by R. J. Lewis
“Watch the way you speak to me,” I retorted quietly.
Reid’s mouth pursed. He didn’t have time to respond, but I wondered what he would have countered with. Was he seriously blaming me for his cousin suddenly deciding to come along? If so, why didn’t he have the balls to put a stop to it? It was the first time in our entire relationship I felt negative toward Reid, and that maybe he wasn’t the protector I thought he was.
Oh, God, I could hear Mr. Pratt in the back of my mind in social science class, casually discussing hypergamy. “And with genetic impulse, the female flocks to the most superior mate that can offer her protection.”
Thames turned and walked back to us, his eyes back on me. Reid grabbed my hand immediately and squeezed it, pulling me tightly against his side. I should have felt at ease that he’d marked me in front of Conor. It was brave, but it didn’t perturb him in the slightest. He put his hand out between us and said, “Key, Reid. Now.”
Reid was reluctant. “Why?”
“Because it’s still mine.” A power play. Thames was back to being a jerk.
Reid’s eyes turned pleading, kind of like he knew what was coming. “Please, Conor. Not like this.”
I blinked hard, trying to figure out what he meant. Unease swept through me.
Thames’ lips twisted up into a cocky smirk. “Hand me the fucking key, Reid.”
I knew it was coming, but it was still awkward to witness. Reid handed him the key, and he looked absolutely humiliated by it. He looked down at the ground straight away, like he couldn’t risk a glance in my direction, or any direction for that matter. I knew why that was. He didn’t want to see his audience watching him be weak.
“Good little boy, Reid,” Thames remarked, looking absolutely delighted. I glared at him, shocked by his bullying nature despite already knowing he was an asshole. It was tough to witness.
Thames noticed my filthy look, but his smile didn’t waver. He walked past us. He knew we would follow. Reid’s hand was still tight around mine, but I felt a tremor in it. He was angry. I held on just as tight as we followed Conor down the stairs. He walked tall and confident. The man had just gotten out of prison after serving a lengthy sentence, and he was hardened by it. The crowd gave way to him. Moses parting the sea.
Reid wrapped an arm around me as we stepped out into the cold air. He was shielding me from the brutal wind, but it was Thames I needed shielding from, because he kept looking over his shoulder and straight at me. Unreserved delight in his gaze. We walked down the porch steps and to the cars parked on the street.
“If he asks you to do something, just say no,” Reid whispered into my ear as Thames stopped beside a black Dodge Charger.
“Of course,” I whispered back, confused. “Why would I say yes?”
When I looked up to meet Reid’s eyes, he looked uncertain, almost like he didn’t believe me.
“Reid?” I pressed.
“Conor has a way with things,” Reid said, simply. “A way with…people.”
“What do you mean?”
“You ladies talking about me?” Thames interjected, lightly, smiling at us as he unlocked the car and opened the passenger seat. He looked at me and gestured his head to the car. “Get in quickly, dove. Reid’s a little too light to keep you warm.”
Reid gritted his teeth as we approached the door. “You can drop us off at the movies, Conor.”
I had to brush against Thames to get into the car. He watched me as I slid in. The wind swept his scent into the backseat with me, a heady delicious cologne. Without realizing, my mind whispered, Why can’t Reid smell like that?
“Reid giving me orders?” he responded coolly, shutting the door to my seat. “You grow two more hairs on your balls while I’ve been away?”
Reid responded, but it was muffled from where I sat. It sounded short. Probably a mumble; a disheartened retort with no bite. I frowned, grabbing at my lip as I watched Reid round the car. Thames was already in, fixing his rear-view to fit me into it. I saw my reflection. Saw my annoyance (and confusion). Saw his blue eyes look deeper at me. Felt my pulse quicken. I looked down and grabbed at my seatbelt, fumbling with it.
Reid slid in, slamming the door a little too hard.
“Careful, Reid,” Thames snapped, his voice darkening. “This ain’t my fucking car, cousin. I’ll wipe your fucking tongue along every inch if you leave the slightest mark behind.”
