Page 16 of King of Hearts

I was driving out of the lot, about to turn left, when I saw Taylor’s white Beamer illuminated under the white parking lights. No other cars were out there, and at first, I wondered if Holden had picked her up. The two of them would likely have a cute little romp in the sheets when finally connecting over the shared pregnancy.

Fucker.

Seeing her in the locker room a few days ago had been a punch to the gut. I didn’t even know why I cared that she saw me…and not that it even mattered, but I didn’t want Angela to drag me in there; I also didn’t make it a habit to be an asshole to every girl I saw. Usually that was just reserved for Taylor. I had planned on thwarting any attempts Angela made toward me, but I hadn’t realized she was going to go down on me the first chance she got. She was all teeth and sloppy tongue, so it made things a thousand times worse in turning her down. When I saw Taylor slam that door open, there was no mistaking the flash of anger that bled into her face. She didn’t like that I was with Angela. It was the same look I’d seen her use at the wedding, then at the yogurt shop. With everything in me, I didn’t want to care that hurt flashed in those ocean eyes, or that she bit her lip in a similar fashion to when I had eviscerated her in the apartment last spring. I didn’t want to admit that seeing it hurt her made my chest ache in a way that was unwelcome.

Seeing her car in the lot only took those flashes of hurt and ideas of jealousy and tossed them into the fire she’d set by going with her baby’s father. Why act as though she felt something for me but go and play house with him? She couldn’t have it both ways, and with me, she’d never have it at all. Like it did back when she’d told me it was Holden she meant to kiss, the walls around my heart fortified, reminding me that I felt nothing for Taylor, nothing but common decency to keep her safe as my best friend’s little sister.

Ready to leave her car and the feelings associated with Holden and her reuniting behind me, I continued forward, only to catch sight of the indoor light in her car popping on through the partially uncovered part of her front window. The tinting job made it nearly impossible to see anything, but I knew someone was in her car. Fuck, if she was in there with Holden, I was going to punch him in the goddamn face.

Swinging back toward her spot, I quickly parked and jumped out. I could hear music playing as I drew closer, and now that I was feet from her, I could see the glow of a screen inside.

Knocking on the tinted window, I waited to see what in the hell was going on.

After a few seconds, the passenger door opened, and a head of blonde hair poked out.

“What do you want?”

I looked down, confused about what exactly I was seeing. Takeout bags sat on the floor of the seat she was currently perched on, wearing sweats and an off-the-shoulder sweater. A duffle bag sat in the driver’s seat, and the back seat was currently set up for someone to sleep there.

“What are you doing out here?”

“Nothing, just hanging out,” she explained—poorly. Her dainty fingers toyed with the handle of her car door as she awkwardly held it open, looking up at me.

“Right.” I moved, opening the back door, realizing she had to have unlocked the doors to open hers.

“Hey,” she protested from the front seat.

I was right—there were blankets, two pillows, and a sleeve of Ritz crackers resting next to the makeshift bed.

“Are you sleeping in here?” I moved so I could catch her expression.

Even though it was dark, I caught her reddening face and the way her stature faltered.

“I…it’s just temporary, until I can find a place. I only plan on staying in here two, three nights a week. The rest I’ll drive back to my parents’ house.”

I shook my head, because this girl was unreal. Only Taylor, darling stepdaughter to the millionaire Charles Shaw, would consider sleeping in her car over a hotel, a damn house, or with the fucking father of her child.

“Why aren’t you in a hotel, or with Holden?” Fuck if I wanted to suggest the prick, but he’d be better than this.

She wet her lips, still half kneeling on the passenger seat, her arm holding the door open.

“I’m not staying with Holden…and regarding the hotel, I considered it, but it’s such a waste of money, and it’s so hard to get a parking spot here. I figured why not just park here and kill two birds with one stone?” She shrugged.

I rubbed my forehead, the dots finally connecting. That was why she had been in the locker room, not because she was getting fucked by Holden…but because she had nowhere else to shower, which might mean she wasn’t with her baby daddy at all. Some kind of warm sensation moved through my chest as if a piece of ice was thawing, but anger quickly came through like a fire and burned the sensation up.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”

That bare shoulder rose toward her ear again in a shrug. “I’ll lock the doors.”

“You don’t know what sort of monsters roam these streets at night, parking lots like this, looking for some stupid college kid who was dumb enough to leave his fancy car. Locks don’t keep them out, baby.”

“How would you know?” Blue, daring eyes tried to search mine, but I looked away.

“I just do…now get in the driver’s seat and get ready to follow me.”

I turned away from her, already annoyed with the imaginary images of her getting robbed in the middle of the night.

“No, I don’t need you to—”

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