Page 45 of Full Throttle

She gave me another laugh, this once uglier than the last. “You want to know why I have tears in my eyes? Is that right?” She looked at me as the darkness inside of me swirled. Her upper lip curled as she pushed against my chest. “You, Cain. You’re the fucking reason why I’m crying.”

My hold on her began to loosen, and she gave me one final shove.

Then she was free of me, putting her weight on her good foot as she continued to hit me with it. “Every single tear I’ve shed has been because of you,” she sneered, jabbing her pointer finger into my chest. Her bottom lip quivered as more tears formed.

A lump formed in my throat as I took in the sight.

I knew I’d hurt her.

I knew I’d ruined a small part of her, but this…

This didn’t make any sense.

“That’s a lot of tears for one conversation, Dominique,” I told her softly, keeping my hands at my sides now. She flinched again, this time, as if I’d struck her. My brows came together as confusion settled over me. When she didn’t speak, I reached out. She jerked back, pulling away from me violently.

“Get out.” It was a broken whisper, and yet, it was the loudest thing I’d ever heard.

“I’ll be back,” I muttered, turning away from her. Once I was in the hall, the door slammed behind me, followed by the sound of the lock. I looked over my shoulder at the door as a new fear collided into me.

What the fuck had I done to her?

Chapter Ten

Cain

Nineteen years ago. Detroit, MI.

Christ, she was stunning today.

I shouldn’t be looking at her. I shouldn’t have ever looked at her. I should’ve stayed far away from her, but I couldn’t.

“Cain?” Nik called, laughter in her voice as she waved her hand in front of my face.

Blinking, I gently pushed her arm away, careful not to get any grease on her golden skin.

“What’s up?” I asked, clearing my throat.

Nik bounced on the balls of her sandal-clad feet in front of me, her baby pink dress swaying over her thighs. The dress was innocent enough, but the person wearing it was the problem. My eyes dropped, my body reacting against my own will to her presence.

A year ago, Nik was stick skinny and still reminded me of a child. Now, her body was changing, and her curves were becoming more and more noticeable each day, by me and everyone else. She was becoming a woman and, naturally, my straight male body fucking liked it. More than I should. I hated how the other guys at school looked at her. This school year had been hell for a completely different reason—her. She was in my halls again, around things—hearing things about me I didn’t want her knowing.

I cleared my throat again and turned away from her, ducking back under the hood of my buddy’s old Jeep.

We were in the shed at the back of my house, my sanctuary away from the devil woman inside.

Even though I rarely saw my mother leave her bedroom nowadays, I didn’t like being inside, only going there to shower and grab some clothes for the new week ahead. For the last six months, I’d been sleeping in the school gym, breaking in through the shitty weight room door at the back of the building. I’d dismantled the security system beforehand, knowing that the school district was too poor to provide us another one.

Ever since Xander skipped town the day after his graduation, I’d been on my own, fighting every single fucking day. The bastard didn’t even call.

I didn’t get my license until I was seventeen because I’d been so wrapped up in shit that shouldn’t have mattered, shit that scared Nik, shit she shouldn’t be around, but I needed the money. That was something a spoiled princess like her would never understand.

“Thought I told you to cover your toes when you came in here,” I scolded her over my shoulder, eying her ponytail. Her hair was curled today—something her little friend, Macy, taught her how to do no doubt.

I loathed the curls. They made Nik look like someone she wasn’t.

“And I thought you were coming over last night,” she shot back playfully.

My jaw tightened as I looked back into John’s engine, reaching for the wrench resting on the edge. “Got busy,” I told her. It was the truth—part of it.

---