Mr. Heartbreaker Jordan Marie Page 0,27

Violet that Parker was the best person I know. He deserves everything good.

“Okay, so I can understand why you’re upset, and I feel bad for your brother, but that doesn’t change things, Mike. I’ve been a good girl playing whatever part I need to, so that you can create this fake relationship you’re trying to sell at school, but I don’t see how that means I have to go to this party and miss work. I need to work to pay my bills. I don’t have the luxury of taking a day off for a party,” she grumbles. “Your little blackmailing game can’t interfere with me being able to survive, Mike. I don’t have money at my disposal like you do.”

“What’s been happening between us has nothing to do with playing a game, Violet,” I growl.

“You know what I meant and quit trying to change the subject. You can’t just show up and tell me that Freddie gave me the night off. I have to work, Mike.”

“Fine. I wanted to wait to have this out, but I can see it can’t wait any longer,” I grumble, and because we’re so close, I flip on my signal light and take the upcoming exit.

“What are you doing? Where are we going?” Violet asks, but I don’t answer, or even look at her. It’s time we get a few things straight. I’ve gone easy on her, because I want her to come to me of her own free will, but if she’s going to play hardball, then she’s going to find out just how serious I am about this – about her.

I pull off to the small road that leads to the lake. It slowly dissipates into gravel and then just plain sand. I park and get out of the car. Violet just sits there in the car, clearly confused and still pissed off. I come around and open her door and hold out my hand.

“Come on,” I prompt her.

She eyes me speculatively. “If you’ve brought me out here to kill me, I have news for you, Mike, I’m not easy to take out and I don’t fight fair.”

“That’s not a joke to make, Violet. There have been a few dead bodies show up here in Black Mountain, you know.”

“I didn’t know, I don’t really watch the news, Mike.”

“Vi—”

“But I wasn’t exactly kidding.”

“I won’t hurt you, Violet. I’m an asshole, but I’m not that kind of asshole. Now get out of the damn car.”

“No, you’re just the kind of asshole that blackmails people to get what you want,” she snaps, but she at least gets out of the car.

“That’s the way the entire world is, Violet. Maybe you should get used to it,” I respond, refusing to feel ashamed for taking what I want.

Especially when what I want is her.

I don’t let go of her hand. I keep it in mine as I sigh. Then I walk us toward Devil’s Tooth. Devil’s Tooth is a rock formation that juts out from Black Mountain. It connects like a bridge to the two peaks on either side that overlook the lake. It’s a climb to get there, but it’s beautiful.

I come up here to think and be alone, something that has happened more and more lately. I expected Violet to give me shit about climbing up here, but she doesn’t. She’s unusually quiet. I help her with the harder parts of the climb, and we finish our ascent in silence. When we get to the pass, I sit down and wait to see what she does. She sits down beside me and looks out over the pass that leads to the peaks.

“This is beautiful,” she murmurs, and I definitely agree. There are times when I stay up here all day. It’s probably the most peaceful place I’ve ever found.

“It is. It’s called Devil’s Tooth,” I tell her with a smile, when she spares a glance at me.

“Devil’s Tooth?” she laughs.

“Yeah, the legend is that no one has ever crossed the tooth and survived.”

“Really? I guess it is kind of narrow,” she murmurs.

“A bunch of fuckers have tried to dare one another, but even drunk, no one has been brave enough to try it.”

“Not even Big Mike Huntington?” she asks, leaning her head to the side to look at me, her hair sliding from her shoulders to fan around her face. The sun is shining on the golden strands and my damn breath catches in my throat. She’s the most gorgeous woman that I’ve ever seen