Chapter Twenty-Two
Over the brim of her coffee cup, Rusty watched Reid dish up the scrambled eggs he’d made for breakfast. She could never have predicted what happened last night. She had been positive that the man standing across from her had every intention of letting her go, had let her go.
But here she sat, almost as if the last week hadn’t happened. Almost. Because although she knew his reasons for what he’d done—good reasons—for pushing her away, it would still take her time to get past the pain he’d caused, for that wound to repair. To build her trust back to what it was. The man had issues, and now she knew what they were. She just hoped that the next time he went to that dark place, he let her be there for him, to help him through, instead of trying to shove her from his life.
She took a sip of her coffee. “Smells good.”
He wore only a pair of jeans, his back bare, displaying the thick slabs of muscle, the smooth skin, all that lickable ink. Looking at her over his shoulder, he grinned. “Don’t get excited. I can’t cook for shit. I can do eggs. I can fry bacon. That’s as far as my skills in the kitchen go.”
She snorted. “I see a lot of takeout in our future. I’m about as handy in the kitchen as a spare tire.” The muscles in his shoulders and arms bunched as he scraped the last of the eggs from the pan, and her mouth went dry when he turned, carrying her plate to her. The top button of his jeans was undone, and she couldn’t help but follow the enticing trail of dark hair that dipped below. She knew what the man hid down there, and it was nothing to sneeze at.
Reid had woken her a short time ago by sliding into her from behind, his sleep-roughened voice skating across her skin, fingers expertly working her clit, and here she was, hungry for another taste of the man.
The bulge in his jeans started to grow before her eyes, and she licked her lips, eyes darting up to his. “Does that thing ever get tired?”
“Baby, you’re staring at my cock like you want to eat it for breakfast. What do you think’s gonna happen?” He put her plate down in front of her. “Eat this first, then we’ll take turns eating each other.”
His voice was doing the growly, raspy thing she loved, and she had to squeeze her thighs together to stop the ache. “I like that idea. A lot.”
“Shit, woman, you’re gonna be the fuckin’ death of me.”
She smirked. “I didn’t know you could die from having a constant boner.”
He returned her smile. It was full-on, completely gorgeous, all straight white teeth, and sent a hit of pleasure from her head all the way down to her toes. “Smart ass.”
“You love it.” She shoved a mouthful of eggs in her mouth and groaned. They had barely come up for air since they left Alex and Deke’s engagement party the night before, and she was starving.
When she looked up from her plate, Reid was watching her, that intense gaze locked on hers. “Yeah, I love it. And don’t forget it.”
She swallowed down her mouthful, heart fluttering madly against her ribs. “I’ll try not to.”
“Good. Now, hurry up and finish your breakfast. I wanna take you back to bed.”
“You’re getting no complaints from me.”
Reid’s phone rang on the counter beside his plate, and he cursed when he saw who it was. “I need to take this.” He put it to his ear. “What?”
He grunted a few times, did some more cursing, then ended the call.
“Everything okay?”
He shook his head. “I need to head into work for a bit.”
“On a Sunday?”
“We have an urgent job, and the client just called with some last-minute changes. I need to go in and sort a few things out, call in a few favors to get the parts we need today.” He walked around to her side of the breakfast bar, moved up behind her, then brushed her hair to the side and kissed her just below her ear. “I won’t be long. You hang out here, watch a movie or something, and I’ll bring lunch home with me.”
“Okay.”
One of his fingers moved over the skin at the back of her neck, tracing the ink there. “Why a rose?”
She leaned against him. “Alex…has a scar on her arm, one that reminds her of a time she’d rather forget. She chose red roses because they were her mother’s favorite flower. She wanted to cover the bad memories with ones that were good, you know? Me and Pipe got them as well, a solidarity kind of thing, I guess. She’s our sister in all the ways that count, and we wanted to show her how much we love her.”
He came around in front of her and pushed her knees apart, filling the space with his hips. “She’s lucky to have found you by the sound of things.” He stared down at her, tenderness and heat in his gaze.
“We were lucky to find each other.” She wanted to get closer, or worse, throw herself at him and beg him to stay. Instead, she cleared her throat. “Okay, so…if you’re getting lunch, I think you should know, I love cream, and I love chocolate.”
He gave her another one of those killer smiles, and the way his eyes glittered with humor, the guy had totally read her mind. Thankfully, he didn’t call her on it. “Noted. I do, too, as a matter of fact, and I’m gonna enjoy licking it off your tits when I get back.”
“Something for us both to look forward to, then.” Wrapping her fingers around the side of his neck, she pulled him down for a kiss. His lips landed on hers, and the kiss he gave her was not a good-bye kiss, it was hard and delicious. His hands moved up under the T-shirt she was wearing, his shirt, over her ribs to her aching breasts. He squeezed and massaged the tender flesh as his tongue slid over hers hungrily. She gave him back the same, rubbing against the bulge in the front of his jeans.
When he finally released her mouth and rested his forehead against hers, he was panting. “Jesus. What did I say? You’re killing me, woman.”
“I know the feeling.” She squirmed on her seat. “I might have to make use of that fancy detachable showerhead while you’re gone.”
He nipped her bottom lip. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare. I want you wet and ready for me when I get home. No touching yourself, do you understand?”
She grabbed his ass. “Maybe.”
