Page 18 of Craving Her
“True, but I won fair and square. I never did get my kiss, either.”
“Poor baby,” I giggle.
“You have no idea, Kyla, how much I wanted to be the man to have the first taste of those pretty rose lips of yours.”
“I’m afraid that ship has long sailed away, Carlos.”
“True, but you never know, I just might be your last,” he boldly announces.
“I don’t remember you flirting this much before,” I answer, truly more than surprised.
“Maybe it has never meant so much before,” he counters.
“They’re calling for bad thunderstorms. You need to go. I’ll be telling Breaker what kind of moves you’re trying to put on his little sister too,” Joker interrupts. My anger is sparked again when he calls me Mattie’slittlesister. I’m starting to think I’ve wasted my life on dreams of having him.
“I don’t really give a damn, Joker. I’ve already warned Breaker what I wanted. He asked me to wait until she was older. You did just turn twenty a few months ago, right, Kyla?”
“Yeah …”
“I figure that’s more than old enough to live your own life. Though, I have to confess to you, I was ready to come talk to you when you turned eighteen.”
“Why didn’t you?” I ask, confused. While we’re talking, I don’t miss the way Torin steps extremely close to me, shifting so he’s behind me and my body is grazing against his. I ignore the shiver that runs through me. It isn’t because I fear him. No, it’s because he’s jealous and I know it. If he thinks I won’t use that against him, he’s wrong. I’m sick of the way he’s treated me over the years. The urge to make him suffer and maybe even crawl if he ever makes up his mind to come after me, is just too huge to resist.
“Your father asked me to wait until you were settled at school. Two years, he said.”
“My dad?” I gasp.
Carlos grins. “I was going to wait until our clubs annual barbecue next month.”
“You’re awful young to be deciding on one woman and to hold that decision for four years,” Joker drawls, seemingly mocking Carlos. I get the distinct impression he doesn’t believe him. I can’t say I do either, but I still feel anger rising in me at his words.
“Didn’t say I haven’t played around. I imagine Kyla has, too. I just know the kind of woman I want wearing my patch, and that’s right in front of me. That’s why, I’m going to tell you now, if you want me to stay with you, I’ll make sure Breaker sends Joker on and I’ll watch over you.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Torin growls. “Breaker sent me here to watch over his sister, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’d say that speaks volumes if he knows how you feel about her and specifically didn’t ask you to watch over her.”
My stupid heart registers that he doesn’t call me Mattie’s little sister this time. Apparently, I have no brain cells around Torin. I shake my head at my own stupidity. “You two knock it off,” I mutter. “I don’t suppose I could convince both of you to head back to Kentucky?”
“Nope,” Carlos laughs.
“Not happening,” Torin responds with a quiet growl.
I sigh. “Then, you go back Carlos,” I say, even as I call myself a fool a hundred times over. It’s clear Torin will keep pushing me away. It would probably be smarter to spend time with Carlos. The only problem is, I don’t really want to. I want Torin and until I get that man out of my system—if I ever can—I can’t be fair to Carlos. Carlos is a good-looking man. He’s all tall, with blond hair, bronze colored skin and sexy like his dad. He also has his mom’s personality—which makes him easy going. He used to make all the girls melt when he would speak in Spanish. I won’t lie and say it didn’t make me weak, too. I see the disappointment on his face, and I hate it. I don’t want to hurt him. What really spurs me on, though, is Torin’s cocky laughter behind me. I despise that even more.Who the hell does he think he is?
I walk closer to Carlos and smile at him. “You know if something happened to your mom, sister, or Aunt Katie, you would feel horrible. Go take care of your family. The barbecueisn’t too far away. If we’re both still single …” I leave the rest unsaid and ignore Torin’s muttering behind me.
“Trust me, Kyla. I’ll be single,” he says with a deadly smirk and an added sparkle in his dark chocolate eyes.
I giggle like the kid that Torin always accuses me of being. I can’t help it. Carlos is being too damn cute. Plus, it’s nice to have a guy chasing me for a change. Torin being the way he has been with me, really is hard on my self-confidence and other things. Listening to Carlos tell me he not only wants me, but he’s also cleared the way with my family—something I would have thought wasn’t even possible—feels good. Before I can question myself, I lean over and place a kiss on his cheek. I pull away to find him smiling at me.
“Drive carefully, Carlos,” I tell him.
“Oh, I will, baby. I will,” he purrs.
He gets on his bike and, with a wink, starts it up and takes off. He’s not even out of eyesight when Torin spins me around. “What the fuck was that?”
“Huh?” It’s not a stellar response, but when faced with the absolute fury that is visible on Torin’s face, it’s the best I can do.
“You were flirting with that asshole. What the fuck was that about, Peaches?”