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“Because you’re my girl. Because when you care about someone, you wanna make them happy. Because makin’ them happy makes you happy too. It’s simple as that.”
“Nothin’ you just said is simple, Connor.” She sighed. “I’m not who you think I am. Whoever you made up in that head of yours and think you like. Once all those chemicals in your brain wear off, you’ll see that’s all it was. A lust-fueled few weeks of really great sex. A good time, sure. But, at the end of the day, we’re all out for ourselves, and anyone who thinks otherwise will learn that shit the hard way.”
“Why do I get the feelin’ you aren’t talking about me anymore, Dani?” My eyes bounced between her face and out the windshield as I tried to read her expression, what she was telling me without telling me. Because I was certain something more was there. Like she was speaking from experience.
My girl had a broken heart under all those layers of pent-up emotions, compounded by years of avoidance and self-medicating.
She remained tight-lipped, staring out the window with a far-off look on her face.
“You never did tell me, ya know?”
“Tell you what?” she asked with that distant voice of hers. The one that meant she was pushing me away again.
“Well, a lot of things. But in this instance, I mean about those weird blackouts you have.”
“Women don’t like it when you call them weird, Connor.”
“And men don’t like it when you deflect their questions, Danica.”
Her lip twitched. Just slightly. Enough to tell me she was loosening up a bit again. “Truth is I don’t fuckin’ know for sure, but could have something to do with the bullet that one of the Mulligans put in my skull six years ago.”
“The what?” I turned my head to look at her, turning back just in time to see the car that was coming at us head-on drift into our lane. My foot slammed on the brakes, even knowing that it shouldn’t. But it was instinct. And I couldn’t stop myself.
The tires screeched, the vehicle lost traction, and we spun out towards the concrete divider. I closed one eye and braced for impact, flinging an arm out across Dani’s lap. Like a few pounds of meat could do what a seat belt couldn’t. But fuck it, I’d lose a limb if it meant a little extra padding for her.
Before I could apologize, tell her I was sorry for putting her in danger, for whatever damage we were about to incur, Dani shoved at my arm with an odd expression on her face. It wasn’t fear. No, it was more like acceptance. Like part of her wanted this. Because my broken girl didn’t care if she lived or died.
37
SIX YEARS PRIOR
Icould feel the music vibrating through the leather of the seat, thumping with the rapid beating of my heart. I was several drinks too deep to be driving, my fingers loose around the wheel, my inhibitions looser as I pressed down on the accelerator and ignored every posted speed sign as they blurred by.
My red sports car was like a beacon for the coppers to find me, while the guys on my old man’s payroll knew better than to even try. Yeah, everything screameddumbassrather than a hint of common sense. But I was still at that point in my life where I felt invincible. Like death couldn’t touch me or anyone around me.
Until my dulled senses reacted a few seconds too late, the semi-truck headed in my direction unable to do much else but lay on his foghorn. I knew slamming on the brakes was exactly the wrong decision to make, while my delayed cognitive abilities couldn’t quite figure out the right one. So I froze, my lungs expanding as I sucked in a breath and prepared for whatever new hell would greet me on the other side.
I mean, it was no secret that I liked sinning too much to ever make it to those pearly gates.
But instead of the crunching of metal and bloodcurdling screams, I was met by the sound of Leo’s soft chuckles. I prized my lashes open to see his hands on the steering wheel, a cocky smirk playing on his lips, and an arrogant glint in his eye.
“Maybe you should let me drive, Rossi?”
“Maybe you should suck my dick,” I grunted in reply.
“Nice try, but I’ve spent more time between your legs than anywhere else. If ya had a dick, I woulda found it by now.”
“Ya sure? Ya might wanna take another look.” I lifted a challenging brow, my heart rate returning to normal before speeding up again when Leo guided us to the side of the road, and I impaled myself on his cock. For the third time that day.
38
PRESENT
Scratch that. That look wasn’t acceptance. It was arrogance.
Baby girl was full of herself as she grabbed the steering wheel, adjusting my overcorrection and setting us back on the road like our little brush with death was an everyday occurrence. Then again, considering the woman walked a thin tightrope that teetered between getting taken out by a barrage of bullets and getting kidnapped in the middle of the night, it wasn’t hard to understand why.
I took a deep breath and swallowed down my churned-up guts, which were presently lodged in my throat, while Dani pinned me with another one of her horror movie grins.
