I ran faster, running straight for the piece of shit.
No, I didn’t want him anywhere near Lila, but he was screwing around on her, and if there was one thing I knew about my girl, it was that she wouldn’t be cool with sharing. She wasn’t the kind of girl you did the casual thing with. You were either all in or you left her the hell alone.
Brooks, the stupid fuck, was lucky enough to have her, and he was stepping out on her.
I was on him a minute later, shoving him against his truck. “Stay away from Lila,” I snarled. “You fucking weasel-dick motherfucker.”
He tried to shove me back, but I grabbed his shirt and slammed him against his truck.
“What the fuck, man?”
I got in his face. “Stay. The fuck. Away from her.”
He shoved at my chest, but had nothing to grab on to. “I date whoever the hell I want to date. You don’t scare me, asshole,” he fired back.
“You should be scared,” I gritted out. “Lila’s too good for a fuckwit like you.”
He laughed without humor. “You want her?”
“Either you have a death wish, or you’re dumb as shit. But I wouldn’t piss me off any more than you already have. You have no idea what I’m capable of. You wanna fuck around, Lila isn’t the woman you shit on. You hurt her. I hurt you. That’s a promise.”
He saw the truth in my eyes and the smug slid from his face. “We’re not exclusive. Lila and me, we’re just dating…”
“You’re not anything anymore, understood?” I’d bet Lila didn’t know they weren’t exclusive.
His jaw tightened and he dipped his chin.
I shoved away and turned my back on him, letting him know exactly what kind of a threat he was and jogged away.
She wouldn’t answer if I called, but I needed to talk to her, let her know what kind of man she was dating.
That left me only one option.
Chapter Seven
Lila
Mondays were always fairly busy in the library. I was at the counter checking out Mrs. Gonzales’s haul when the door opened. A gust of cold air rushed in, and I glanced up and stilled, freaking froze. No wonder Jesse called me Bambi. I was like some skittish, startled woodland animal whenever he was near.
And it was no different now.
He stood just inside the door, his unusual, vibrant green eyes focused on me from under the brim of his ball cap. I tried not to let him affect me, but I ate up the sight of him despite myself. He was wearing faded blue jeans that sat low, clinging to his solid thighs, and a black Ramblers MC T-shirt. Even when it was cold he only wore a T-shirt. Not surprising, his skin had always felt hot when I was close to him.
Focus.
He slid his hands into his pockets, and the muscles under all that ink shifted and bunched. My gaze moved back to his face and I sucked in a little breath.
He’d shaved off his beard and looked more like the Jesse I’d first met. His model good looks stole my breath then and they did again now. His mouth was sinful, full and perfectly shaped. And those utterly beautiful green eyes, ringed with thick black lashes despite his dark blond hair. But there was still ruggedness to all that gorgeousness.
God, when Jesse looked at you, when he focused solely on you, it was devastating.
My heart started pounding.
My thoughts rushed back to the other night, when I’d walked out of the bar after meeting up with Trix. He’d been standing in the window of the apartment above Rocktown Ink.
Shirtless. Muscles straining. There’d been a light behind him, and even from the road I could see how taut his biceps and abs were.
His gaze had been intense.
Watching me.
I hadn’t been able to hold that stare and rushed to the safety of my car.
Eves told me he was helping out at the tattoo shop for a few months while Cal looked after Cassy and the ranch. Which meant I’d be seeing a lot more of him. I couldn’t catch a break.
Was his girlfriend staying there with him as well? Of course she would be, he’d brought her home with him. He obviously couldn’t bear to be parted from her.
Mrs. Gonzales cleared her throat.
I jumped and ducked my head. “Sorry, I ah…was away with the fairies.”
Her knowing look told me she knew I was full of it and exactly why I’d been so distracted.
She gave me a wink, slid her books off the counter, and walked out.
Jesse moved in.
