I’m near tears and wanting to just give into the darkness. I let out an unladylike growl and bow my head.
Going back inside, I look for my purse. Toby makes a beeline for me. It doesn’t take a genius to know he’s up for a confrontation. Turning back to where I came from, once again forgetting my goddamn keys, I run.
Chapter Seventeen
Present
Toby
“Where are you going?” I practically spit, watching her short legs move faster to get away from me. It’s funny, seeing her try to speed up when she’s so short.
“Anywhere. Just not here,” she hisses, not giving me her eyes—those goddamn telling eyes.
“Scared to admit you feel something?” It’s a dumb question. Why should I expect her to feel anything when we’ve only just met? Fuck, we have an insane amount of chemistry, even if it’s only filled with hatred and lust. It’s something. Saying otherwise would be a mistake, and we both know it. Even if it’s like pulling out her teeth to get that information from her. Before dinner and even during, I could feel her. For some reason, I know she somehow felt me too.
“The only thing I feel, Tobias, is a headache. One you’re bound to be behind.”
Joey’s steps falter, and she finally stops, letting out an annoyed breath when she tries to open her car door, but apparently doesn’t have the key to open it. She didn’t think this through; anger and something else drove her out here. If she was prepared, she’d be rushing out of this courtyard and probably across town.
She’s a runner.
Like me.
When I’ve made it to her, I come too close. It isn’t like me to care, but it also isn’t like me to invade personal spaces.
“Is that so?” I finally respond, boxing her in against her car. Her chest rises sharply, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Yes,” she bites, her cheeks sharp from locking her jaw.
“I hear orgasms are a great cure for those.” It’s a whisper, said right below her ear. I’m not sure when I leaned so close, but my lips brush her with each word. She inhales sharply, the sound warming me. Temptation spreads through me, knowing she’s affecting me as much as I am her.
It takes everything in me not to push her against the hood and show her just how well orgasms reduce pain. Placing my palm on her jaw, I grip her chin. She worries her lip between her teeth, bringing my gaze to the way she’s avoiding looking at me.
“Is that what you want, Joey? To come and feel some of that ache leave?” Wiping my thumb across her bottom lip, she moistens it with her tongue, taunting me.
“What if it is?” she practically growls. Her eyes dark with lust, sharp with anticipation, but underneath the surface, I can see her hatred. The abhorrence living beneath the surface of that dainty exterior.
“Spread your fucking thighs,” I command, not willing to test the theory of her resistance. She’s giving in, and I should accept it—take and feast upon my goddamn winnings. That’s what we both need, isn’t it? Release. To see where this connection is going, how far it will rise to the occasion, and maybe it’ll be so fucking good that neither of us will be able to let go.
Or maybe that’s exactly what we need.
To let go.
Instead of debating my head, I tap her thighs. “Open.” Her eyes narrow a little with argument; she wants to fight and, in a way, I want her to. Being pliant isn’t attractive, but being destructive is as hot as a fucking ice bath.
Her legs split with her gaze intent on mine, telling me to go fuck myself.
Now why would I do that when she’s right here to give and give and give?
“Turn around,” I all but hiss.
“No,” she refuses, shaking her head, but she bites that goddamn lip telling me a different story. I press into her, her softness cushioning my hardness. Every inch of our shared warmth blazes. We fit perfectly. I grip her throat, making sure not to press too hard but wanting to feel her pulse beat beneath my touch. Maybe she doesn’t like being manhandled, but she looks fucking spectacular beneath my grip.
“Turn the fuck around.”
She smiles coyly as if she doesn’t realize how bratty she’s being. “Gonna make me, old man? Or are you too weak? Old age and everything...” she taunts, just like she did in Vegas. Coercing me to show her that I could hold my liquor. She likes