Carolina King (Drive Me Wild Book 2) (3 page)

“Yeah,” he barked. I waited while he turned his back and spoke in low clip tones. With shaky fingers, I combed back the curls that had fallen from my ponytail, and I started to worry that people would notice that I was gone. Tayia and Blake were my ride home and they were probably looking for me.

“Mack,” I whispered to his turned back. When he didn’t answer I repeated myself a little louder. He whirled around with an annoyed look on his face.
Well, screw him.

“I’m outta here,” I called out and made my way past him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.

“Look, just take care of it,” he ordered into the phone and ended the call. “Where the hell are you going?”

“I need to leave. People are probably looking for me.”

“What did you decide?”

“About what?” I played dumb, even though I knew what he was talking about.

“Jonna,” he growled, not at all amused by my attempt at stalling. As much as I didn’t want to be the girl who’d agree to his proposition, I was that girl. I’d already had a taste of Mack King and I was hooked. Conscience be damned. All I had to do was just be smart and not fall in love with him.

I shrugged, grabbed Mack’s phone out of his hand, and dialed my phone number. When my cell buzzed in my pocket I pulled it out to show him. He gave me a satisfied nod as he scanned my body, his eyes full of wicked promises I knew he could deliver.

“Later, Firefly.” I watched him turn and stride away as if he owned the road he walked on, and in a way, he did.

“Jonna Lee!” my mother called from outside my door. “We’re gonna open in thirty minutes. I need you down here.”

I was still lying in bed, but I hadn’t been sleeping. All I could think about was why Mack would throw the race for me. While it was flattering that he would do such a thing, I hardly thought that the one night we spent together could get such a reaction from him. And what was with the firefly nickname and why did it make my insides feel mushy?

“Jonna?” Mama called my name again.

“Alright, I’m coming,” I yelled as I got up and walked three feet to my tiny bathroom. It was so small that it wasn’t large enough for a bathtub, only a stand-in shower. I’d convince my dad to convert the space above the restaurant into a studio apartment. Of course, Mama hated the idea, but Daddy did it for me anyway. He and Woody spent the entire winter, which was the off-season for the restaurant, building it for me. However, he did agree with my mother on one thing, I couldn’t move in until after I graduated.

I loved the space. It was small but just right for me. I had a tiny kitchen with a short marble countertop that also doubled as my kitchen table. A small couch and coffee table were my only living room furniture. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall and my bed was all the way to the far wall on a built-in platform—which was Woody’s idea—with stairs leading up to the elevated space. This effectively separated the bedroom from the rest of the area and was my favorite thing about the place. It was a cute little apartment, and it was mine.

I also had to agree to work at the restaurant since I decided not to go to college. School was never for me. There wasn’t a single thing that I enjoyed doing or was even good at. Tayia has wanted to be a writer for as long as I’ve known her. She’s a talented storyteller and a creative liar, which is part of the reason we’ve remained friends for so long. She also loves books. Nearly every surface in her room is covered with them. It was quite annoying. I didn’t like reading; I didn’t like books. In fact, I didn’t like many things except my little apartment.

After I’d showered and forced my wild blonde curls into a ponytail, I threw on an Annette’s Catch T-shirt and shorts. Then I made my way down the stairs and walked into the back entrance of the restaurant.

“Morning, Daddy,” I called when I saw my father standing in the storage room stacking boxes.

“Morning, baby girl,” he said with a wide smile. Hal Fox was an intimidating-looking man for those who didn’t know him. I was told when my family first moved to the island there weren’t very many varieties of people living here so a six foot four African American weightlifting champion took some getting used to. It didn’t take long for Annette’s Catch to become successful. It was centrally located and right next to the ferry dock. My mother had always been a real people person and could charm anyone. She was the reason we had so many regular customers and a full bar nearly every night.

“Oh, there you are,” Mama said as she came through the kitchen’s double doors. “Time to get to work, Missy.” She handed me a tray full of salt and pepper shakers and nudged me into the direction of the dining room. “Make sure there are two shakers on every table, one salt, and one pepper.” I rolled my eyes at her turned back. I hated how she always treated me like a child who needed to be told what to do all of the time. Of course, I knew to put one salt and one pepper shaker on every table. I may only be nineteen, but I wasn’t an idiot.

“Mama, I’m gonna quit.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied over her shoulder.

****

If I wasn’t already obsessed with Mack, it had gotten even worse after the night of the race. I tried to put him out of my mind and almost had managed to fool myself, until I’d caught a glimpse of him that night at a party at the Risto house. The family was new to the island and had bought up a lot of land. Throwing these big lavish parties seemed to be their way of making friends. James Risto, or Jamie as he preferred to be called, was in the crowd with Mack and his crew. Jamie was also the newest heartthrob on the island with reddish-brown hair and deep dimples. He seemed like a loner, though, and pretty much kept to himself, which was why it was odd that he was hanging with Mack.

The men were all talking in low tones in a back corner of the room, and it was clear that it was a closed conversation judging by the way they had their backs turned to everyone. I needed to get out of there fast because I didn’t want him to see me, so I set down my cup and promptly walked away from whoever was talking to me. I had no idea what he was saying anyway, just a bunch of
blah blah
word sounds coming from his mouth.

