Play You: A Second Chance/Single Dad Romance (Rebel Ink Book 4)

by Tracy Lorraine

  Seeing movement up ahead, I press my back farther into the wall and wait to see if it's him. The second I see him, I allow him to turn toward the stairs that lead to his building and then I follow.

  I put my foot in the main door to stop it from closing and wait until he has his front door open before I make my move.

  I step up behind him, plough my knee into his lower back, and wrap my arm around his throat.

  "Ah, brother. I've been expecting you," he growls through the pain.

  I push him farther into his flat and kick the door closed behind me. To my surprise, he doesn't try to fight me. As usual, his flat is a fucking mess with beer cans, vodka bottles, and baggies of weed everywhere. I take a closer look at his coffee table to find its glass top covered with powder.

  "I thought you'd got off the snow, motherfucker," I growl in his ear.

  "Yeah, and here I was thinking you'd got bored of trying to ruin my life."

  "Ruin your life?" I bellow, pushing him into the room.

  "You and your little bitch… that's all you've done."

  "Don't fucking talk about her like that." I fly at him, my hand wrapping around his neck and squeezing enough so he's not likely to forget where it is.

  My forehead comes to his, and I angrily breathe in his face. All the while the motherfucker smirks at me.

  "I don't control your life, Cruz. Only you have the power to make yourself happy."

  "Bullshit," he spits. "You know for a fact that I didn't have a choice after you so selfishly decided to walk away from the life you were born into. You should be the one taking that cunt’s orders right now, not me."

  "You could have said no."

  He laughs at me, but it's full of malice and hate.

  "Really? You really believe that?"

  "I know he can be a cunt, Cruz, but he's still our father."

  Cruz shakes his head at me, sadness creeping into his eyes.

  "You've got no idea, do you? No fucking idea."

  "No? Tell me. Give me a fucking clue."

  But all he does is continue shaking his head at me.

  "It's done," he finally growls. "The decisions have been made, and the vows have been taken... well, almost. How did your little woman take the truth?" he sneers.

  "Fuck you." Pulling my arm back, I follow through with what I came here for.

  My knuckles and rings connect with his cheekbone, and his head snaps to the side.

  "You're out of practice, brother." Cruz launches himself from the wall despite the grip I had on his throat. He's not the weak little boy I remember from growing up, the one who would rather be kicking a football around than training inside a fighting ring.

  He growls some inaudible warning before he retaliates. Only, much to his annoyance, I'm faster. I block every shot he tries before managing to get a few of my own in.

  "You're never going to even look at her again, let alone touch her, threaten her. Do I make myself clear?" I roar once I've finally taken him to the ground. I kneel on his chest as it heaves with exertion. Blood pours from his face, his eyes already swelling, and his lip busted. I can't say I look that much better myself; the taste of copper is filling my mouth and I can feel it dripping from my chin.

  "Fuck you, Dawson."

  I push from his body and back up toward his door.

  "Take this as a warning. The next time you so much as breath around her, I'll put a bullet through your fucking head.”

  Without waiting for a response, I wrench his door open and storm through it.

  Wiping at my lip, I make my way back down the steps and onto the street to find my bike.

  Now I've got that out of the way, it's time to get my girl.

  I think I've made her wait long enough.

  32

  Piper

  "I'm not ready to leave," I complain as Lisa and I carry our overnight bags to the door of our suite.

  "How much do you think it would cost to live in a place like this?"

  "More than you'd make in a lifetime, Lis."

  She blows out a long breath. "A girl can dream, right?"

  I laugh at her as I pull the door open, glancing behind me for one last look at our little bit of heaven. With a sigh, I let the door swing closed as she passes me.

  The slight pounding in my temples from the wine last night has almost gone now, thanks to the pills I found in the bottom of my handbag and the incredible breakfast we were served this morning. I'm pretty sure I've never eaten so much in one sitting ever. It felt so naughty, but oh so good. I'll happily eat salad all week to make up for it.

  We hand our keys over to the lady sitting behind the desk and thank her for our stay.

  "Ready to head back to reality?" Lisa asks as the memories I've been trying to keep at bay since we climbed into that limo yesterday threaten to swallow me whole.

  Tears pool in my eyes, and Lisa doesn't miss it.

  "Piper," she breathes, taking my hand in hers. "You really need to talk to him. I hate seeing you like this."

  "What good will it do? He still lied to me."

  "Are you really willing to lose what the two of you had because of a mistake? It's not like you've never made any," she adds quietly.

  My stomach twists. I want to tell her that it was different. That I was forced. But at the end of the day, while I might have been young and felt like I had no choice, I didn't need to handle it the way I did.

  "Honestly, I have no idea."

  "Well, this is just my opinion, so take it as you like. But you need to hear him out at least. Get everything out on the table so you can make this decision with all the facts. Right now, all you've got is hearsay from his brother—who sounds like a right cunt, by the way—a voicemail, and the man's daughter."

  I blow out a breath, climbing into the back of the limo behind her.

