Page 38 of Break Me
“Take me home.”
“No.” I know that probably makes her uncomfortable, but I don’t give a shit. I fucked up looking out for a girl once and I’m not doing it again.
“Take me home, Benji, or I’ll call my father.”
I turn at the light and laugh. “No,” I say, rolling down the windows now that we’re off the highway. I rest one arm on the windowsill, the other on the wheel. “I’m not scared of your dad, Ava. Call him. I’ll talk to him myself if you want me to.”
“My mom is dying you fucking asshole,” she suddenly screams at me. She’s twisted in her seat and I actually jump at her raised voice. It came out of nowhere.
I glance at her and see her eyes are lined with red, and it isn’t from crying. “So you went clubbing to forget about her?”
Her face twists in anger and she bites her tongue for a second before her face clears and she faces front again. “Fuck you,” she says so quietly I can barely hear it.
I might deserve that, but I can’t tell her about what happened because I don’t know her and I’m not about to put my career in her hands like that. My entire fucking life.
“Yeah, you already did,” I say instead. We pull up outside the condo, and I forgo the underground garage for a spot opposite where my unit is. If Rolland is looking for this car, if he’s somehow smarter than I thought, I want to at least throw him off a little bit.
“I wish I never had,” Ava snarls, still staring straight ahead even as I put the car in Park.
“You’d be the only girl who ever regretted me having my dick inside her.” I open the door and hop out, slamming it behind me. I walk around to her side, under no illusion she’s going to open it herself because she’s being a little shit right now.
I yank open the door. “Come on, Princess,” I growl at her, reaching around her to undo her seatbelt.
I catch her scent; nothing overly heady, just light and clean, and yet I feel my cock twitch at the smell of it. But I clench my jaw, pushing that thought down. Benji is not getting laid tonight, and my dick needs to figure that out like my head has.
I pull on her arm, straightening.
“Come on, Ava,” I say gently. “I know you’re confused but—”
“Confused?” she sneers at me, yanking her arm from my grip. “You were about to bang the waitress, I watched you leave with her and—”
“Yeah, let’s not play that card,” I snap, glancing over my shoulder, not wanting to be in this fucking parking lot longer than necessary. I turn back to her. “You were fine with another dude grinding up on you—”
“As if it fucking matters to you,” she challenges me, her eyes bright.
“It doesn’t,” I say easily, stepping back and shrugging. “Now get the fuck out of my car.”
She stares a me a moment longer then she finally slides out, slamming the door behind her before I can close it.
I reach for her hand but she snatches it away, wrapping her arms around her body like she’s cold even though it feels goddamn delicious outside.
I roll my eyes, and together, we walk into the lobby, me waving the key over the keypad. I head to the concierge.
“Anyone asked to see me tonight?” I ask him quietly.
I watch his throat bob as he swallows. He’s dealt with me before, before Caden and I moved in here. He probably thinks we’re up to no good, which is more or less true. But he also knows better than to let anyone up to my room, or Riley’s, or her mother’s.
“No,” he finally answers, his voice hoarse. I get that I’m intimidating but damn. Then his eyes lower down to my waist and I realize the gun is showing. I brush my coat over it.
“Great.” I turn back to Ava and half-drag, half-lead her to the elevator. She doesn’t put up a fuss because there are a few people waiting for one of the half dozen elevators to come down. But her mouth is turned down into a frown and I know she probably hates me right now. I press the button to close our elevator, not letting anyone else in.
I check my phone. Nothing except Caden going off, as per usual.
Once we get up to my floor, I knock on Caden’s door.
He answers it immediately, his face lined with fury. His blue eyes shoot past me, to Ava, and his brows go up.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” he asks. I take it they’ve met. Probably when he took Riley to her class. “And what the fuck is going on?”
