Maybe Johnny’s right. Maybe it would have been different if he’d not been a dick in the first place. Maybe I would’ve been all about him and no one else. If he’d treated me like he treats me now, I would’ve gotten lost in him, but I wouldn’t take any of it back. No way.
However, Johnny had a disadvantage the others didn’t from the very beginning. He’s the son of the asshole who ruined my life. He may not have ever had a chance to sweep me off my feet.
Mag pulls over to the side of the road. I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going, so I look up at the house we’re parked in front of now. “Where are we?”
He places his fingers under my chin and moves my face to look at him. “I’m happy to hear you say that, Kyla.” He moves to kiss me, and I let him. He takes control, sliding his mouth over mine in a determined coax until my toes curl in my sneakers. I’m sweaty from training, but I don’t think about that when Magnum deepens the kiss, threading his fingers through the hair on either side of my face.
I moan into him, and he pulls away with a small smile. “I love those little noises you make.”
My face flushes with desire. “You should keep going to see what else comes out of my mouth.”
His gaze flares with interest, but he shuts it right down as stoic as ever. He’s a master of his own emotions. I envy him that. Mag stares past me toward the building rising up after the curb. “This is the house I grew up in.”
I turn, breaking his hold on me and stare up at the two-story building. The shutters are crooked and falling and the white paint is peeling, revealing weathered wood underneath. “Where are we?” I ask, looking up and down the street to get my bearings.
“Just on the outskirts of the main city. Believe it or not, this house used to be really nice, then my dad died.”
I reach for his hand on the seat and squeeze. I love that he brought me here. That he wants to share a bit of him with me. If I could, I’d take them to the house I grew up in. Hell, if my parents were still alive, I’d be introducing these guys to them by now. One of these days, when it’s absolutely safe, I’ll introduce them to my aunt and uncle. When we’re out of the Heights, and we don’t have to worry about bringing our fight to them.
“Does your mom still live here?”
He shakes his head. “She moved as soon as I graduated.”
A flash of pain clouds his hazel-green eyes. He said he doesn’t talk to her anymore because of the Crew. “Is that a relationship you’d like to get back?”
“Eventually,” he says, smiling softly at me. “I want everything to go back to the way it should have been. Eventually.”
“Do you still own the house?” I ask, turning back to the structure and inspecting it for signs of life. It doesn’t look like anyone has been in it recently, but most of the buildings in the Heights look the same way. Forgotten.
“We do,” he says.
“But you don’t ever go in it?”
He shakes his head. “No. I haven’t been inside in years. I’d have to face a lot of demons to step back into that house.”
I squeeze his hand. “You let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll be right here.”
He takes a deep breath. “That’s one of the things about you that draws me in. You’re selfless. You have so much going on, yet you’re talking to me about this old wound. You went to as many of Oscar’s football games as you could because you knew how much it meant to him. I think it’s time you let someone take care of you for a while.”
“You already do,” I say. “You saved my life...what? Twice now?”
“I want to do so much more.”
His words have me reaching out for him again. I release my seat belt and kiss him with everything I have. It’s awkward with the cupholders and gearshift between us, but we make it work. I kiss Jacob until I’m breathless and needing more. He hauls me into his lap. My ass presses the horn on the steering wheel briefly, and he grins into the kiss before moving his seat back to allow me more room. I settle over him and gulp at the bulge in his pants pressing against my thin workout attire.
I grind against him, and he freezes. After several beats, he pulls away, both of us breathe heavily. “I’m sorry,” he says. “We have to stop.”
“Not impressed with the car space?” I ask, going for humor to cover up the fact that I really don’t want to stop.
He chuckles, but a layer of tension tightens his body. He helps me sit back in the passenger seat. “Not ideal, is it?”
He licks his lips, staring out the window for a moment while I arrange myself in the passenger seat, feeling like a little kid. Maybe it’s just because I know the age difference between us, but whenever something like this happens, I feel as if he’s chastising me. Like, I’m the one coming on to him, and he has to be the one to stop it because he’s oh so mature with years and years of wisdom.
Or, I’m reading too much into this because as hot as a car fuck could be, it’s maybe not the best for our first time.
“I should applaud you for your restraint,” I say, dropping my head back to the seat.
He moves his lust-filled gaze to me. “The only thing you should applaud me for is my grip strength when I jerk myself off tonight with thoughts of you.”
Well, hot damn. I squeeze my thighs together. Okay, I’m petty. I know it, but I damn well needed to hear that.
“Johnny seems to be keeping you well satisfied anyway,” Mag says as he adjusts his seat and pulls the car away from the curb.
My cheeks bloom a deep rose color. “He should never have shared that with you.”
He shakes his head. “I signed up for this. I knew you cared for all of them when my feelings grew. You never have to apologize about what you do and who you do it with, Kyla. Never.”
Man, it’s a fucking turn on to hear that. “Thanks,” I tell him sincerely, a simmering burn spreading through my limbs. Jacob may be able to hold off screwing me, but I’m not sure I can. Well, I’m sure I can, but I’m sure I don’t fucking want to. Besides, now that Johnny’s aware of my feelings for everyone else, there’s no reason to hold back anything.
It takes us about ten minutes to get back to the tower. Magnum nods toward the security guy in the booth, but he holds his hand up to stop us from just driving straight through. “Big Daddy K wants to see Kyla as soon as she’s in.”
Mag nods and waves, but as soon as we’re away from the booth, he swears, “Fuck.” A quick check tells me the muscle in his jaw is feathering with this information.
I’m in the same hesitant boat. What the fuck? What does he want to see me for?
“I don’t like this.” He pulls into his usual parking spot and slams his hand against the wheel a couple of times.
“Maybe it’s about the fight,” I say, trying to reason this out with a level head.
“Yeah,” Mag says, voice gruff in a sound that says he’s hardly agreeing at all. He doesn’t know why I’m being summoned, but it must scare the shit out of him. He pulls his cell phone from his pocket and hits Johnny’s name. The phone rings and rings. No one answers. “You try.”
I take my phone out and do the same. It rings until it goes to voicemail, and I shrug.