My face instantly heated thinking about my last confrontation with him. The things I’d said. I’d revealed too much. I’d let him see how much he’d hurt me, and I hated that more than anything. Which was why I’d told myself when I saw him again, I would play it cool. I’d ignore the racing of my heart and weak knees.
“Hey,” he said, looking at me from under those thick lashes.
I forced a small smile. “Look, about the other night. The things I said…”
“Let’s forget that, yeah?”
I wasn’t sure what that look on his face was all about, but it looked a lot like pity. I didn’t like that. No, I hated it. “I was drunk and I said some things I wouldn’t usually. There’s no reason for us to…you know, fight. There’s no hurt feelings here. I’m a big girl. You’re doing your thing…” A gorgeous blonde with a figure like a playboy bunny. “And I’m doing mine…”
Ha! Not yet you haven’t.
I’d texted Brooks over the weekend to try to remedy that. Anything to put Jesse firmly in the past, and maybe Jarod as well. A good sexual experience to wash away all the crappy ones. But Brooks had been busy working. Would be all week.
He glanced around the library before looking back at me. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”
“We really don’t have anything to talk about.” No way did I want to go somewhere private with him.
His jaw tightened, the muscle on one side jumping. “It’s not about you and me.”
I looked at him again more closely. Something was definitely wrong. “Is everything okay?”
“I’d rather talk without an audience,” he said, glancing behind him again.
Several people were lined up waiting.
“Let me clear the queue, then I’ll take my break.”
He dipped his chin and stepped back, not too far though, and his gaze stayed on me the whole time I worked. Knowing he was watching my every move had me fumbling with books and stumbling over my words. What was wrong with me that he still affected me this way?
After I’d served the last person, I hustled around the counter and shut the door, turning over the back in thirty minutes sign.
This was a small town, there was no budget for a second librarian. There wasn’t enough work for two people anyway. So occasionally I shut for lunch or if I had to step out.
As soon as I closed the door I became very aware of the fact that we were alone. The walls seemed to close in and my heart raced when I turned to face him. “So, what did you need to tell me?”
He pulled off his hat, ran a hand over his cropped hair, letting out a rough breath, and put the cap back on backwards. “I need you to know the only reason I’m telling you this is because I care about you.”
I frowned. “What is this, why are you here?” There was panic in my voice.
Jesse lifted his hands like he was trying to settle a fractious mare. “Fuck…I’m just gonna tell you straight. Babe, when I was out running, I saw Brooks. He was with another chick, and they’d definitely just fucked.”
“What?”
“He’s cheating on you, Lila.”
My throat went tight, like it was closing up. “How do you know that? It could’ve been completely innocent. How do you know it wasn’t his sister?”
“It wasn’t his sister,” Jesse said, expression grim.
Humiliation washed over me. What the hell was it about me that repelled men so thoroughly? First Jarod. Then Jesse. Now Brooks. “Do you know his sister?” I asked weakly, grasping at straws in an attemp
t to save face.
“Lila, she was in a robe and he was kissing her. And not like a sister, like a guy kisses a woman after he’s been inside her,” he said, voice rough.
Christ, the way he said things. Jealousy pumped through me, but surprisingly not over Brooks and his mystery woman but the women Jesse kissed after he’d been inside them. Of the gorgeous blonde he’d had on the back of his bike, of the way he’d held her like she was precious.
I wanted that. I’d wanted that so badly.
What was wrong with me? Why was it never me?
Stop.
I swallowed convulsively. “We…we weren’t exclusive…”
“Don’t give that fucking asswipe a pass, Lila. He doesn’t deserve you…”
“And who does? Huh, Jesse? Who out there is good enough for little miss goodie-two-shoes Lila Cooper?”
He made a rough sound and took a step closer. I knew that look, sympathy. He was going to hug me. Comfort the sad, pathetic loser. My humiliation soared higher, my face burning now. I backed up before he could reach me and spun the sign and opened the door.
Two people were outside waiting. They glanced from me to Jesse as they hustled in. Great, now people would be gossiping about me shutting myself in the library with a biker in the middle of the day.
