Blitz (Blast Brothers #3) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,80

price.

Or maybe the price was nothing, because for once in my life, I didn't want anyone else.

It had been this way for a while now.

But in front of me, Mina looked unconvinced. "But you can't know," she said. "I mean, just think about it. You're telling me you've never been in an exclusive relationship before. Meanwhile, there's a closet filled with another girl's clothes. And she's so cranked up over you that she's accosting you at restaurants. Can't you see the disconnect here?"

I had to scoff. Talk about messed up.

Over the years, I'd been with plenty of women. And there wasn't a single one of them who wouldn't have jumped at half of what I was offering Mina.

But hey, I wasn't going to beg.

That wasn't me. And it never would be.

With a tight shrug, I said, "So it's a no, then?"

"I don't know what it is," she said. "I'm just finding it hard to believe, that's all. I mean, what do you consider a relationship?"

Over the years, I'd been called a marketing genius. A modest guy might've disagreed. But I wasn't modest. I knew exactly what I was doing, which meant that I also knew when it was time to stop selling and to let the buyer come to you.

Or maybe I was just pissed off.

I told Mina, "Seems to me, you'll never know."

She shook her head. "What?"

Just then, there was a light knock at the door. I said, "There's your clothes."

I turned and pulled open the door to find the delivery person just as I'd expected. He was holding Mina's freshly laundered clothing, hung neatly on wire hangers with a clear plastic covering.

Looped over the hangers was a small black plastic bag containing what I could only guess were her panties – the ones I'd peeled off her body up in the hayloft.

But I didn't want to think about that now.

I traded the clothes for a generous tip and watched the guy go before I shut the door behind him.

I turned and handed the clothes to Mina. As I did, I told her, "If you wanna change, I'll wait here to drive you home."

She glanced toward the door. "But wait. We're not done talking."

"We're done enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I offered. You declined. No need to drag it out, right?"

She hesitated. "So…What are you saying?"

"Back to the beginning," I said. "You wanted to get our stories straight, right?"

"You mean with Ginger and Emory? Um, yeah. I guess."

"I'll make it simple," I said. "Say what you want, and I'll back you up." I glanced down at my watch. "Now, if you want to get changed, I'll have you home in a half-hour."

From the look on her face, this wasn't what she wanted to hear. But it was her idea, not mine. And I wasn't about to push the issue, even if part of me was sorely tempted.

Chapter 54

Mina

I was such a chicken.

Here I was, playing it safe yet again.

Chase and I were only five minutes away from my parents' place, and already, I was dreading the thought of saying goodbye. We'd been on the road for twenty-five minutes now, long minutes filled with nothing but silence, the kind of silence that made it hard to breathe.

But it didn't make it hard to think. And boy, was I thinking.

Earlier today, I'd thrown caution to the wind. I'd refused to play it safe. I'd given in to temptation. And I'd made some wonderful memories in the process, the kind of memories that would last a lifetime.

I didn't regret any of them.

And yet, this posed a troubling question. If I had no regrets, why was I throwing away the chance to gather up more memories along the way?

I was no fool. I didn't believe for one minute that Chase Blastoviak would ever be content with only one girl. But along with that knowledge came a certain degree of protection, right?

After all, if I knew in advance that he'd eventually get bored and move on, I could brace myself ahead of time.

I could shield my heart and keep my expectations low. That way, when the surprise came, it wouldn't be a surprise at all.

And I'd roll with it.

In the darkened car, I gave Chase a quick sideways glance. He didn't look angry or upset. Rather, his expression was more pensive than anything as he focused on the road ahead.

He wasn't driving angrily either. In fact, I was pretty sure that he was going under the speed limit, just like he had the very first time