  Before we know it, we're settled in the back of our over-the-top vehicle and heading back toward the city.

  "Thank you for this. I really needed it."

  "I'm glad it helped," she says, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

  "You going out tonight?"

  "Yep. My plans are all sorted." She rubs her hands together in excitement. "Hopefully, I can find a man who'll appreciate all of this hard work." She gestures to her body, and I laugh at her idiocy.

  I expect her to invite me because it's what she usually does, whether she's heading out with a group from work or others she parties with, but the invite never comes.

  I don't dwell on it. I'm more relieved than anything else. After that much pampering and relaxation, all I want to do is sleep.

  I decided last night that I'm going to look for a last-minute getaway the second I get home. Maybe Monday to Friday, and then depending on how I feel, I’ll bite the bullet and talk to Dawson once I'm back, hopefully with a clearer head.

  It must be half an hour later when the limo pulls to a stop. Knowing that we can't possibly be home yet and sensing that this isn't just a pause for traffic, I sit forward and look out of the window.

  "What the hell?" I mutter, seeing an empty fairground only a few feet away.

  When I turn back to Lisa, I find a weirdly tense expression on her face.

  "What?" I bark, confusion rushing through me and damn near twisting my stomach in two.

  "I need you to get out of the car, Piper."

  "What? This is insane. I just want to go home."

  "Piper, just do as you're told," she laughs.

  A second later, the door is pulled open and the fresh, late October air comes rushing inside.

  I look from her to the open door, my brows pulled together.

  "Go on," she encourages, but although she's smiling, I can see her own nerves.

  I narrow my eyes at her, but, sensing that she's not going to give me anything, I scoot forward and climb from the car.

  The sun makes me squint as I step to the ground, but despite the fact that I can barely see, I don't miss a familiar tingle that races down my spine.

 
; When I look up, the first thing I see is the Ferris wheel in the distance. I gasp, knowing that he's close, my heart thundering in my chest.

  I've totally been set up.

  Twisting around, I search for the person I know is staring at me. I don't have to look far; the second my eyes land on the entrance to the closed fairground, I find him.

  A breath rushes out of me as I take him in.

  My eyes drop to his feet, finding his well-loved boots, and I make my way up. His dark jeans are ripped at the knees, exposing his ink, before sitting low on his slim waist, his white t-shirt shows off his ripped abs before his leather jacket covers his arms and shoulders. My body aches, being so close to him after all this time. We've been apart longer than we've been together, but it doesn't matter. The pull is there. If anything, it's stronger than ever.

  Steeling myself, trying to prepare for seeing his face and looking into his eyes, I lift my head.

  My breath catches at the dark shadows that circle his eyes, but it's the cut lip and eyebrow that really concern me. He's been fighting. I want to look back to his knuckles to confirm what I already know, but the second my eyes lock onto his dark ones, I fall under his spell.

  "Piper," he breathes, taking a step toward me.

  My head screams run, that being here is a bad idea, but my heart yearns for me to step forward and straight into his body, to feel his arms come around me and for him to tell me that everything is going to be okay.

  "W-what is this?" I ask when he's close enough to hear my whispered voice.

  "This?" he asks, gesturing behind him. "This is me trying to make things right, baby girl. You want to go for a ride with me?"

  I look up at the Ferris wheel and swallow nervously.

  "I'll keep you safe, I promise."

  His words threaten to cripple me.

  Curling my fists, I press my nails into my palms in a lame attempt to keep myself grounded. It's pointless, I already know it's impossible around him.

  A car door closes behind me, and when I spin, I find Lisa sitting in Henry's passenger seat before he floors it out of the car park.

  "She... you..." I seethe, looking back at him.

  "Don't be mad at her, I gave her very little choice."

  A thought hits me. "Last night, the hotel... that was all you, wasn't it?" I don't need the answer, I can read it on his face. "You play dirty, Dawson."

  "I just do what I think is necessary to get what I want." His smile almost melts me. He holds his hand out, but, much to his disappointment, all I do is look at it.

  His eyes drop with sadness, but he takes a step toward the closed entrance nonetheless.

  I walk beside him, keeping a somewhat safe distance. "Are we meant to be going in here?" I ask as he unhooks the chain around the fence and opens the makeshift gate.

  "I thought you liked breaking the rules." He winks at me, and it tells me all I need to know. He's organised this.

  He doesn't stop walking until we're in front of the Ferris wheel.

  "I hope you know that I'm still as scared of heights as I was back then."

  "I don't doubt it, baby girl. Come on, time to face those fears."

  He gestures for me to step in the car, and I stupidly follow orders. The car rocks the second I sit down, and my heart jumps into my throat.

  I swallow down my fear. It's not the most pressing issue right now. I need to keep my head to hear whatever Dawson has to say to me.

  He joins me, sitting so close that the entire length of his body presses against mine, and then wraps his arm around my shoulder.

  My mouth waters as his scent fills my nose.

  I'm so fucked right now.

  A man appears out of nowhere and steps into the little booth to get the ride running.

