Chapter Forty-Nine
A cut on his cheek , eyes wild, he grabbed me with the same hands he’d had on her. “Stop.”
“Fuck you,” I spat viciously, twisting out of his grip. “Let go of me.”
He raised his voice and grabbed me again. “No.”
I froze, but only for a split second because I didn’t care how angry he was. I was angry. Heart-crushingly, break-everything, destroy him like he’d destroyed me angry . “Let go, you cheating piece of shit!”
“I DIDN’T CHEAT,” he roared.
“Guess he was yours after all.” The blonde bitch hit the button on the wall to open the garage door and slid past us to get to her fucking Maserati.
Police lights flashing in the distance behind him, Thomas rushed into the garage.
“Hey, hey, hey, not happening again.” Thomas grabbed her keys out of her hands and took her arm. “You’re coming with me, Miss Amherst.” He glanced at the angry stare off happening between me and Preston. “Right, okay. We’ll get out of your hair. Thanks for the heads-up, Preston.”
Glaring at me, his stare lethal, Preston didn’t even glance at Thomas, let alone acknowledge him.
“I’m not leaving my ride here,” Summer whined as Thomas pulled her toward the door.
“Yes, you are,” Thomas clipped. “I’ll get it later.”
I seethed. “Get. Her fucking RIDE out of here!”
Preston’s nostrils flared. “Kid,” he clipped.
“Got it.” Thomas ushered Summer to the passenger side of the Maserati, hustled her inside, then jogged around the front and glanced at the cops I’d seen outside before looking at Preston. “You need me to call that in to Luna?”
Staring me down, Preston ignored him.
“Right, okay.” Thomas got behind the wheel, cranked the engine, and the Maserati roared to life before he backed out.
Preston pulled his phone out, swiped across the screen, and the garage door fell shut. “Where’s Nash?” he demanded, shoving his cell back in his pocket.
“With a babysitter, not that it’s any of your business.” Nothing was his business anymore, and I didn’t even know why I was still standing here. I was a fool. Cheater or not, it took him five fucking seconds to have some goddamn bitch over at his place.
“Which one?” he bit out.
“Fuck you.”
“ Which one? ”
“Charlie!”
“The teenager?” he asked, looking furious.
“I didn’t have much of a choice last minute,” I yelled, not giving a damn what that tramp had said about him being mine or the fact that he was pissed.
“You should’ve called,” he yelled back.
“Why? So you could make sure you had your pants back up after fucking her?” I hated every ugly word coming out of my mouth, but I couldn’t stop them. Not now.
“No, goddamn it. So I could’ve come to you and you wouldn’t have had to leave Nash with a babysitter.”
I didn’t even flinch at his tone. “And hide your girlfriend away.”
“She’s not my girlfriend!” he roared. “I did not seek her out. She lifted my number from Thomas’s phone, tracked it and showed up here. I did not pursue her, and I sure as hell didn’t want her here.”
“Good for you,” I practically spat at him, but stupid, stupid tears escaped.
He froze. And for one impossible second he stared at me.
Then he slammed his mouth over mine and kissed me harder than he’d ever kissed me before abruptly pulling back. Gripping my face, swiping my cheeks, the anger in his eyes disappeared, and he lowered his voice. “Twelve,” he said reverently.
One word and I was back at every reason why I shouldn’t have chased him down.
“ Twelve? ” Angry tears welled. “That’s a fucking number. That’s not love. Love means you don’t let another woman touch you. Love means you don’t want another woman touching you. Love is everything . It’s not ownership or possession.” My voice broke, and more tears escaped. “Love is three words that you’ve never said to me because you don’t know what they mean.”
Anger chased the shock away in his expression. “You don’t think I love you?”
I was finally brave enough to say it. “I don’t know.”
He picked me up.