“You touch yourself, make yourself come while I’m gone, I’ll know, and you’ll pay the price.” He ran his thumbs over her nipples and heat flooded between her thighs. “I’ll bring you to the brink and pull it back so many times before I finally let you come, you’ll be begging me for it.”
She didn’t doubt he’d do it, too. “Sadist.”
He planted another quick kiss on her lips, then stepped back, all male perfection, cut chest and abs, cock hard and straining. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Fifteen minutes later, Reid was gone and Rusty was all by herself in his stunning beach house. Besides the living area downstairs and Reid’s bedroom, she hadn’t really checked out the rest of the place. Pouring herself another coffee, she padded upstairs. The walls were painted in neutral colors. Not a lot of personal items or pictures. It still had a new smell, and she guessed he hadn’t lived here long. She also guessed it was worth some serious bank. The man worked hard, had ambition in spades, had grown one shop into ten thriving businesses across the country. He didn’t live large, but then that wouldn’t suit him. He had what he needed and didn’t flaunt his wealth, his accomplishments.
She admired that about him. Admired a lot of things about him.
Poking her head around the next door down from Reid’s room, she found another bedroom. It had a queen bed in the center, the duvet a dark burgundy. A guest room. She wondered if his mother helped him with that kind of stuff or if he did it himself.
She drifted across to the room opposite, another bedroom, but this one was empty apart from a few boxes and some exercise equipment.
Last she checked out the room opposite Reid’s. His office.
She shouldn’t snoop, but her curiosity was gnawing at her, and it wasn’t as if she planned to riffle through his filing cabinets or anything. A large map took up space on the wall behind his desk and there were red pins dotted all over it. The shops he already owned. She knew because she’d made it her business to know, even before he’d stormed into her life. To her he’d been the competition, and once they’d managed to poach a few of his customers, she’d done a little research. There were also green pins, not as many, but still quite a few that she guessed were where he wanted to branch out. There was a red pin in the Miami area—there was also a green.
Weird.
Why would he want another store in Miami?
She sat in his big comfy chair, put her coffee on the desk, and leaned back. It was hard to imagine him sitting here. She’d seen him in his office at R.I.P. Classics, but this was different. She always imagined him with his hands dirty, working on the cars, not behind a desk. This was where he planned his future, where he ran his empire, worked toward growing it.
She snorted. He’s not freakin’ Darth Vader.
Taking another sip of her coffee, she took in the neat piles of paperwork on his desk. All very organized. She smiled to herself when she realized Reid was a bit of a neat freak. His whole house was organized, just like his office.
Her gaze landed on the desk’s top drawer.
That would be snooping, wouldn’t it?
Gripping the handle, she slid it open, unable to help herself.
Pens, a stapler, and other office-y crap filled the drawer. There were also a couple sheets of paper sitting on top of it all, on an angle, the corners creased, like they’d been hurriedly thrown in there.
But what drew her attention was the name at the top of it.
West Restoration.
What the hell?
Sliding it out, she set it in front of her and read it carefully. A contract. A contract to take ownership of her business. The business that she, Alex, and Piper had worked their asses off to build after her father died.
She shook her head.
No.
She read it again, then again, because it couldn’t be true.
This can’t be happening.
But it was. It didn’t matter how long she stared at the words, they didn’t magically change. It was right there in front of her in black and white. Her stomach lurched, and she doubled over, gasping for breath.
Reid wanted West Restoration, and apparently he was willing to go to any lengths to get it, including using his childhood to manipulate her into coming back—sleeping with her.
He’d been using her, lying to her this whole time.
That explained the green pin. It was her shop.
Did he truly think she’d just hand her business over to him, that she’d be so grateful for the attention he’d given her that she’d just roll over and let him take it?
Her heart was hammering in her chest, slamming behind her ribs with enough force she struggled to catch her breath. He didn’t want her. He never wanted her. He wanted their business. And she’d fallen for it.
She’d fallen for him.
God. She covered her mouth with trembling fingers. She’d nearly told him she loved him last night, when he’d made love to her. No. She slammed her hands down on the desk, knocking her coffee across its surface, a raw cry escaping her throat. He’d fucked her. Manipulated her. Used her feelings for him against her.
I’m so stupid.
She should have known better, should have never believed in him. Trusted him. She’d shared things with Reid she’d never shared with anyone else, and he’d twisted that trust into something ugly, all to win her over, fool her.
Jesus, she had to get the hell out of there.
She stumbled to her feet and lurched for the door. Thankfully, she’d brought her pickup. Racing from the office, she dressed quickly, hands shaking, heart pounding, afraid he’d come back before she could leave. He’d see how much he’d hurt her, and she couldn’t bear that.
Slamming the door shut behind her, she climbed into her truck and fired up the engine, peeling out of there a moment later as fast as she could.
She fought down the pain in her chest, the hurt, the disbelief, the utter devastation that threatened to pull her under, and focused on the anger because the rest of it wasn’t real. How could it be when she was the only one that felt anything? When she was the only one stupid enough to let her feelings get tangled up with a man who could fuck her, pretend he cared, all for his own gain. What did that make her?
Shaking her head, she tried not to let the pain take over, even as hot, angry tears ran down her cheeks.
She squeezed the steering wheel tight, tight enough her knuckles ached. Once he got home, and he realized she’d seen the contract, that she knew—that would be the end of it.
She’d never see him again.