  "I'm sure there was a less scary way for you to make your point," I mumble as the ride starts to move.

  "I'm sure there was." He falls silent for a few minutes, and I start to wonder if he hasn’t actually brought me here to talk. But then the ride jolts to a halt with us at the very top. The car rocks and my stomach turns, my eyes slamming shut in fear.

  "Tell me he knows it's broken. Tell me I don't have to climb down, please."

  Dawson chuckles lightly beside me, pulling me tighter into his side.

  "He's stopped it because I asked him to, Piper. Nothing is broken, and there will be no climbing." His lips drop to my ear. "Unless you want to climb me," he whispers, setting off sparks of desire throughout my body.

  I chastise myself. I'm angry with him; I should not want to do what he just suggested.

  With my eyes still closed, I stupidly picture what it's like to be wrapped around his body with his large hands holding me up and driving me crazy.

  I shake my head, hoping the thoughts will fall out with the movement.

  "P-please, can you just say what you need to say so we can get down?"

  "Look at me, baby girl."

  I turn to him, but my eyes remain shut.

  "Open your eyes," he whispers. "It's just you and me, baby."

  After a beat, I do as he says, gasping at the heated look in his eyes when I find them immediately.

  "Emmie just turned up at the studio one day, telling me that she was moving in with me. She'd fallen out with her mother, again, and said she was done. It was what I'd wanted for years, but her mother barely let her spend her allocated time with me, let alone move in with me.”

  "Well, this time was different. When I called her that afternoon, she told me to do whatever and that our daughter was now my responsibility. I still don't know what tipped them both over the edge. Emmie has refused to talk about it, and since that phone call, I haven’t been able to get hold of her.”

  "Anyway, Emmie moved in with me. She's always been a good kid, but her mother didn't exactly give her the best start in life. Despite my almost constant offers to help, they lived in one of the roughest council estates in London, and Emmie was forced to witness God knows what on a daily basis. Those horror stories you hear from inner-city schools on the news? Well, they pale in comparison to what used to go on in her old secondary school.”

  "We picked up her results—they were as bad as we were both expecting—and I could see the disappointment on her face. She was better than the shit she was forced to put up with on a daily basis with her mother.”

  "I decided there and then that I was going to do something about it. I know some people on the board for Knight's Ridge, and I reached out to see what I could do.”

  "They agreed, but they told me there would be no fee subsidy. Not that I really expected one. I'd had some inheritance sitting in a bank account since I was a kid that I'd been adding to. I knew I'd be able to cover the first couple of terms, but after that it was going to be an issue if I didn't do something drastic."

  He blows out a breath. His eyes find mine for a beat before he looks back to the blue sky ahead of us.

  "When my grandad died five years ago, my gran explained to me that they were leaving everything to me. But that there was a clause. I had to be engaged to get it.”

  "I laughed at her at the time, thinking it was insane. But the two of them had been married forever and I knew they just wanted to see me happy.”

  "I never really thought about that money after that day. I wasn't interested in getting married, and I didn't need it.”

  "But that all changed with Emmie. I wanted to give her the world, to open up possibilities that she'd never have without a decent education. So I decided that I needed to find a woman.”

  "My intentions were shit, I can't deny that. I was going to use her for what I needed and then dump her. I can't pretend that I was going to do anything else. My daughter was the priority, and that was all I could see.”

  "Then before I could start putting my plan into place, I found you."

  He reaches out and takes my hand in his, tangling our fingers together. His touch soothes something inside me, stopping me from pulling away.

  "I was so angry that m
orning. Not only did you drag up the pain and heartache that you left in your wake, but you were alive, and you never reached out to me. You never once tried to tell me. I loved you so fucking much, Piper, and you just allowed me to think you were gone."

  "I'm sorry, I—"

  "No," he says, bringing his eyes to mine once more and shaking his head. "This isn't about what you did. You don't have anything to apologise for."

  "I thought it was the perfect revenge. Make you fall for me again and then drop you almost as fast as you did me."

  My heart thunders, listening to him talk about this quite so honestly. I want to be furious at him, I want to shout and scream for attempting to treat me so poorly, but I can't. I can see his pain from all those years ago shining bright in his eyes. As much as his actions the past few weeks might have been wrong, I can't ignore the part I played in them.

  I was the one who put that pain there. Caused him so much heartache.

  "But I forgot something."

  "W-what?" I ask when he falls silent.

  "I forgot how incredible you were, how you could make me smile like no one else, how just your presence made everything about my life better. And..." he sighs, squeezing my hand tighter and staring right into my eyes. "I forgot how much I love you. I tried to ignore it, to push it aside and keep it in the past where I thought it belonged, but the truth is, I never stopped loving you."

  The tears that had been pooling in my eyes finally fall over.

  "It was always you, Piper."

  "Dawson."

  "When I asked you to marry me, I wasn't thinking about the money. The words weren't about deception. They came out of panic, because I knew I could never lose you again. I needed to keep you this time, baby girl. We'd been offered a second chance, and I knew I needed to grasp it with both hands."