he was more than the screwed-up result of the nightmare he’d grown up in?

He’d never wanted to believe anything more in his life. To be more for her, to fight the tainted blood running through his veins and be the kind of man Rusty deserved…

Shit, he’d do anything to be that, to have that.

He knew now, he could never go through with his messed-up plan to take her business. He’d known it almost from the very beginning, despite his attempts at convincing himself otherwise. He’d tried to fool himself, telling himself that was the only reason he was pursuing her, but he knew the truth. It had never really been about that, not totally.

He moved to his desk and sat heavily in his chair. Could he really allow himself to have her?

She knew where he came from, some of what he’d been through. Hell, she’d seen it with her own eyes, and she hadn’t run the other way. No, she’d comforted his distraught mother and given herself to him. Had let him take her the way he’d needed last night, hadn’t shied away from the filthy shit that poured from his mouth, his need for control. Instead, she’d wrapped those long legs around his waist and clung to him, begging for more, taking it all and loving every damn minute of it.

He shoved his fingers into his hair.

What the hell am I doing? Put an end to it. Before it’s too late.

His phone rang, and he glanced down at the name flashing on the screen. Nina.

He blew out a breath, chest tightening. He had plans with Rusty tonight, but in his current frame of mind, he didn’t think seeing her again this soon was the greatest idea. Some distance might be for the best. He needed a distraction, a way to get her out of his head, get some much needed perspective. It looked like he had his distraction.

An unwanted emotion hit him hard, an emotion that felt a lot like guilt. He ignored it, shoved it down, and hit the call button. “Hey.”