I slam the door behind me and run toward the treehouse. The cold night air bites at me as I climb the ladder and fall onto the cushions. Hot tears stream down my face, and I bite my tongue to stop myself from screaming, but the sting from that is nothing compared to the sting of betrayal lacing its way through my body right now.
Coming back here was always a bad idea. Ever since I got back there’s been nothing but pain and heartbreak.
CHAPTER 8
Silence surrounds me as I make my way upstairs. I have no idea if Momma is even here… Like usual.
I let the hot water of the shower beat across my body and wash away the metaphorical dirt from last night. I let it wash away the sting that hasn’t yet sunk into me until my skin is red raw.
I get dressed and grab my sunglasses, if only because they’ll hide the bags under my eyes. I twist my damp hair on top of my head and take my cell. I go downstairs and head out into the scorching heat, wrinkling my face at the waft of hot air that slams into me when I open my car door.
As I drive through town, I head towards the garage on instinct. I had no intention of coming here when I got in the car. I don’t actually know where I planned on going… But here I am. I put my car in park and get out, spotting Adam first. He looks up as I slide my glasses up and makes a face.
“Damn, Kia. You make terrible look good,” he quips.
“You really know how to flatter a girl,” I reply dryly. “Remind me why you’re single, ‘cause I just can’t work it out.”
“Ouch.” He winks. “Did you get in a fight with a toddler on your way down here? You got a couple purple eyes there, Princess. And talking of that – why are you even here? Did your car break down again?”
“Oh, God. Where do I even start?” I put my hands on my hips. “I obviously stopped my car in the middle of the road to get a toddler’s ball, then they repaid the favor by punching me in both eyes and shoving their ball up my exhaust. Then, in the time it took me to push my car here, I got drenched in sweat and both black eyes came out. Would you even believe it?”
He smirks.
“Or, of course, I had a bad night, didn’t sleep much, and didn’t let my hair dry after my shower this morning. But the toddler explanation is way more entertaining, right? Let’s go with that.” I smile a little at him. “But no, my car isn’t broken. This time.”
“It’s my charm. It keeps her coming back,” Reese says from the back room, strolling out casually with his coveralls open to his waist. He wipes his hands on his legs, and the smile drops from his face when he looks up at me. “Hey. What’s up?”
I swallow, unwilling to break in front of Adam. “Nothin’. I just needed to get out, and I ended up here with you asshats for some strange reason.”
Adam rolls his eyes and flicks my ear as he walks past. Reese’s long stride swallows up the garage and in seconds he’s standing in front of me. His finger hooks under my chin, and he raises my face to his.
“No, what’s up?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it right now.”
“Kia…”
“Please, Reese.” A hint of begging surfaces in my voice. “I just need to chill for a bit, okay?”
“Want me to see if I can get off?”
I shake my head and move his hand from my chin. “No. I don’t mind hanging around here for the day.” Our fingers slot together, and my eyes climb to his from his lips. “It’ll be just like last summer. Right?”
His lips quirk, and he leans into me. “Right. And that means I get to do this.” His face lowers to mine, and I close my eyes when his mouth brushes across mine twice. “Right?”
I open my eyes and whisper, “Right.”
He brings his other hand up. The pad of his thumb nudges my bottom lip, and he runs it along the softness to the corner of my mouth to pull it up slightly. “Smile.”
“Maybe later.” I fight the very smile he just demanded of me.
“No, now,” he orders, his eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement. “I hate seein’ my girl sad.”
My eyebrows go up. “Your girl?”
“Yeah you’re my girl. You always have been, Kia, and you always will be. You try to find me someone that can tell me any different and see what happens to them.”
I let my lips curve upwards, matching the smile on his face. “I might hold you to that.”
He laughs quietly, bending his head down and kissing me again.
“Oi, Kia!” Adam yells.
“What?” I look around Reese to him.
“Are you stayin’ or what?”
“Yep.”
“Good, ‘cause I got a job for you.”
I let Reese’s hand go and step around him, putting my hands back on my hips. “Oh, you have, have you?”
“Yeah, I have.” Adam answers and grins lopsidedly.
“And?”
“I have an insane craving for coffee and doughnuts but I’m busy here and can’t go and get it, so…”
“You want me to hop in my car, drive to the bakery and get you some, right?”
“And them there are the brains that got you into college!”
I shake my head. “Jackass.”
He digs his hand in his pocket and walks over to me, tucking a twenty into my hand. “There’s a doll. Buy yourself some, too.”
I click my tongue as he chuckles to himself, walking away, but I’m smiling at the same time.
Reese puts his hand on the back of my neck and turns my face toward his. “Just like last summer, right?”
I shove Adam’s bill into my pocket and grab the neck of Reese’s tank top, pulling his face to mine. I stand on my tip toes to meet him, pressing my mouth to his firmly. I gently suck on his bottom lip, pulling it into my mouth, and run my tongue across it. His fingers tighten on my neck as my teeth graze along the surface of his lip. I step back, spinning from his hold, and grin, walking backward.
“You’re right,” I say and shrug, staring into his slightly hooded, hot eyes. “Just like last summer.”
~
“I hope I’m getting paid for this,” I grumble as I pass Reese a wrench.
“Ask Adam. And that’s the wrong size.”
“How am I supposed to tell them apart? A wrench is a wrench.”
He slides out from under the car, covered in oil with his hair sticking out in every direction. He smirks. “They’re numbered. See?” He and points to a number on the tool.