Black Falcon: Complete Series Collection (88 page)

My heels click against the wood floor as I walk to the cabinet. I hand him the plate. “This is so sweet of you.”

Trip shrugs. “We’re celebrating.”

I raise an eyebrow because my curiosity is killing me. “Oh? What might that be?”

He slaps the steaks on the plate and smiles. “Mountain Time Speed Track has an investor.”

“Really?!” I squeal and throw my around his neck. “That’s amazing news!”

He laughs and sets the food down before turning and wrapping his arms around my waist. The expression on his face turns serious the moment he takes in my outfit. “You look amazing. Are you going out somewhere?”

I nod. “Jackson has an idea to help save the track, so I’m meeting him for dinner to talk about it.”

His lips pull into a tight line. “Call and cancel. You don’t need his help anymore.”

“Trip...I can’t do that. Your investor friend signing on is great, but we need ways to drum up business. I have to hear what Jackson has to say. We need all the help we can get around here.” Trip opens his mouth, but quickly closes it when a horn honks twice outside. “That’s him. We’ll talk more tonight.”

I lean up and kiss his cheek before running out the door and hoping in Jackson’s car.

The familiar scent of leather and woodsy cologne assaults my nose as soon as I close the door, locking myself in with Jackson. I used to love this smell. Sitting in here now reminds me of a time when being with Jackson was very comforting, instead of the tension I feel being next to him now. I can’t help but wonder how many other women he has had in this very seat behind my back, and a mixture of sadness and anger wash over my heart.

“Wow! That’s some dress, Holl. It’s tight in all the right places,” Jackson says, his eyes appraising my outfit.

Typically that kind of compliment would have had me giggling like an idiot, but now it rubs me the wrong way, like all he’s interested in is my body. I remember those kinds of remarks being a lot sweeter. That is before I found out he was using them on every other girl around here.

I tug the hem of the dress down to cover my thighs a little better. “Thanks, I think.”

Jackson backs out of the parking lot and then turns in the direction of downtown Tucson before reaching over and taking my hand in his. “I’m so glad you decided to come out with me tonight. Things are going to be good this time, Holly. I promise.”

I withdraw my hand from his. “I only agreed to come out with you for the track, Jackson. This is just business.”

He readjusts in his seat, staring straight ahead. “Business it is, then.”

Neither of us says another word during the ride. Tension rolls around us, but I won’t be the one to break it. He asked me to come out with him. He knows we aren’t together, and it’s unfair of him to think I would just give in and be an easy lay.

Once we’re seated at the small table in the restaurant, Jackson says, “This is awkward. Maybe this was a mistake. We can leave.”

Panic washes through me as I realize he might not help unless I give in a little. “Let’s start over. I’d like us to be friends.”

Jackson toys with the fork in front of him. “Friends, huh? You know, that night in your room, I was hoping we could part as friends, so I could move on without a guilty conscience, but when I hear you say it—it stings.”

I sigh. “Jackson...
you
chose to end things.”

“I know, and I’m here to say I made a mistake. I want you to take me back, Holly. You know we’re good together. Things could go back to how they were and I can help you set up a motocross competition to draw a crowd to the track.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want things to go back to how they were.”

His brow pulls in. “Don’t you want to get back together?”

This is the moment I’ve been wanting—for Jackson to come crawling back, admitting he was wrong—so why don’t I feel excited? I take a deep breath and Trip’s face pops into my head, which puzzles me. Why would I be thinking of him at a time like this?

As if Jackson is poking around in my brain, he asks, “Is it because of Trip?”

My eyes widen at his forwardness. “No. Well, I mean, a little, yes, but the main reason I don’t want to take you back has to do with you.”

“Me?” he asks with a surprised face. “I admitted I made a mistake by fooling around on you, and I’m sorry. Can’t we just move past that?”

I shake my head. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not just the fact that you cheated—that’s just
one
of the reasons. You lied to me. I bet it went on a lot longer than you lead me to believe. You probably just got tired of hiding it all the time.” He opens his mouth to argue, but I don’t give him the opportunity, and the reasons I don’t want him back flow freely from my mouth. “You never supported the idea of me going away to college, even though I had my heart set on it. And I don’t like how you treat Max.”

His eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t like you harassing my friend. Max told me you threatened him if he didn’t tell you why Trip was here.”

“I only did that because I was worried about the guy’s intentions. I don’t like to see you get hurt.”

I laugh sarcastically. “That’s rich. You can hurt me but no one else can.”

Jackson’s jaw muscle flexes under his skin. “You know what, Holly, I’m done.”

“You’re done? What does that even mean?”

“It means that I lost my mind believing that I wanted you back. Tell Trip he won and he can have your bitchy ass.” He rises from the table.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. Find your own way home.” Jackson throws a twenty on the table. “That should cover your meal.”

My mouth drops open as I watch him turn and leave the restaurant. I can’t believe that asshole just left me stranded here. Max was right. I’m beginning to question my own judgment on what I ever saw in that guy.

The petite, blonde waitress approaches the table. “Would you like to order your drinks now, or are we waiting on someone else?”

I dig in my purse and hand her my fake ID. “It’s just me, and I would like to start with something from the bar.”

T
he way Holly tore out of here made my heart sink. I know her goal is getting Jackson back, and I’m a dumbass for beginning to care about a girl who loves someone else, but I wish she would reconsider that asshole. The idea that he could be kissing those sweet lips of hers right now makes my blood boil. I’ve tasted those lips, and all I’ve done over the past week is thought about doing it again.

I stab the steak in front of me with my fork and vigorously begin cutting it, while picturing Jackson’s smug face.

“Whoa. What did that thing ever do to you?” Max asks.

I shrug. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“About Holly and Jackson,” Max prods before taking a bite.

My eyes flick to his, but I don’t answer. I don’t need him knowing my business.

Max takes a drink of water and then sets his glass down. “I never did like the guy.”

“Why?” I ask and then take another bite before glancing over at Bill, who is still asleep in the recliner. “I thought you all were friends or something.”

“Or something...” Max says. “Jackson Cruze is a narrow-minded homophobe who talks with his fists.”

“You two have gotten into it before?”

Max nods. “Oh, yeah, many times.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And Holly stayed with him. I thought girl-code was if the boyfriend and the best friend didn’t get along, the guy didn’t last long.”

Max shrugs. “I never told her.”

“Why not?”

“I might be gay, Trip, but I still have pride like any other man. I don’t want everyone to know I get my ass beat every time I turn around, especially not my female best friend who treats me more like a man than most people around here do.”

“I thought no one knows your...sexual orientation.”

“I’ve never officially come out if that’s what you mean, but people have speculated for a long time now.”

I take a deep breath. “You still should’ve told Holly what a dick Jackson has been to you.”

He shakes his head. “I wanted her to open her eyes to what an asshole he is on her own. Holly is hard-headed, and if I’d tried to tell her things about Jackson that she wasn’t ready to hear, she wouldn’t have believed them. She’s the kind of girl that has to see things with her own eyes. Like that old saying goes, love is blind.”

“So I’ve heard.” I swallow down the last bite of my food and lean back in the chair, thinking about all the crazy shit Black Falcon has been through with Noel and Riff and all their women bullshit. Those two guys never listen to my advice in the matters of the heart. It’s like they’re too caught up in their own drama to see reason.

Max’s cell vibrates against the table, and I can clearly see Holly’s name across the caller ID. I pick up the phone without asking his permission and answer, swatting his hand away. “How’s your date?”

“Trip? Why are you answering Max’s phone?” The confusion in her voice rings clear.

“We’re here enjoying these delicious steaks you ran out on. Where are you?” She sniffs into the phone and I realize she’s crying. I stiffen in my chair. “What’s wrong? Did Jackson hurt you?”

My hand tightens around the phone at the exact moment Max pushes away from the table and heads out the door. I watch through the window as he gets into his car and tears out of the driveway. I probably should ask where he’s going, but whatever it is, it’s his business.

