Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Jarrod fucking Prescott was a dead man.
He’d decided to give Alex a day, had stupidly thought that’s what she needed after running from him in the middle of the night, again. Worried that he’d pushed too hard, too fast.
Idiot. The woman had made a complete fool of him.
He’d left her alone for twenty-four hours, and she’d already found his replacement.
Alex shoved her hands in her pockets and took a step back as he strode toward her, paling before his eyes. Control a thing of the past, he gripped her upper arms when he reached her. “What. The. Fuck, Alex?” She gaped at him; her lips moved, but nothing came out. “Is this you trying to punish me?”
“What? No, I—”
“Yo, big bro.” Rusty chose that moment to come flying out of the workshop. She flew at him, forcing him to let go of Alex, and dived straight into his arms. “We didn’t know you were coming.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “It feels like forever since you’ve come to the garage.”
Try six months.
He tore his eyes from Alex, who looked like she wanted to throw up, and gazed down at his insanely beautiful, hard as nails sister. “I missed my sisters. Thought you might like some lunch?” It wasn’t a lie, not totally. He hadn’t seen them as much lately, and he hated it.
“Sweet. I’m starved.”
“I’ll take Alex with me to Tate’s. She can help me carry everything.” He locked eyes with her, and she scowled.
Rusty still had her arm flung around his waist, staring up at him. “Hey. You just missed meeting Alex’s new man. He drives her dream car.”
“Is that right? What’s he like?”
“You’ll have to ask Alex that,” she said, so full of innuendo he wanted to punch something. “Seems nice, though, couldn’t keep his hands off our girl. Almost told them to get a room when he pulled her into his lap and started making goo-goo eyes at her.”
“Is that so?”
Alex shook her head and forced a laugh. “That’s bullshit, Rusty, and you know it.”
“Don’t be coy now, girl. It’s about time you got some action.”
Deacon had heard more than enough. Releasing his sister, he wrapped his fingers around Alex’s wrist and started toward his car. “Be back soon,” he called over his shoulder.
He yanked the door open. “Get in the car.”
Alex glared up at him. “Jesus. Calm the hell down and let me explain.”
She climbed in, and he strode around and got in the driver’s side, started the car, and peeled out of West’s.
“Deal’s off.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself; his pride had taken a hit.
Not to mention the way his chest had felt like it was going to fucking explode when he saw them together.
He’d already had one screwed-up relationship in his life, a relationship full of lies and hurt and infidelity.
He couldn’t do that again, not with Alex.
She spun to face him. “What?”
He wrenched the car to the right and pulled into the loading bay between Carter’s Mufflers and Dalton’s Auto Parts and Repairs before he caused an accident and turned to her. “I stopped playing these games in high school, Alex.
I told you how it was. I don’t share. Ever.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Is this about me taking your virginity? Did I hurt you that badly? Is this you trying to hurt me back?” He didn’t know where the words came from, but right then he needed
to know the answer. She stared at him, wide-eyed, biting her goddamn bottom lip in that way that made him want to kiss her, strip her bare. “Answer me.”
“No, Goddammit. I—”
“What?” he yelled. She froze, eyes narrowing. She stared him down, fire in her gaze, as pissed off as he was. “Did you call him right after you ran out on me the other night? Did you go to him?” He sounded like a crazy person, but Alex had that effect on him. Drove him fucking insane.
“Wow. I knew you could be a dick, Deacon, but this is a whole new level even for you.” She jabbed a finger at him.
“I’m not seeing Jarrod. Jesus. If you must know, he came to West’s to discuss the cars we were talking about the other night…”
“He kissed you. I saw him with his filthy lips all over you. Are you denying it? Am I hallucinating?”
“Yeah, he kissed me, and yeah, he was all over me,” she fired back.
Boom. He lost it. “I’ll fucking kill him.” He smashed his fist against the unforgiving dash so hard he thought he heard bone crunch.
“Christ, Deacon, stop it.” She grabbed his wrist and held on.
“We were pretending, all right? He arrived, and Rusty put two and two together and came up with fifty-seven. She knows I’m seeing someone.
I had to have an excuse for being out all the time.
Jarrod agreed to play along when I freaked out. End of story.”
Air hissed between his teeth, partly to calm himself and partly because his hand hurt like a bitch. “Pretending?”
She scowled harder. “That’s what I said. Shit.”
“So there’s nothing going on between you and Prescott?”
“No, there’s nothing going on, you overbearing asshole.”
They stared at each other, both breathing heavily.
She couldn’t hide it—she was as turned on as he was.
That’s when he lost it again. He hauled her over the seat, into his lap, and smashed his mouth down on hers, thrusting his tongue into her sweet mouth, taking back what was his.
Her fingers immediately slid into his hair, fisting it, pulling hard, punishing him for the way he’d treated her. He deserved it.