Reid stiffened, and I dug my fingernail hard into my bottom lip. When Thames scolded, it carried weight. The tension was heavy. Reid looked out the window. I saw nothing but the back of his head. And Thames’ eyes occasionally meeting mine.
It was like watching two different people in him. One side was the soft-spoken man in the office, and the other was the jerk in the driver’s seat.
Thames started the car by pressing a button and pulled out into the street. I wanted out, but curiosity also had me gravitating toward the dangerous edge that was Conor Thames. His presence was already addictive. His glimpses made me feel things my brain couldn’t justify. Adrenaline surged, and I sat there tight, worried for my sanity.
I wouldn’t know it then, but the night had only just begun.
Chapter Two
You have the sexiest cat eyes I’ve ever seen. I shook my head, trying to rid the words from my mind. His compliment wasn’t real. Couldn’t be. It was just a tactic to soften me. He probably used the same shit on Batwoman before he ordered her off his lap like she was nothing at all.
It wasn’t real.
Nothing about a person like Thames was real.
The ride was quiet at first. And warm. Thames had noticed me shivering. The vents in the backseat roared in my direction. It was thoughtful, but I didn’t buy the sweet gesture. He was up to something. I looked out the window, watching the dark streets fly by. He was taking a quiet route. Reid’s head turned to Thames a few times, and then he broke the silence.
“So, what did you want to talk about, Conor?” he asked, wary.
I looked at the rear view. Thames’ eyes were on the road. A small reprieve. I caught the way his lips twisted. Mischief at the tip of his tongue. “What happened to that girl you were with?” he asked.
Pause. “What girl?”
“The girl. Before I got locked up. The one that looked like a moth. Ate air like a fiend and wanted to suck my dick behind your back right before they took me away.”
My eyes widened. Reid’s spine straightened. His hand came up to his chin, balled into a fist, tapping it once. “You said you wanted to talk about some things, Conor.”
“We’re talking.”
“Do you want to know how to reach Rebecca? Is that it?”
“Was that her name?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh.” Thames’ eyes flashed to mine. Pure amusement. “Why’d you let the moth go? Was it because she wanted me?” Thames’ voice dropped lower. “Does it bother you, Reid, boy, that they always want me instead?”
This time when Thames looked at me, I looked away. My heartbeat was in my ears. My face burned again. This man was so cocky. So full of himself. What was he doing exactly?
Reid’s ears were pink. He was unusually tense. “I never cared for her.” He made sure to say that firmly for my benefit. It still seemed suddenly so trivial. “She’s all yours.”
Thames let out a sharp laugh. Fake. “Couldn’t give a fuck about the moth, cuz.”
“Then what’s this about, dude?”
“Dude?” Thames returned, eyebrows shooting up. “Can’t stand when you little fuckboys use that word. Aren’t you getting a good fucking education? Or did your dad piss away my father’s death money on booze and tits?”
There was bite behind those words. I didn’t know his father was dead. I thought of the office for a beat. Of his father’s books. My mind mulled what he said over, but I still didn’t know enough. I watched both intently. Caught Reid’s shoulders go rigid, whereas Thames was relaxed, his grip on the steering wheel languid.
“He’s doing good at the business,” Reid said, quietly. “I looked at the books once. They looked good.”
Thames’ face was suddenly blank. Void of emotion. His eyes were stuck on the road, but he was far off in thought. I would learn this look later. It was Thames’ most dangerous expression. Because it meant he was about to do something unpredictable.
As if to fight the silence, Reid added, “Dad said you can come around whenever you want and work on the cars. He…hopes for it.”
Thames still looked flat, but his hand squeezed the wheel so quickly, if you’d blinked you would have missed it. He didn’t respond to him. For several minutes, it was tense. Nothing but the sound of the car. Wheels on the pavement. Raindrops on the windshield. Wipers sweeping them away. Back and forth. Back and forth.
“Tell your father thank you,” he finally spoke, his voice dead. “Tell him…how much I appreciate his kind offer.”