“No. He didn’t hurt me, but he left me here at Paulo’s. Can you ask Max to come and get me?”

My heart pounds in my chest. The thought of Holly being alone and stranded hits me hard. Bad things can happen to women left alone in a vulnerable state. The next time I see Jackson, he’s a dead man. “I’ll come and get you. Stay put inside the restaurant,” I order.

“Okay,” she agrees before she disconnects the phone.

I lay Max’s phone on the table and search my own out of my pocket. I look up the restaurant’s address in my phone and then plug it into my phone’s GPS. Two minutes later I’m on the road, following the digital voice’s directions.

I pull up to Paulo’s and cut the engine. The little Mexican joint is hoping with a party inside. A DJ in the corner both spins the top pop hit of the week, and bodies pack the small dance floor.

Jackson brought her
here
to discuss track business? He obviously doesn’t really give a shit about Mountain Time. What a fucking douchebag.

I weave in and out of the bodies until I spot Holly alone at a corner table for two, sipping on a drink. There’s a deep frown on her face while she watches everyone around her. She sticks out sitting there all alone in a room full of people having a good time and I get the sudden urge to lift her sprits.

The second I reach her table the song
Smooth
by Santana plays over the speakers and I think back to the first time I saw her and what a good time she was having that night in the bar. I’ll do anything to see that smile again.

I extend my hand and her blue eyes trail up my arm and cheat until they meet mine. “Dance with me.”

Holly sets her drink down and places her hand in mine, allowing me to pull her up and lead her to the floor. The sexy guitar chorus screams as I pull her against me without permission. Both of her arms wrap around my neck and my hands slide down her back before resting on her slim hips. We rock in time to the beat, our eyes glued to one another’s, neither of us speaking a word while our bodies do all the talking.

Her mouth drops open when I allow my hands to wander down and grab a hold of her ass. I fully expect her to pull away and give me the evil eye, but she doesn’t. Instead, she shocks me by licking her lips in anticipation.

Holy mother of God.

Those lips. They’re all I’ve been dreaming about, but didn’t want to push her into fooling around with me again unless she wants to.

She presses up on her tiptoes and whispers in my ear, “Does your invitation from the first time we danced about taking me home still stand? I’m tired of thinking about Jackson. Make me forget about him like I know you want to.”

Holly licks my earlobe once before sucking on it. My eyes roll back in my head. She has no clue how much that fucking turns me on. I only have so much self-control I pull back and stare into her eyes. If I had to guess, she’s had a few drinks, but not enough to completely impair her judgment—just enough to loosen her up. I want her, but I want her to want me for the right reasons, not because she’s lonely and needs somebody.

Sensing my hesitation, she grabs each side of my face, pulling me down to kiss my lips. “If you want me to say please, I will. I know how you like women that beg.”

My cock jerks and I groan as I rub her ass. “You don’t know how much I want you.”

She wiggles her hips, rubbing her pelvis against mine and she grins. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

That little naughty glint in her eyes is enough to allow my brain to say, “Fuck all the logical reasoning for not giving her what she’s asking for.” I thread my fingers in her hair and plant my lips on hers. She opens her mouth and allows my tongue entrance so I deepen our kiss.

I fucking want her. I know I shouldn’t and I’ve been fighting against this very thing happening since I found out who she was, but ever since the last taste I had of her on the couch, this is all I’ve been thinking about. I just didn’t want to seem like a pushy asshole bringing up the situation, especially since she was doing her best to pretend that nothing ever happened between us.

I pull back and stare into her lust-filled eyes before pulling her arms from around my neck and leading her out of the restaurant. I can’t wait any longer.

The moment we reach the Mustang, I spin Holly around and back her against the car. My mouth crashes into hers. She’s even sweeter than I remember and it’s fucking addicting.

I kiss a trail down her jaw line and nibble on the sensitive skin below her ear. Holly throws her head back and moans as I work my way back to her mouth.

“I want you, Trip. Take me home,” she says in a breathy voice.

I pull her forward and reach behind her, opening the car door. “Get in,” I order.