It’s hard to keep a neutral face when I see Kendra standing there, clutching a folder and staring at me with shock in her eyes. I don’t know how to behave around her, nor do I fucking know what to say.

Did she somehow find out who I am and come to give me shit for running out on her without saying goodbye?

I couldn’t help it. I woke up in the middle of the night with her nestled in my arms, and the whole thing was just too fucking much. It was supposed to be a hot hookup, nothing more. And it was sexy and intense. But there was more, and I had to pull the trigger and get out of there before I started something that would only get more complicated between us.

I can’t do that, not at this point in my life. So, I pulled a dick move and I took off, left her without saying goodbye.

When I open my mouth to say something, anything, the old man beside her says, “Hello, how are you this evening?” He extends his hand out toward me with unwavering patience, and I stare at it for several long moments, then give it a quick shake and hold up my other hand, bearing the can of beer.

“I’m great. Just living the high life,” I reply smoothly.

Kendra clears her throat and looks away from me, down at her folder. “Um, and what is your name, sir?”

It takes me a moment to find my voice. Partly because I’m insulted that she’s pretending to not know me. Rich princess is too embarrassed to admit she had anything to do with me, that I took her virginity.

I look over at the man and introduce myself, feeling annoyed now. “I’m Axel. And you two are interrupting my evening, so unless you have dealings with me…” I go to close the door when the man presses a palm to the door to stop it.

He gives me an easy smile. “I’m Charles Rochester of Rochester Development. I sent a couple of letters to you recently but didn’t hear anything back. We’re interested in buying this property.”

I scour my brain to see if I remember any mailings addressed from them. Something about that seems familiar. I’m pretty sure I looked at the first letter sent…and then I recall the contents and feel my stomach clench. “Oh, you guys are wanting to build some kind of shitty mall here or something, right? Just what we need.”

Kendra stiffens at my insult. “It’s an upscale shopping mall, and it would be revitalizing for Rock Bridge.” To her credit, she keeps her voice even despite my open hostility.

“I’m sure it would be. But I’m not fucking selling.” I take great pleasure in watching her cheeks bloom pink with anger at my blunt words. She stares down at her papers, not looking at me.

The older man speaks as if I’m a child. “I understand you’re upset and resistant—we just want a chance to explain ourselves in person and answer any questions you might have.” He’s nothing if not steady in his coolness. “It won’t take much of your time.”

“Axel, you say?” Kendra’s voice has an edge as she addresses me. “The name on the deed is Butch Beckett. Is he home, by chance?” She looks up at me, and I can see a stiff smirk on her face.

I raise a brow. “Oh man, you just missed him. Too bad. He’s serving another twenty in County, but I can answer your questions on his behalf. He won’t ever sell to you guys. In fact, he’d tell you to get lost. Just like I am.” Irritation itches the back of my neck, and I struggle to keep my frustration at bay.

I’m being a dick. But this whole situation is pissing me off. Kendra acting too good for me, it lodges under my skin, makes me feel uncomfortable. I already knew this chick was out of my league. But having her act like she doesn’t even know me? It burns, even though I tell myself I don’t care.

“Look.” Charles shifts in place, and it’s the first time I see him lose his smoothness. His cool exterior is diminished by the sharpness in his voice. “We’ll be getting this mall done one way or another. If need be, we can probably have this home condemned and torn down without having to pay your father a dime.”

I can feel a muscle in my jaw flex. “Oh, is that right? Just try it, buddy. In the meantime, get the fuck off our property so I can go back to enjoying my now-warm beer.” I take a blatant drag of the drink in front of him and stare at Charles until he turns and stalks to his car, finally showing his emotions. Something about that moment of weakness gives me a small bit of pleasure.

“I can’t believe you’re being such an ass,” Kendra hisses under her breath at me. She’s scowling.

I shrug, acting like I don’t give a fuck. “So? You’re the one who is embarrassed to admit you know me.”

“Of course I’m embarrassed,” she retorts, and I stare at her, a little surprised she admitted it so boldly. “First, you ran out of the hotel like a total coward. And second, that man you’ve been so rude to is my father. Yet I’m supposed to tell him that you gave me the old pump-and-dump last night? Sure. Right.” Her snort of derision lingers between us for a long, silent moment.

Fuck. Okay, that makes sense. Can’t really fault her for pretending not to know me, especially since good-old Charles is her father. That would make for an awkward situation. And she’s right—I fucking took off in the wee hours, not thinking I was ever going to see her again…and that was a shitty thing to do.

But fate brought her here, regardless of the circumstances. And now that I’m looking into those compelling eyes, I can’t help but want to taste her mouth again. God, I jacked off twice today thinking about our sex last night.

The fact that she let me take her virginity? Fucking incredible.

Kendra is trouble, and God help me, I want another round.

“I want to see you again,” I say.

She stiffens and blinks her shock with wide eyes locked on mine. “What? No way. Forget it.”

“What if I’ll talk with Butch about selling the house if you agree to see me again?” It’s the only bargaining chip I have.

Her eyes roll hard. She knows I’m full of shit—that I’m using this opportunity as a shameless means to convince her to go out with me. But I can see her softening, despite the blatant attempt.

“We can discuss it over dinner,” I tell her, stepping toward her. This close, I can smell the light vanilla of her scent, and I breathe in, not losing eye contact, letting her see how she affects me.

