Page 54 of Driftwood Daffodil 3

“You’ve said that before.”

That was true. Over the years I’d tried to break it off countless times and I always went back. “This time I mean it.”

She stopped a few feet from me and dipped her face in that sultry look that made my dick twitch. “You sure about that?”

“Go home, Carissa.” I was not playing this game with her.

“I could…” She sat down on my weight lifting bench and propped her left leg up on the weights beside it. “But I don’t think you want me to.”

As much as I hated it, there was still a part of me that saw her as that woman who was there when no one else was.

When I didn’t respond, she smiled, “see.”

“My silence is not an invitation to stay.”

“Isn’t it?”

For fuck sakes. I did not need this shit today. Nova and her big mouth landed us in detention for a week, then I found out she asked Atlee to take her to see her brother. Fucking Atlee, not me. The fact that I hadn’t strangled her yet was a miracle. And that was all before adding in all my uncle’s shit.

I was hanging on by a thread. That’s why I came down here to burn off some of my anger. Not have fucking Carissa flash me her pussy.

“Leave.” Before I did something stupid like smash one of these dumbbells in her face, or fuck her with it.

“Stop playing around, Gio.” She tipped her head to the side and lazily rolled her eyes down my frame. “We both know you don’t want me to leave.”

Jesus Christ.

I dropped the dumbbells back in their rack and growled, “get the fuck out.”

“You sure you want me to leave?” Carissa slipped her hand between her thighs and began fingering herself through the lacy fabric.

Her breathy moans followed me as I turned my back, walked a few steps, and wrapped my hands around the bar bolted to the roof to do some chin ups.

Carissa continued to try and entice me, but not being able to see her helped me focus on other things. Like the refreshing burn radiating up my arms and sweat dripping down my brow. Some people watched movies or went out to relax. I exercised. I could keep this up for hours, unlike Nova.

That girl was so out of shape, someone needed to make her workout. Throw her ass on the treadmill and make her run until she collapsed. Now, that sounded like fun.

I gave it five minutes before she was begging to stop, then another minute before the tears came. Little Miss I have a comeback for everything wouldn’t be so smart then. She’d just be out of breath, sweaty, and completely vulnerable.

My dick twitched at the thought of her exhausted and panting. I could do whatever I wanted to her and all she could do was whimper. And I fucking loved the way she whimpered. That shit was more erotic than any moan I’d ever heard. Don’t get me wrong, the way Nova looked when she moaned, all sweet and hating herself was beautiful. But the spark in her eyes when she knew she was beat and gave in, that was my crack.

“How long are you going to pretend you don’t hear me, Gio?”

Fuck, she was still here.

Sighing, I let go of the bar and turned around. “Give it up, Carissa. I’m not interested.”

“Oh really.” A sly smirk curled her lips as her eyes dropped down to the tent in my shorts. “Because it looks like a part of you is interested.”

“That’s not for you.”

It was all for Nova and that spark of defeat in her eyes. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when I gave her a ring. She couldn’t deny who owned her then. Nor could anyone else. Not with my mother’s ring on her finger.

Wait…

Nova was a Ford. I didn’t want to see my mother’s jewelry on her, did I?

Fuck, I did.

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