But after seeing another man put his hands on her, the thought that she might actually welcome Jarrod’s touch?
He’d become a jealous dickhead. Shit, he’d loved her for so damn long, the thought of her wanting someone else, being with someone else, fucking cleaved him in two. Pulling back, he kissed along her jaw to the shell of her ear. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Alex moaned as he undid the button of her shorts, then worked down the zipper.
She spread her smooth legs wider for him, giving him better access, and he shoved his hand inside her panties.
Fuck, she was wet, drenched. He pushed a finger inside her, and she whimpered against his throat, tongue darting out to taste his skin.
The windows were tinted. No one could see what was going on inside. So, he allowed himself to get lost in her.
“Oh, God.” She kept her head against his shoulder and gasped as he fucked her with his finger. He slid in a second, taking her deep and hard.
“Look at me, Alex.” She did, lifting her face to him, and he took her mouth again in a kiss that was hot and wet. He used his thumb, pressing it against her clit, massaging until she cried out against his mouth. She was perfect and tight, spasming around his fingers, hips working against his hand.
He lifted his head to watch. Beautiful. It was impossible to take his eyes off her, the way her kiss-swollen mouth opened, eyes squeezed tight. The hot sounds she made along with the aftershocks he was still wringing out of her.
When she slumped against him, eyes still closed, he did up her shorts, kissed the top of her head, and reluctantly shifted her back to her own seat. It was either that or fuck her right there in the car.
Her lashes fluttered open, and she looked over at him. “You’re goddamned crazy, Deacon West.”
“Crazy for you.” If he didn’t fuck her soon, he’d go insane.
She snorted. “Wow, that was seriously cheesy.”
He sobered and inwardly winced at the way he’d behaved, his loss of control. “I really am sorry.”
She glanced out the window, not meeting his eyes. “Why did you act like that? It’s like you’re…jealous or something?”
He forced a mirthless laugh. He had to be careful how he handled this, couldn’t risk scaring her away.
Maybe it was already too late after that fucked-up display, his utter lack of self-control.
Deal or no deal, if Alex thought real emotions were involved on his part, she’d run a mile.
Though how she could believe otherwise after that was beyond comprehension.
But then, Alex didn’t want to see the truth, not of his feelings and especially not her own.
“I told you. I don’t like to share. Not in any aspect of my life. Plus, Jarrod is a business rival.” He forced a careless shrug, trying to dial it back. Did she believe the bullshit coming out of his mouth? He fucking hoped so. If she didn’t, he’d blown it.
Was that hurt in her dark brown eyes?
“That’s fine with me. Glad we’re on the same page. I don’t like sharing, either.” Then she repeated his words back to him, and he hated it. “Not in any aspect of my life.”
They went to Tate’s and grabbed the lunch he’d promised his sisters, then spent an hour he didn’t have catching up with them.
He loved every minute. Their enthusiasm over their business, their plans, was infectious.
Still, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Alex.
She’d eaten a sandwich, then left them in the office and gotten back to work.
Her coveralls were tied around her waist, and the black tank she wore clung to her curves. There was grease smeared on her forearms, and her hair was pulled back, exposing her neck. She’d never looked sexier.
He didn’t know how much longer he could hold off taking her, sinking inside her, owning her.
But in the end, restraint was all he had, the only weapon in his arsenal.
Since he couldn’t say in words how he felt, he was determined to show her.
Show her just how important she was to him.
That he gave her pleasure because it made him happy to do so, and not because he wanted something from her in return, despite the deal they’d made.
Deep down, she knew what this was, knew he would never hurt his sisters like that.
He was sure of it. The only explanation for her going along with his proposition was that she wanted him, too.
For now, if she chose to believe it was only lust, he’d take it.
She couldn’t fool herself forever, and when she came to the realization of her true feelings for him, he’d be there to hold her down when she tried to run scared. Because she would.
After losing her parents, the only people she’d let herself get truly close to, were his sisters. He saw the way Alex checked on them, worried about them. She was terrified she’d lose them one day, terrified she’d end up on her own again.
After kissing his sisters’ good-bye, he stopped by the car Alex was working on. “Can you come to my place tonight?”
She didn’t look at him. “Are we going out?”
“For drinks, nothing too formal. I’ll have something for you to wear when you get to my place.”
“Right.”
“I want you to stay tonight, Alex. No slinking off when I’m asleep.”
“Fine. Whatever.” She carried on working, and dammit, he wanted to touch her, pull her into his arms and kiss all the stress and worry away.
He leaned in. “I want to bury my tongue inside you again. Feel you come against my mouth. Don’t deny me what I want, Alex. I’ll starve without another taste of you.”
She sucked in a shaky breath, and he gave in to his desire to touch her, running his fingers down her arm. “See you at seven.”
Then he left her, hopefully aching for him as much as he was for her.