CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“How the hell did you get here?” I heard Tony bark and my fork froze mid-air. I looked up and straight into Tony’s heated eyes. Then my eyes moved to the left, where BJ stood next to him.
Just fucking perfect.
I glanced down to see they were holding hands. It might have been because he dragged her to my table, but I didn’t know and I had to set my fork down.
I couldn’t eat anymore. I met Tony’s eyes again and asked, “Excuse me” because I forgot his question and it really sounded like he was trying to start a fight.
Little did he know, I had no fight left.
“I told you not to leave the fuckin’ house, Trish. How did you get here?” He demanded to know as he quickly glanced around the diner to find the guilty party. I glanced back at BJ who still stared at me and I was a little surprised to see that she didn’t look smug. I’d have imagined it would make her happy to hear Tony talking to me like I was a child.
“Tony, calm down. You shouldn’t talk to her like that,” Bobbie Jo said in my defense, her country accent sweet as pie.
At BJ’s suggestion, Tony dropped her hand and stared at his own like he hadn’t realized he’d been holding hers. He glared at her. “Stay out of this,” he ordered before his eyes came back to me.
I stared at her. I wasn’t sure how I’d missed it, but hadn’t realized just how pretty she was, and now that I saw her up close, I hated her. Her long, shiny blonde hair was straight and draped over one shoulder. She had a smooth, ivory complexion and small facial features with big blue eyes. She was about my height, five-six, skinny, but had a nice little figure outlined by the sun dress she wore. And there I sat in my white jean shorts, thin blue and white plaid button-down top, silver gladiator sandals, hair in a ponytail and no makeup.
Could I just get through one fucking day in this town?
A day without something dramatic or traumatic happening? I was tired of feeling like shit and I really wasn’t sure how much more I could take.
“I want to know how you got here,” he repeated.
“Shane brought me,” I responded.
“Where is he?”
“He had to take care of something. He should be back any minute,” I added, trying to ease the situation.
“Let’s go,” he growled, grabbed my hand and tried to pull me from the booth, but I yanked it away.
“Stop it,” I hissed, “you’re being a jerk and causing a scene.”
He turned to BJ, “Will you go get a table? I need to talk to her.” She glanced at me with concern, but nodded in agreement.
As soon as she was walked away, Tony bent at the waist, put his mouth right at my ear and whispered, “mi reina, please get out of the fuckin’ booth before I carry you out of here… kicking and screaming if I have to.”
My vow to keep my distance from Tony was not going very well.
“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to leave the house, much less sit in there by yourself,” he barked as soon as we made it outside. He pulled me through the parking lot and when we made it to his truck, he maneuvered us until my back was against it and he stood in front of me.
I squeezed my eyes shut. He tried to provoke me, but I refused to let him. I took a few calming breaths before I opened my eyes.
“I’m sorry about last night, Tony. If that’s what this is about, if that’s why you’re so angry, I’m sorry I slapped you, but what you said was cruel and you were so rough. I saw the belt and it scared me,” I whispered.
He stiffened and stared down at me for a long, agonizing moment.
“Are you kidding?” he breathed the question.
“No.”
“No matter what you do to me, Trish, I’d never lay a finger on you; or any woman.” He lifted my chin. “I was only going to tie your hands, preciosa. I wanted to touch you without you being able to touch me. You never had a problem with it before.”
“But you didn’t hate me before,” I whispered.
“I don’t hate you,” he insisted and I wished it were true.
“Why are you doing this? Why do you say things and touch me the way you do when you’re already taken? You accused me of this last night, but it’s you that one minute can’t resist me, but in the next instant, you can’t stand the sight of me.”
“You want the truth?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Because I do want you. I fuckin’ need you, but I keep seeing you with another man in my head, mi reina, and it kills me. He touched you. I saw the pictures. Even if what you said is true and you didn’t cheat on me, he still touched what was mine,” he spat and I squeezed my eyes shut.
“I’m so sorry. You’ll never understand how sorry I am,” I whispered. “But I can’t take anymore. I didn’t hurt on purpose, but you are. Please just stay away from.”
He cupped my jaw, his face lowered and he brushed his lips against mine before he spoke low, “That’s the problem. I can’t stay away from you. Maybe I’ve stayed away too long.” His lips pressed harder against mine and his tongue stroked the seam of my lips, tempting me to open my mouth and deepen the kiss.
I wanted to cry. I hated how weak he made me feel, but I couldn’t resist him.
I don’t know how long we stayed lost in each other, but when the noise of squealing tires caught both our attention we pulled apart. I glanced around to search for the culprit just in time to see a little white car speed out of the parking lot.
“Did you see her?” I heard Shane shout violently. It was easy to distinguish that accent. I twisted my neck in the opposite direction and saw him walk to us with determination in his stride and fury on his face. He pointed in the same direction the speeding car just turned.
“Who was that?” Tony asked suspiciously and I had to roll my eyes that he didn’t already know. Men were idiots.
“It was Shannon,” I answered in my “Duh” tone, just before Shane made it to us.
“She wouldn’t even listen to me! She slammed the door in my face and wouldn’t even let me apologize! She even flipped me the bird!”
I covered my mouth because I didn’t want Shane to see the grin I tried to hide. Tony looked at me and scowled before he faced Shane again. Shane glared between the both of us.
“What’s going on here?” he asked with eyes narrowed on Tony and Tony’s turned to stone.
“It’s none of your business.”
“No. Maybe it’s not my business, but she seems to think it’s hers,” he finished and pointed to the side of the diner. When I looked in that direction, I saw BJ. She looked devastated. I had no idea how much she’d seen, but my guess… she’d seen everything; most definitely the part where Tony kissed me.
I was ashamed.
I turned to Shane.
“Can you take me back to Tony’s?”
“I’ll take you--” Tony started, but I whipped my head around so fast he snapped his mouth shut. “Can you just stop? She saw you kiss me, Tony. Did you get a good look at her? She looked like she just lost her favorite blankie. Hurt me all you want, but don’t hurt her… just go,” I ground out through my teeth.
Tony shook his head, closed his eyes and exhaled loudly before he turned to Shane.
“You take her straight home,” he ordered before he faced me again. “We’ll finish this later. Don’t leave the house again.”
“We won’t finish shit later!” I raged.
I fumed all the way back to Shane’s truck.