He didn’t appreciate shit. I could feel the animosity behind his words. He didn’t need to growl them or shout them to drive that point home. Reid caught on too. He swallowed, tapping his fist against his chin a few more times. He wanted out. I should have wanted out too, but god fucking dammit, I couldn’t stop lapping it up. I was witnessing Reid on a whole new level. It contradicted the tough boy he was known to be at school. My heart softened for him. He seemed vulnerable, like a little boy would in front of a scary man.
“There’s the theatre,” he remarked, perking up suddenly as he gestured out the window where the mall was, closed and deserted. “You got everything, Char?”
Thames looked up at me like he’d forgotten I was there. His eyes held mine for a couple seconds. I swallowed, unable to look away. I hadn’t realized I’d spent most of the time looking at him in the mirror, wondering when he’d look at me again.
“I got everything,” I answered, turning my body in my boyfriend’s direction. Even though everything meant literally nothing, since I’d walked into that house with just my clothes on. I had to stop looking at Thames. Whatever energy was pulling me toward him was unwarranted.
“Alright, then we’re good to go,” Reid replied. He was trying to hint that our ride was close to over. If Thames caught the gist, he didn’t show it.
He drove us past the theatre entrance and into the barren parking lot. We immediately spotted Reid’s silver car. We stopped beside it and he put the car in park. Then he leaned back into his seat, elbow propped on the middle console. His eyes were back on the rear-view mirror. Back on me. Deeper this time.
“Check the key, Reid,” he directed, finally handing him the key. “Make sure it fits in the ignition fine.”
Reid opened the door and turned to me. “Come on, Char. Let’s go.”
As I went to unbuckle the seatbelt, Thames said, “She can go when the car’s heater is on and working. You wouldn’t really want her to stand in this cold, would you, cousin?”
Reid pressed his lips together. He shot Thames the filthiest look before stiffening a nod. Then he stepped out and shut the door. I let go of the seatbelt and watched Reid walk to his car. I was still aware of Conor’s eyes gaping at me.
It’s not real. It’s not real.
But you like it.
“You want to go for a drive with me, Charlotte?” he asked quietly, his voice low and serious.
I let out a slow breath, keeping my eyes fixed on Reid as he climbed into the driver’s side. “I uh…Reid’s taking me home.”
“His car won’t start,” Thames assured me. “I’ll offer to take you home. I want you to say yes.”
His words were making me anxious. I shook my head quickly, ignoring the way my chest fluttered. Reid was behind the steering wheel for a few long moments. Something was wrong.
“Come on,” Thames carried on, softly. “It’ll be fun.”
Reid climbed out of the car and hurried to us. He opened the door and stuck his head in with a perplexed look. “The car won’t start.”
Thames looked at him seriously. A little too seriously. “Why not?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Try again, Reid. Make sure.”
Reid was gone again, hurrying back. Stunned, I looked at the back of Thames’ head. “How did you know it wouldn’t start?”
He turned his head to me, a small smile on his full lips. “It’s a beat-up looking car, dove. Was an easy guess.”
I thought of Reid picking me up before we went to the movies. The car did stall a bit, but…I shook my head again, trying to make sense of it. It wasn’t possible for Thames to tamper with it just to go for a drive with me. He didn’t have the opportunity. What was wrong with me? Was I so self-absorbed I had to make it about me? I knew the answer already. I didn’t want to dig deep enough to accept I secretly wanted the attention of someone like Thames.
“Accept my offer,” he told me, quietly, making things worse for the voice inside my head.
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t going to take his offer, no way. Reid would flip. We were a serious couple. A few more days and we would celebrate our first-year anniversary, I reminded myself. I wasn’t going to sabotage that just because my heart was thudding excitedly at the thought of being around Thames a little more. I never gave two shits about him an hour ago! He’d been a rumour. Something to talk about and wonder about. Why was he suddenly fucking with my head?
But my mind already whispered the truth. The girls were right. The rumours were true. The man had an aura about him. There was…something so primitive in his gaze, and something inside of me responded to that. Conor Thames drew you in, and he didn’t have to look like an Adonis to do so. Against my nature, I was drawn to how confident he was of himself. His cockiness should’ve disgusted me, but it fuelled that forbidden urge to be around him instead.