Her gaze drops to my chest, and the appreciation she has for my body is clear in her eyes, which grow slightly hooded. “This is crazy,” she murmurs.

“Kendra,” Charles shouts from the car, having rolled down the window. “We gotta go.”

“One date,” I press. “And I won’t even tell you how badly I want to fuck you again or touch that beautiful pussy.” Her lips part at my bold words. Part of me thinks I should explain why I ran. But not here, not right now. I barely even know what to think about it myself. “Say yes.”

She inhales harshly through her nose, then digs into her purse and gives me a business card. “Here’s my number. Call me—but only if you’re serious about selling. You can at least get something for the home.” I can see her trying to resist me, and the urge to touch her soft skin is making my cock throb in my jeans. If she looks down again, she’ll see how hard I am for her. “My father will make good on his promise to see this place condemned if you try to make things difficult. The mall will be happening, Axel. No two ways about it.”

I stroke the card with purposeful intent, my thumb brushing the raised lettering. “I’ll keep that in mind, Kendra.” Then I lean in close and whisper in her ear, “I’ve thought about you all day, you know.”

Her face is burning when she pulls back and steps away from me. But her nipples are hard; I can see that through her shirt. Not to mention her parted lips and the way she’s staring at me. She wants me too. “I…gotta go.”

“I shouldn’t have left like that,” I finally tell her. I don’t really know what else to say, but I can offer that much.

Her nod is slight, but I see tension leak from her shoulders. “Thank you.” She turns and gets into the car, and the Benz pulls away, sliding down the road and disappearing around the corner.

* * *

A rap on my door lets me know Chris is here. I whip it open and give him a nod. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this.” Chris has his baseball bat in hand, and I step out into the warm summer night as we stroll down the street.

Not twenty minutes after Kendra and her father left, I got a text from a man in the neighborhood asking for my help. He’s being bullied by a couple of drug dealers who are pressing him to pay more. He already gave them what he owed, but they won’t quit harassing him, saying he didn’t pay interest and so on. Milking him for more than what is fair.

Chris and I are gonna fuck them up.

I know these idiots. They live two streets down; I’ve already had to pay them a visit because of bullshit they’ve pulled before on other neighbors. They’re two young punks with no sense of honor.

“So,” I say casually to Chris, “did you get a visit today from those people wanting to tear down the neighborhood and build a mall?”

He shakes his head. “No, I talked to them before. They already made me an offer.”

I stop in place. “And you accepted?”

Chris quirks a brow at me. “The amount of money they offered? I couldn’t resist. I can get a nicer place than that crap hole I’m living in.”

“It’s not that bad,” I hedge, and he barks a laugh.

“That place is a dump. I know it, and you know it. I haven’t cared enough to keep it up. Now I don’t have to.”

Fuck. He makes it sound like the mall is a foregone conclusion. “How many other people in the neighborhood have sold out—” I stop myself from finishing the question, knowing it sounds harsh.

“Sold out, huh?” he says with a light laugh. “Think what you want, bro. This neighborhood is barely hanging on with duct tape and thin hope. Can’t last much longer. I’d rather go out with my head held high and a pocketful of cash. On my terms.”

“We don’t need another fucking mall in Rock Bridge,” I grouse. “And this neighborhood is fine. Nothing wrong with it.” There are good people in here, despite the occasional assholes.

“Axel,” he says in an unusually gentle voice. We turn the corner, sidestepping two little kids who should be in bed, not out coloring on the sidewalk. “Take a good look around you. This place is bad. Falling apart. Rotting from the inside out. Even your brothers recognized it and got the fuck out while they could.”

My cheeks burn with anger. “Yeah, they sure did.”

“I’m not saying the way they dumped you is okay,” he says, swinging the bat to rest on his shoulder. Our boots continue to fall on the cracked sidewalk as we make another turn toward the offenders’ house. “But you can’t keep living in the past. The future will happen, whether you like it or not.”

“I’m not fucking living in the past. I’m dealing with the present the best way I can. Keeping shit going. Someone’s gotta be here for these people.”

Chris’s free hand claps my shoulder. “You’re good for trying, but you gotta let it go sometime. There’s only so much you can do. Ain’t no shame in moving on and letting this place go.”

We continue the rest of the way in silence. I think about the issue, really think about it. Why am I so attached to this neighborhood? Why do I feel the need to defend it when so many others seem ready to leave it behind?

I know the reason why. It’s the only genuine home I’ve ever known. I was bounced around from family member to member after my mom left me as a kid. It wasn’t until Butch took me in several years ago, integrated me into his family, treated me like one of his other sons, that I found a sense of belonging.

At least, insofar as the bastard half-son of an emotionally distant man could find a sense of belonging.

Still, he gave me a place to live, and I won’t let him down. He isn’t here to fight the fight, but I am.

We clomp up the steps toward the drug dealers’ house. It’s a fucking blight in the neighborhood. If we could raze this one place and leave the other good houses intact, I wouldn’t complain. The police won’t come in our neighborhood, so it’s up to me to deal with it.

“You ready to go teach some motherfuckers a lesson about messing with people we protect?” I tell Chris. I’m itching to pound some faces in. The frustration over the situation with Kendra and the mall is driving me mad. I gotta get it out somehow.

His wide grin is infectious, and I find myself grinning in response. “It’s my favorite part of the day, yo. Let’s do this.”