Jesse closed the distance between us and took my chin in his rough-skinned fingers. “Bambi,” he said in a pained voice.
“I’m fine. Like I said, Brooks and I weren’t exclusive. We can both date whoever we like.”
His eyes locked on mine. “You weren’t, though, were you, sweetheart.”
I pulled out of his hold and turned away from those goddamn mesmerizing green eyes that pulled me in so easily. “I have work to do.”
I turned my back on him, quickly putting the counter between us. Ignoring how he stood there for several long seconds watching me before he finally walked out.
Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be Jesse to see it, to tell me? The truth was, that’s what cut the most. Not Brooks seeing other people. I’d wanted Jesse to think I’d moved on from him as easily as he’d moved on from me. It was a lie, though. I hadn’t. No wonder Brooks was dating around. I’d held him at a distance. Hadn’t let him close.
I’d been keeping my options open, too, hadn’t I? Saving myself for a man who didn’t want me anymore.
The universe was really starting to piss me off.
I’d been trying my damnedest to avoid Jesse…Grifter, the last few days. I’d taken lunch to work instead of going to the café, and instead of dinner at The Mule with Addie last night, I’d taken up Kate’s offer and had dinner with her, Eric, and Maddie.
But it wasn’t working. I kept seeing him everywhere. And as I walked down the street toward the gym with Eves now, I spotted not one but two bikes parked out front. I knew Grifter’s bike. I’d admired it plenty of times. Especially when he’d been sitting on it.
Eves glanced at me, concern in her brown eyes. “It’s okay if you don’t want to go in.”
She had a message for Dane from one of his clients about a time change for his appointment, and Dane wasn’t answering his phone.
I wasn’t ready to see Jesse. Maybe it was cowardly, but I didn’t care. I was definitely waiting out here.
Brooks walked out of the hardware store up the street.
Nope. No.
I grabbed Eve’s arm and dragged her into the gym. What had I done in a previous life to deserve this? I’d been avoiding Brooks as well. I hadn’t worked out exactly what to say to him yet.
And right then, Jesse…dammit, Grifter was the lesser of two evils. We’d already had it out. There was nothing left to say. So I could walk into the gym with Eves and smile and pretend I was cool. Better that than a discussion with Brooks about why I didn’t want to see him anymore.
I glanced around the large room. The sounds of fists hitting leather with force, grunts, and deep voices echoed around the room. The smell of sweat and aggression filling the air—
My mouth went dry.
He was in the ring with Dane. They were sparring.
My knees went weak. Stupid knees. Yes, I am pathetic.
Damn him for being so goddamn beautiful and sexy. Every inch of his inked chest, arms, and neck was on display. I swallowed thickly as my traitorous body heated.
He was wearing nylon shorts, and he had tattoos on his legs as well. Not as many, and mainly on his thighs, but the man was a walking, talking work of art.
“Come on, pretty boy,” Dane goaded. “Hit me like you mean it.”
“At least you’ve finally acknowledged that I’m prettier than you,” Grifter said back, casually. “It’s the nose, right? How many times have you broken yours?”
“Three,” Dane said, smirking, then jabbed, connecting with Grifter's side.
Grifter returned with a jab of his own and motioned to his own nose. “Two. Which is why mine looks rugged and yours looks like a barnacle in the middle of your face.”
They came together again, fists flying, the smack of leather gloves meeting flesh filling the room. When they came apart again, they were grinning, both in their element.
Eves stayed quiet at my side, hanging back. They hadn’t seen us yet. She was obviously enjoying the show as much as me.
“Your dick looks like a barnacle,” Dane said.
“Why have you been looking at my dick, Calero? Jealous? I feel sorry for Everly, honestly.”
Eves snickered beside me.
Dane chuckled. “Why? Because I’m so big?”
“You wish, Thumbelina.”
Dane barked out a laugh. “Pencil dick.”