Reid returned, climbing into the car, breathing heavy. “The car is dead, man. I go to turn it and nothing’s happening.”
Thames looked over at him, looking bored. “You got anyone to help you out?”
“I don’t…” Reid let out a long breath before digging his phone out of his pocket. “I mean, I could call some of my friends up to come help, but…the thing is dead.”
“Sounds like a battery problem. You gotta come for it tomorrow, by the sounds of it.”
Reid shook his head profusely. “They might tow it. Everything gets fucking towed around here. I can’t afford getting it out of impound.”
“Money troubles at home?”
“No, my dad’s just being stingy.”
“Call him. Get him to tow it for you. Isn’t that the perk of owning that car shop now?” It went over Reid’s head, but I caught the faintest bitter tone in Thames.
Reid sat for a few minutes, staring thoughtfully at his black screen. I understood his hesitation. His father was going to blow this out of proportion, like he did with everything else. Their relationship had its ups and downs.
“I have no choice, I guess,” he muttered, defeated. Scrolling through his phone, he found his dad’s number and called. I could hear the rings from the backseat, and they went on and on, going unanswered. Reid said some curses and tried again.
“It’s Halloween,” I said quietly, reminding him that his father was most likely at the bar with everyone else. Reid joked often how his father had a better social life than him.
“He’ll pick up eventually,” Reid replied, hitting the dial button again.
Thames sat patiently for the first ten minutes. His eyes were bright when he looked at me. There was anticipation there, and it travelled to his lips, curving them upward on one side. I shook my head at him very quickly. Please, stop. He didn’t – wouldn’t – because Thames was selfish, and what he wanted, he got.
Letting out a long breath, he said, “Look, cuz, I was released at eight in the morning. I’ve barely slept, barely had a shit, and my head’s pounding. I can’t babysit your ass forever.”
“He’ll answer, Conor,” Reid assured him.
“Then you need to wait out there for him on y
our own. Charlotte’s tired, too. I’ll drop her off.”
He said my name like it was so familiar to him. It wasn’t lost on me what this would do to Reid. I watched him closely. Reid’s finger paused over the re-dial button. He looked up at Thames for a long tense moment. Then he looked over his shoulder at me. There was panic in his expression, like he was losing control fast.
“Char, you wanna wait with me at the car, or go home?”
It was a question he already knew the answer for, and I couldn’t help but think he was pointing it out to me. He knew I’d do anything to stay away from home, away from Devil. I should have gotten out of the car straight away, but my eyes jumped back to the mirror before I could stop myself. Thames was staring down at his keys, waiting patiently for my answer.
Licking my lips, I said, “I didn’t bring my jacket, remember?”
The silence stretched. I couldn’t believe I said that. I looked hard at Reid. If we were with anyone else, he would have reasoned with having me dropped off. He wouldn’t have let me stand around in the cold for who knows how long. It was late, anyway, and I had work in the morning. But if he wanted me to, I would leave the car. Conor Thames or not, Reid’s wants were more important – and real – than the illogical pull I felt.
As Reid mulled it over, I leaned forward and touched him on the arm. “I’ll wait with you. It’s really not that cold, anyway.”
He looked over his shoulder at me, this strange sad look in his eyes. “I can’t do that to you, Char. Conor’s…right. You’ve got work in the morning, and I don’t know how long this is going to take.”
Conor nodded, looking impressed. “Good call, cuz. You’re a gent.”
Reid let out a long breath and turned his gaze over at him. “Conor…” His voice was a plea, and he couldn’t finish it. He just stared and Thames stared back, smiling at him with ease. There was unspoken communication there. Reid had bullshitted me, I realized. He knew his cousin much better than he had let on.
“Take it easy, Reid.” Thames ended their moment with that smirk.
Reid shook his head, as if at war with himself. Then, as if to prove a point, he exited the car and then opened the backseat door. He leaned in and took my face into his hands, planting a hard kiss on my lips. I kissed him back, my hand gripping his shivering arm. I smelled popcorn on his familiar lips, and my heart didn’t jump like it used to – like it was supposed to.