Loner by Harloe Rae Page 0,84
to know my dog is accepting affection from everyone but me.
When Decker is close enough to get a decent look at me, the simple ease falls from his features. He studies me, almost recoiling from the sight. “Dude, you look like shit.”
I snort, narrowing my eyes into a glare. “Hilarious. Did Erik tell you to say that?”
Deep grooves carve the space between his brows. “Nah, I came up with that all on my own. What’s up, Ford?”
“Same old shit.” I nod toward his dinged ride. “I can see why you’re here.”
Decker waves off my words. “We’ll get to that in a minute. Why does it look like someone took a dump in your Frosted Flakes?”
“Not sure what you mean.” The lie is sticky on my tongue.
“Does this have anything to do with Keegan and Millie?”
“Nope.” I rip my eyes from his, finding a particularly interesting grease spot to focus on.
Delaney seems to perk up, most likely due to the attention being cast over me instead of her misdeed. “Ah, come on. It’s no secret you’ve been spending time with them. You can tell us, Ford.”
I grind my bruised foot into the ground. The shot of pain zaps up my leg. “Nothing to say. We had some fun. Now it’s over. End of.”
“I highly doubt that,” Decker chuckles.
“Nah, we’re done. I made sure of that.”
They exchange a look. If I was fluent in the secret language of couples, their silent exchange might make more sense. Delaney flicks her gaze to mine. “How bad is the wreckage?”
I peer around them into the gravel lot. “Are we talking about Decker’s cruiser?”
He taps his temple. “No, your mental wellbeing.”
“Think I’m crazy?”
His chest shakes with a chuckle. “Well, I wasn’t planning to be so blunt.”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t anything serious to begin with. Ending things was for the best.” The damn irony isn’t lost on me. I wouldn’t accept that bullshit answer from Keegan.
Delaney squints at me while nudging her fiancé. “Sure, I can see that.”
“All right, fine. We’ll quit sniffing at your personal business.” He pauses, as if I’m going to suddenly change my mind about spilling the secrets wedged inside of me.
I lift my chin, staring him down. Good luck, buddy.
Decker sighs, glancing at his future wife. “She hurt my baby, Ford.”
“Oh, please. The machine is fine.” Delaney swipes at the air, as if batting away a gnat.
“You treated her poorly, Dell. She needs to be handled with care,” he scolds.
She pops out her hip. “Well, I wasn’t properly prepared for how complicated it is to downshift.”
“Are you suggesting this is my fault?”
She twists her lips. “You were teaching me how to drive. I tipped us over. We can share the blame.”
“That’s not how things went down. Literally.”
Delaney huffs and rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. It was an accident.”
“I sure hope you wouldn’t do this on purpose.” He gives her a side-eye full of inquisition.
She quirks a brow. “Don’t underestimate a jealous woman.”
Decker reaches over and squeezes her waist. “Not funny, Dell.”
“No?” She wiggles her fingers toward his torso. “Bet I can make you laugh.”
“I wouldn’t try it,” he growls.
She doesn’t heed to his warning. They tumble together in a mass of squirming limbs and lewd noises. Dammit, here we go again. A white-hot stake drives through my chest and I nearly hiss from the burn. My misery craves company and these two aren’t cutting it.
I cough into my fist until their writhing ceases. “I can get started on your bike right away, Deck. You can pick it up at the end of this week.”
He pulls away from Delaney with a labored exhale. Her cheeks are rosy. His shirt is rumpled. They need to get a damn room far away from me.
Decker drags a palm over his hair. “Uh, okay. You won’t need more time?”
“That’s plenty already. Nothing else to do around here except fix bikes.”
Delaney frowns. “Want me to put in a good word for you?”
“Please don’t,” I mutter. The gaping sore spreads faster through my gut at the thought alone.
“Let’s take a hint, Dell.” He steers her toward the parked coupe. “Thanks again, Ford. I’ll come by Friday and check on your progress.”
I tip the brim of my hat at them. “See you then.”
The handsy couple drives off in a cloud of lust-scented dust. I fan the sickly-sweet notion away from my face. Heaven forbid those fumes are contagious. That’s the last damn thing I need. My sorry ass is already pining over a woman who I made untouchable.
Just