Then all of it, everything he’d been dwelling on during the night while he lay on her couch—the being out drunk, the risks she’d taken—had come flooding back. It had sent his possessive instincts goddamned haywire, and he’d staked his claim the only way he could: he’d called her his.
It was a mistake. That wasn’t where this was heading.
His course was set, wasn’t it? He wanted West Restoration, wanted to cash in on what the West girls could bring to the table, take R.I.P. to the next level.
He should give her up. But he couldn’t, not yet. He wanted Rusty as well, for however long that might be.
But whatever happened between them, it had a use-by date. It had to.
So yeah, he’d bathe in her light, because he was a selfish prick, then he’d move on when they’d both had their fill. The last thing he wanted to do was extinguish that fire in her eyes, and he would if he stuck around. The dark, toxic crap in his veins would see to that. At least this way they could part on good terms, start their business relationship without any hard feelings.
Focusing on work, making sure his businesses were successful, that was what he had to concentrate on. In the end, that was all he had, all he could ever have.
Shoving his feet in his boots, he laced them up, tagged his leather jacket, and grabbed his keys.
For now, though, he planned on enjoying every moment he had with her.
A short time later, he was pulling up outside Rusty’s tiny mauve and yellow cottage. Shutting off the engine, he climbed out and jogged up the steps to the front door. Music played inside, so he put a bit of muscle behind his knock. A few minutes later the door swung open and Piper stood there smiling up at him.
“Hey! You’re here.”
He grinned, guessing the curvy blonde had that effect on most people. “Looks like it.”
“Rusty won’t be long.” She winked conspiratorially. “She wasn’t sure what to wear, she doesn’t date, so…”
Piper was shoved out of the way, and Rusty stepped in front of her sister. “Thanks, Pipe. I can take it from here.” He took her in from head to toe and damn near bit off his tongue.
Rusty stared at her sister and jerked her head toward the kitchen, eyes going wide, and said to Piper, who was still standing there watching them, “I’ll see you later.”
Piper offered up another smile and a little wave, then as far as he was concerned, vanished. He didn’t say good-bye, didn’t know if she went to the kitchen, or if she was beamed up to the goddamn Starship Enterprise, because he couldn’t take his eyes off the woman in front of him.
The green dress she wore sat mid-thigh, showing off her killer legs, hugging all the right places. She had on black heels, sexiest shoes he’d ever seen, and her arms were bare, all that colorful ink on display. Her hair hung down her back, sleek and shiny, and the color of her dress made her eyes more vibrant than he’d ever seen them. Exquisite didn’t cover the way she looked.
“Jesus,” he rasped. She bit her lower lip, and her cheeks turned pink. Fucking gorgeous. “Come here.”
“Is this too much? I didn’t know where we were going…maybe I’ll get changed?” She took a step back. “Yeah, I should get changed…”
“I said come here, Foxy.” She stilled, then obviously realizing his reaction was not a bad thing, moved toward him, biting her lip all the way. “Hey,” he said when she stopped in front of him.
“Hey,” she whispered back.
He slid a hand over her hip, because he had to touch her, and smiled to himself when he felt her shiver. “You’re not getting changed.”
She looked up at him. “Okay.”
Taking her hand, he led her from the cottage, out to his car. He could feel the nerves radiating from her. Then Piper’s words came back to him. She doesn’t date. What the hell did that mean?
Rusty was a mystery, and he planned on learning some of those secrets tonight.
The drive to dinner started quiet, but not uncomfortable. If anything the air felt charged, damn near electric.
He needed a distraction, because the way she looked, smelled…shit, she had him close to busting through the front of his jeans, and he had a whole meal to get through yet. Then something her brother said popped in his head, and he jumped on it, anything to take his mind off the intensifying ache in his balls. “Why are you and your girls called the Axle Alley Vipers?”
She turned to him, and going by the wide eyes, he’d surprised her. “Who told you that?”
“Your brother.”
“He has a big mouth.”
“So it’s true?”
She sighed. “Yes, it’s true.”
“You gonna tell me why?”
“Do I have to?”
He grinned, couldn’t help it. “You do now.”
“Shit.”
He barked a laugh. “That bad?”
“God, I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.” She let out another sigh. “It started when we were in high school. A few of the local boys came up with the name after an incident at my dad’s garage.”
“An incident, huh? Keep talking.”
She shifted in her seat. “Okay, well, Piper was going out with this guy. They’d been seeing each other for a few months. She was crazy about him, but we all secretly thought he was a bit of a douche. Anyway, long story short, he came on to me, and Piper heard the whole thing. We were in the garage, and she threw a wrench at him. Unfortunately, Piper can’t throw for shit, and she missed. But Alex was with her and went ape-shit, tackling him to the ground. Deke jumped in and pulled her off. And Piper’s boyfriend, seeing his chance, jumped up and made a break for his car. But in his hurry to get the hell away, he flooded the engine and the car stalled, and I…”
Reid was struggling to hold it together, but with how miserable Rusty sounded reciting her tale, he didn’t dare laugh. “And you what?”
She groaned. “I went after him, climbed in my dad’s tow truck, and rammed the asshole’s fender. I’d pushed him halfway across the parking lot before my dad came out and stopped me.”
“Shit,” he choked out.
She snorted. “You can say that again. The guy actually did crap himself.”
He laughed, unable to hold it in. “Poor bastard.”
“He totally deserved it.”
“Yeah, I guess he did. I bet you have a few more stories like that?”
The smile slipped, and she looked away. “Yeah, a few.”
He didn’t know what just happened, what caused that killer smile to drop, but he got the feeling if he pushed, she’d push right back, and he didn’t want to ruin what had started off to be a really good night. So for the rest of the drive he kept things light, worked at bringing that smile back.
They arrived at the restaurant a short time later. Costa’s belonged to Law’s aunt, and he came here often. The atmosphere was cozy; he guessed some would say romantic. It was also welcoming and had the best pizza in Miami.
When they walked in, Law’s aunt Connie bustled over, making a fuss over him, kissing both his cheeks, then scolding him for not coming sooner. He’d known the family since he met Law in high school. He didn’t know what either of them would’ve done without Connie and her family over the years. They’d been there for Reid when he’d had no one but his mother, and she’d barely been able to take care of herself most of the time.
These people were family to him. He’d never brought a woman here before and decided not to think about his reasons for bringing Rusty tonight, what it might mean.
“And who is your lovely date?” Connie asked, a smile on her soft, round face.
“This is Rusty. I thought she should try some of your world-famous pizza.”
Connie beamed. “Always the charmer.” She turned to Rusty, who was still clutching his hand. “Rusty? This is a nickname, yes?”
“Ah, yes.”