Her eyes almost twinkle. “So I’ve heard.”
She turns her back to us and I steal a glance at Walker. He looks scared now, but I’m actually starting to feel better. She’s not so bad. My eyebrows pull in when I catch him staring straight ahead at something with fear in his eyes. When I face forward again, I see why.
Before I can react, Sugar apparently, has a shotgun pointed directly at my dick.
She smiles at me, cocking it with a loud click. “You’re awfully forward to be stating demands before we discussed the rules yet.” She presses the barrel against my shaft. “I suggest you listen and listen good. I would hate to have to blow your balls clean off.”
Very—and I mean very—slowly, I raise my hands in the air. “I’m listening.”
She winks at me. “Good.” When she lowers the barrel of the gun, I breathe for the first time in the last minute. “From now on, you work for me. Anybody ever gives you shit, you come straight here. This is my turf. Sam and Robby aren’t running the show around here. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I repeat. I can’t tell if she likes it or not, but it’s like an automatic reaction when someone of her age is speaking to you.
She nods to the table where two large delivery totes are stacked. “Those are yours. You have two weeks. You come back and they’re gone, I give you more. That’s how it works.”
I nod quickly. “Sounds good. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
She smiles again, glancing over at Walker. “What’s wrong with your friend? Is he mute or something?”
I laugh nervously, throwing my arm over his shoulder. “No, he’s just shy.” I give his shoulder a squeeze. “Aren’t you buddy?”
Walker nods and gives a very unconvincing smile. I’m going to punch him later.
She nods to table again. “Well, go on then. I’m missing my favorite program the longer you two fuck around.”
Releasing Walker, I reach forward and grab both totes. “See you soon,” I say over my shoulder.
The old lady’s laugh travels all the way into the foyer as we hurry out of the house.
As soon as we’re outside, Walker grabs my arm. “I thought you said we’d think it over before we made any decisions.”
I shoot him an angry look. “My fucking dick was in jeopardy. This was the only choice.” I toss the bags in the back of Walker’s jeep and turn back to him. “Congratulations, you got what you wanted.”
Walker puts his hand on my shoulder, his expression fierce. “I promise this is a good move. You won’t regret this.”
I clench my jaw and pull away from him. As I take my seat on the passenger side, I lean my head back and close my eyes. Walker is crazy if he thinks we just did something good, and he doesn’t have to worry about me regretting it.
I already do.
21
What Do You Want From Me?
Perry- Now
I’m in a mood when I pick Sloan up down the street from Johnny’s apartment. I hate sneaking around with her. It’s true I’ve always walked a fine line between right and wrong, but this feels really bad. Guilt swirls in my gut every time I drop her off. It’s also followed by pure hatred at the fact that she continues to be indecisive about us. If she wants me, she wants me. There should be no in between at this point.
I’ve never felt good enough for Sloan and yet I keep going back. Pushing for something that never seems to really work out. At this point it could just be habit, but a part of me believes there’s a reason for it all. That maybe if I just try a little harder we could be happy.
Sloan is seated beside me in my car. She has on her over-sized sunglasses and a fitted cream blazer and dark designer jeans. She even looks better than me.
Her hand brushes mine when we reach a stoplight. “Per, you okay?”
I shake my head, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. “I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get to Cornell and that scares me.” I glance over at her. “I could kill him.”
She flashes a nervous smile. “Please don’t.” Her hand laces with mine. “I just got you back.”
The light turns green and I laugh bitterly. The hand holding mine still has a rather large diamond on it.
“Did you?”
I can’t keep the sarcasm from my tone and she sighs. She pulls her hand away and runs it through her hair, facing out of the window. “What do you want me to do, Perry?”
“Leave him,” I say simply, keeping my eyes on the road.
“Leave him,” she huffs. “It’s not that simple.”
I can’t drive around and play games with her today. I still need to talk to Tess, make shit straight with Robby, and make it to Cornell before the game starts. Disobeying traffic laws, I take an illegal turn and pull off the road. Sloan looks over at me with wide eyes.
“What are you doing?”
I release my seatbelt and lean into her seat so she has to look at me. “It is easy, take off that fucking ring and marry me instead.”
Her mouth drops open slightly. “Perry…I. Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
Her eyes soften and she puts her hand on my arm. “That’s not the most romantic proposal.”
I laugh once. “You want me to get down on one knee in the middle of the street I will.” I grab her face and kiss her hard. “I’ll give you whatever it is you need so that I get to have you. Just you and me, forever.”
I think that last word scared her, because the color is slowly draining from her fake tanned face. She shakes her head. “I love you, you know that—but this is all very sudden.”
I laugh loudly this time. “Sudden?” I sit upright in my seat. “I’ve loved you for seven years. How is this sudden?”
She appears shaken, adjusting the button on her blazer. “I need to think about it.”
I smile. “What’s to think about? You love me, I love you. Let’s cut out all this bullshit and just be together. We can go to the courthouse and say our vows, no fuss at all. We don’t even have to invite anyone.”
She doesn’t look convinced, so I keep going.
“Or, we can do it the right way. I can get you a ring, a bigger one obviously, and we can have the wedding with the fancy dress and all our family. Anything you want.”
I hold my breath when her eyes fill with tears. “I can’t.”
My jaw clenches. “You can’t right now, or you just can’t?”
She takes a shaky breath. “I need more time.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
I lean back in my seat and press my finger into my throbbing temple.
“This is hard for me, too,” she cries.
I risk a glance over at her and for the first time, her tears don’t break me. It’s a cycle that I let her to take me on. The kind of mood I’m in right now doesn’t allow for sympathy.
“Get out.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “What?”
“I said get the fuck out, Sloan.”
I reach across her lap and shove her door open. We’re currently five miles from town.