They were jabbing and snickering, acting like they were in the fifth grade and loving every minute of it.
“Anaconda more like,” Grifter said.
“Jesus,” Eves muttered. “I wondered what they talked about when I wasn’t around. I wish I’d stayed ignorant.”
She wasn’t the only one, though they were kind of entertaining.
They spent another few minutes thinking of small things to insult each other’s manhood with, then Eves stepped forward right as Grifter said, “I haven’t had any complaints. They always come back for more Grifter. It’s like my cock’s made of chocolate. They can’t get it in their mouths fast enough.”
“Keep telling yourself that…”
“Yo!” Eves rushed forward.
My face heated. Yes, I’m sure they did come back for more. And I’m sure they did a much better job of it than me as well.
Dane and Grifter stopped and turned to us. Grifter’s eyes snapped to me and he visibly swallowed. “Hey, Bambi. What’s up?” he said roughly as Eves started talking to Dane.
“Hey, um, not much,” I said back, pleased when my voice came out strong and not tight with humiliation.
He frowned and jumped down, striding toward me. “What you heard just now…we were just talking shit…”
I shrugged. “Are you training for a fight?”
He was quiet for several long seconds, his gaze locked on mine. Somehow, I managed not to squirm.
“Yeah, in a few weeks.”
“Cool.”
He was watching me closely, too closely. “You talk to Brooks?”
“I don’t really think that’s any of your business, Grifter.”
“Jesse,” he said, voice full of grit. “You call me Jesse.”
“No one else does.”
He stilled and his gaze dipped to my mouth. “You do.”
I swallowed and licked my suddenly dry lips.
Jesse made a low growly sound.
“Let’s go get some lunch,” Eves called to me.
I jumped, then forced a smile as my face heated. “Right, well, see you around.”
Then I hurried away, legs shaking, while his gaze burned into the back of me until I was finally out of sight.
Chapter Eight
Jesse
The Mule was at capacity, the bar thrummed with energy, and the band s
eriously kicked ass.
My gaze slid to the packed dance floor again and I ground my teeth.
Usually, I loved this shit.
Tonight, I was in Hell.
Lila was here with Eves, Trix, and Addie. They all loved to dance. Whenever the opportunity arose, they hit the dance floor and stayed there. Trix let it all hang out, more confidence than any one human had a right to. With her colorful tats, curves, and a style that was all her own, she drew attention wherever she went. Addie was tall with wild, curly black hair, smooth, bronze skin, and legs for days. Same thing. The girl drew attention.
And then there were Eves and Lila. Curvy, bouncy, hot little vixens who had no idea just how hot they actually were.
Lila had her long, dark hair down, and she was wearing her contacts tonight. Christ, those beautiful brown eyes surrounded by long, curled lashes were fucking shouting, “I’m innocent, despoil me!”
I guess she had a kind of Zooey Deschanel thing going on, especially when she wore her glasses—only hotter, and a fuck of a lot curvier. The girl did it for me. Just looking at her made me restless, had adrenaline pumping through my veins right to my dick.
Everything in me yelled to go after her, claim her, make her mine. But then my brain would yell back, “Stay the fuck away from her, asshole, you’ll only screw up her life.”
I’d already hurt her.
My gaze moved over Lila again. I’d arrived an hour ago and she hadn’t looked at me. Not once. Why did that piss me off so much? Because you’re a selfish asshole, that’s why.
My gut clenched. Lila used to look at me like…shit, I made her world brighter just by being in the same room as her. No one had ever looked at me like that. I’d lived most of my life feeling like I was nothing. Shit, my old man told be every single day that’s exactly what I was.
And then that sweet girl had aimed her beautiful brown eyes at me, and I’d felt things I didn’t know I could. It’d scared the hell out of me. She’d seen something in me, something…more. She hadn’t just seen the ink, the club colors, a walk on the wild side. And I’d…yeah, I’d liked that a whole fuck of a lot.
Bad For You (Rocktown Ink Book 4) Page 6