The weather hadn't gotten any warmer, though we hadn't had another snowstorm since the night I'd first arrived, but the sun was bright enough to hurt my eyes as I got out of my car and stood in front of DeMarco's & Sons. Idly, I wondered about the grammatical correctness of the sign but knew I was only stalling.

I wanted to see Dax again, more than I truly felt comfortable admitting, even to myself. I'd reminded myself repeatedly that I'd had plenty of male friends back home, and this was no different. True, none of them were close friends, and I hadn't wanted to sleep with any of them, but I was determined to make this work. Carrie seemed to think Dax was a decent guy, so I'd take her word for it.

I took a slow, steady breath, rubbed my sweating palms on my jeans, and stepped inside.

Like the first night I'd been here, the noise hit me before anything else. It was louder than before, with more people working and moving about. No one was behind the desk, so I took a moment to look around. The table where Dax and his friends had sat was empty, but I spotted one of the guys working on a massive motorcycle. Pretty much everyone was working on motorcycles, and since I couldn't tell one from another, it all pretty much looked the same.

“Can I help you?”

I recognized the voice before I turned. Dax had called him Georgie, and I'd hoped to avoid seeing him again. I refused to let him chase me away though, so I steeled my nerves and turned back toward the desk.

“Good morning.” I kept my voice as even as possible.

His dark eyes narrowed, then lit up with a recognition I didn't like. “I know you, sweetheart.” He winked at me. “Decided you liked what you saw after all?”

I refused to take the bait. “I'm looking for Dax.”

He grinned, not taking his eyes off me as he called out, “Yo, Dax. Girl here wants you. Guess you're better with your dick than I thought you were.”

My mouth flattened into a tight line. Gavin hadn't been wrong about Dax's friends being assholes.

“What are you yelling...?” Dax stopped talking the moment his eyes met mine.

For a split second, I thought I saw a flash of something – lust or longing, I wasn’t sure – but then it was gone. Dax's gaze hardened, his expression morphing into something I didn't recognize.

“Hey, babe.” The same sort of smarmy grin Georgie was wearing curved Dax's mouth. “You need something?” His eyes took a slow journey down my body.

I should've left. Everything in me was telling me to leave. But I'd never been one to take the easy way out.

“I wanted to talk to you.” I kept my eyes on Dax, waiting for the man who'd stuck up for me the last time I'd been in here.

He shrugged and leaned on the counter. “So talk.”

I hadn't expected an audience, so I blurted out the first thing that popped into my mind. “Did you get your wallet back?”

He laughed, but it wasn't a nice sound. “Yeah, I got it. How'd you manage to get it to the boss?”

“He's my uncle.”

That got a reaction. “No fucking way.” He laughed again. “I guess if I couldn't fuck the boss's daughter, the niece is the next best thing.”

My face burned as Georgie laughed too. I could feel the eyes of the men behind us as their attention shifted toward me.

“So you did get a piece of that ass.” Georgie didn't stop leering at me while he spoke to Dax. “Damn.”

I ignored Georgie and glared at Dax. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, almost like he was daring me to say something.

“How good was she?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Georgie take a step toward me.

“Maybe I should take her for a spin.”

A muscle in Dax's jaw clenched, another small bit of genuine reaction. “Don't bother.” He looked away from me. “It's not worth the hassle.”

I felt sick to my stomach, but beyond any of the hurt I felt was anger. Anger that burned deeper than anything I'd felt since my mother told me that my father was dead.

“You're a miserable son of a bitch, you know that?” I was proud to hear that my voice didn't waver.

“Hey, I told you that I didn't do relationships.” He shrugged. “Not my fault you came looking for seconds.”

“That's not why I'm here, asshole,” I snapped. “Carrie told me you were a decent guy, and I thought that she might be right. Apparently, she's not as good of a judge of character as she thought. You're a fucking bastard.”

“She talk like that in bed?” Georgie asked. “I don't like them mouthy bitches.”

I finally turned toward him. “I don't give a damn what you like because I'll never touch you.” I looked back at Dax and jabbed a finger at him. “And I'm sorry I ever let you touch me. A mistake I don't intend to ever make again.”

I walked away before I could give in to my urge to punch him in the nose. My hands were still clenched into fists as I walked outside. I was glad I'd driven rather than taking a cab or a town car. I wouldn't have wanted to wait around. At some point, I was sure I'd cry, if only because I was pissed, but I wasn't there yet. No, if I'd had to wait for a ride, I probably would've been tempted to throw something heavy.

Probably at his crotch.

The concentration it took to drive in Manhattan traffic was good for one thing. It forced me to focus on what I was doing, and not on how much I hoped the next woman who slept with Dax gave him syphilis.

By the time I let myself into the loft, however, the anger at Dax was starting to turn into anger at myself. I'd wanted so much to be my own person that I'd rushed into a decision that I should've thought through. If it'd only been Dax leaving right after sex, that would have been one thing, but the way Dax had just behaved...Carrie wasn't the only one who'd misjudged him.

“Bryne?”

Carrie's voice drew me out of my head.

“Are you okay?”

I wanted to smile and say that everything was fine, but the kindness in her voice after how rude Dax had been was too much. I shook my head and felt the first pricking of tears against my eyelids.

“Come here.” She put her arm around my shoulders and led me over to the kitchen table. “Now, you tell me what's wrong and whose ass I have to kick.”