Really? This was not the sort of man he expected Kinley to be with. But he supposed he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The guy was now checking out the engine. Tall and thin, his unkempt hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wiped his nose on his sleeve as he muttered something to himself.
James pondered whether he should introduce himself. But did he really want to meet this guy? To find out that despite the outward package he was a decent guy? Someone that deserved Kinley?
No, he didn’t want to know that.
He moved around the black truck, heading towards the building, when he heard a phone ring.
“Yeah?” a disgruntled voice snapped. He paused. He shouldn’t eavesdrop but since when did he do everything he should? He wondered if it was Kinley calling to check on how her car was.
“Fucking bitches,” the guy spat out.
James frowned.
“Yeah, got some pussy last weekend then in the morning she was all like ‘what’s your number and when can I see you next?’” He laughed. “Got rid of that bitch real quick. She was a sad lay anyway.”
What? Was this guy cheating on Kinley? Was that why he’d been too busy to help her last night?
“Nah, I’m downtown. Kinley’s car stalled so I’m looking at it.” He laughed again. “Right? Fucking good-looking woman, even if she’s carrying a bit of beef.”
Carrying a bit of beef?
James clenched his hands into fists, forcing himself to stand still rather than turn around and teach that asshole a thing or two about respecting Kinley.
“Yeah, well, not like I know what the fuck I’m doing. Like I’ve told her before, this car is a piece of crap. She won’t listen, though. Sometimes I don’t know why I put up with her shit.”
Well, James could help him with that. Putting up with Kinley wouldn’t be something he’d have to worry about much longer.
All bets were off now. Kinley’s boyfriend was an asshole, which meant the path was clear. He’d made a decision. Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her. But he wanted her. And he’d do whatever he had to in order to keep her.
Sloan was still smarting from Alex’s unwanted advice as he woke up the next morning. He couldn’t keep going like this. He’d left things in limbo and it wasn’t fair to either of them.
He lay in bed, feeling unmotivated to go to work for the first time since he’d become his own boss. He enjoyed his job. Well, except for all the damn paperwork. He’d rather be out working with his hands. But, still, he got to make his own rules now.
After Sarah died and his friendship with James disintegrated, he hadn’t wanted to do anything. He’d started drinking too much, he’d become angry and bitter. It wasn’t until he’d woken up one morning in his truck, in his driveway, with no memory of getting there, that he’d realized he had to clean up his shit. He’d obviously driven home while under the influence. He could have killed himself or someone else.
Part of him had wondered at the time if that’s what he’d been trying to do. Get himself killed, but he wasn’t a quitter. He didn’t take the easy way out but that was exactly what he’d been doing. So, he’d sobered up. Over the years, working for James, he’d amassed a decent nest egg, which he’d used to set himself up in business. It had been tough, but he’d done it. Now, none of that seemed to mean fuck all without Kinley.
He sat up with a groan, moving in a haze into the bathroom. He hadn’t been sleeping and had barely been eating. He knew he’d been an absolute bastard to work with lately.
You pushed her away.
Yeah, she’d kept stuff from him, but it wasn’t like she’d cheated on him. He just had a real problem when it came to being kept in the dark about stuff like this. It’s what destroyed his relationship with James and Sarah.
And are you going to let it ruin this one? Was it already ruined? He thought about that. He’d acted like a bear with a case of haemorrhoids.
Alex was right. He had to fight for them. And if that meant forgiving and forgetting, that’s what he had to do. He needed to sit down with her. To explain why what she did had affected him the way it had. And to apologize for pushing her away.
It wasn’t Kinley who’d put this barrier between them. It wasn’t her keeping them apart. It was him. He’d needed to decide whether he was in or out, and he was in. Completely.
He smiled slowly, now that he’d made that decision. She’d be his. To do with as he wanted. To fuck, to pleasure, to punish, every day for the rest of their lives. Nothing would stand in his way.
Kinley knew it was a mistake to send Gary around to check out her car, but his dad, her boss had insisted. Mike Foley was a decent guy, a hard worker, and a good boss. He’d taken a liking to Kinley and had helped her out on more than one occasion, although she tried not to ask too much.
Gary was everything his dad was not. Lazy, unkempt, rude, and the last man she’d ever want to end up with. For some reason, he seemed to think he was God’s gift to women, and she should fall at his feet just for the privilege of having him flirt with her. If you could call it flirting. She just called it gross.
As he loomed over her, the stench of his breath overpowering her nose, she could barely keep the contempt from showing on her face.
He smiled, displaying his yellowed teeth. He was missing one of his incisors, it had been knocked out in a fight and he hadn’t bothered to do anything about it.