I hadn’t even wanted to come to this party, but I’d gotten notifications that everyone who was anyone on the island was going to be here so, of course, I came. There was no way I was going to hear all the evening highlights second hand. Except when I looked around all I saw were the same annoying faces from high school. The drama queens, the slackers, and some who’d been considered the cool kids. Everyone was just here for the weekend, to be seen and brag about their new grown-up lives. Yeah, it was definitely time to go.

I was feeling a little tipsy as I stumbled through the crowd looking for Tayia, and when I found her she was on the phone outside, talking rapidly and shaking her head.

“Blake. Stop it. No, you won’t.” When I reached her, she put a hand over the phone so that Blake wouldn’t hear and said, “Are you ready to go? He’s being a jerk.” Then she began talking back into the phone.

“Yes. Yes, you are being a jerk . . .” I tuned out the conversation. It seemed like those two were constantly arguing, and it was getting old. A few minutes later, Tayia ended the call and we were making our way across the lawn when I noticed moving shadows on the side of the house. As we got closer to the car, I saw the same group of men Mack had been talking to. They were crowded around a single guy who was staring at one person in particular.

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at the action in front of me. It was like a scene out of a movie, not something you’d see happening in real life. Three guys, including Jamie, were standing in front of a man I instantly recognized as Knight, the shithead racer who had been pissing off everyone and building a long list of enemies.

“Do you think I’m playing some sort of game with you?” a deep voice growled.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, man. Listen, I got my own problems to worry about . . .”

“Problems? What you thought were your problems are going to seem like a goddamn fairy tale if you keep getting in my fuckin’ way.” When the man behind the voice stepped from the shadows, I saw that it was Mack.

“Oh my God,” I gasped, then hiccupped before covering my mouth. When heads started turning my direction I quickly grabbed Tayia’s arm and dragged her out of sight.

When we were driving away all I could think about was how dangerous that situation looked, and I wondered what sort of things Mack did that would involve Knight getting in his way. Yet at the same time, I had to admit that seeing Mack again did something crazy to my insides. When any sane girl would run in the other direction, I found myself wanting Tayia to turn the car around.

****

“Jonna?” Harley called my name from the other side of the dining room causing me to jump. I’d been hiding in a booth and checking my phone for the hundredth time for a call from Mack. Pathetic? Maybe.

“What?” I yelled back into the empty room and watched as Harley made her way over to me while frequently looking over her shoulder. She slid into the seat across from me and narrowed her hazel eyes as I tucked my phone into my apron.

“What are you doing?” she asked and tilted her head to the side.

“None of your business. What do you want?” I snapped distractedly, but Harley along with the rest of my family never paid much attention to my crabby disposition.

“I need you to help me do something.” When I didn’t say anything, she continued. “I need you to help me pick up a box of my stuff.”

“A box? From where? Blake and Tayia’s? Are you moving in with my brother?”

“No, no. It’s not that. The stuff is, um . . . well, the stuff is in Charleston.” She looked away nervously.

“Okay, why do you need my help? Why can’t Drew take you?”

“Because the stuff is at my ex-boyfriend’s house, and Drew doesn’t exactly get along with my ex.”

“Oh,” I replied instantly as understanding dawned on me. I knew there was no way my brother would want to take her to an ex-boyfriend’s house.

“Look, I don’t want to keep this from Drew, but it’s just a quick thing. It’s a box from my Gram’s house. Stuff I saved before her house was sold. I just want to go, grab the box, and that will be the end of it. Drew will never have to know, and conflict will be avoided.”

The pleading look she gave me, I knew, was rare for her. Harley never asked people to help her do things. She was stubborn, kind of like me. I had no doubt that if she could have found a way to get to Charleston on her own she would have, but she didn’t have a car and it was too far to walk.

“Why are you asking me to take you? I mean we are talking about my brother.”

“Because we’re a lot alike, and I know that I can trust you.” I felt the scowl on my face leave as my expression relaxed. “Plus you’re the closest I’ve ever had to a sister, and I kind of want to see what that’s like.” I didn’t say it out loud, but Harley was the sister I’d always pictured having, and it was the first time I’d even considered the possibility that we could have a sisterly relationship.

“Fine. I’ll take you.” A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“Cool!” Harley jumped up and clapped her hands. “Let’s see if we can convince Hal to close up early tomorrow night, and we’ll go up to Charleston and be back before Drew will miss me.”

“Harley?” As if on cue, Drew called her name as he stepped out of the kitchen while shrugging on his jacket. “You ready to go, baby?”

“Yeah,” Harley answered, then turned to me with a conspiratorial wink and a quick wave before she hurried across the dining room and into Drew’s outstretched arms. He gave her a kiss on the lips, then pulled her against his side.

“Night, sis,” he called over his shoulder just before they left through the front doors.

“Good night,” I replied quickly, then pulled out my phone, no longer able to resist the urge to check for missed calls or messages. My face fell with disappointment when there was no new activity.

****

“So, has he called yet?” Tayia asked as soon as she answered the phone.

“Well, hello, Tayia. I’m doing well, and you?” I seethed with sarcasm as I flopped down onto my bed. It had been seven days since I gave Mack my phone number, and he hadn’t called. A fact that Tayia wouldn’t let me forget.

“Sorry, Jonna. It’s just killing me. Why can’t you just call him?”

“Because you know about my rule.” It was a principle I’d formed out of stubborn pride. I was never the first to call a guy. It was almost an assurance of his interest in me and that he wasn’t blowing me off. He had to make the first step. Maybe I was allowed to ignore them, but they couldn’t ignore me. Plus I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting myself into with Mack, and as much as I wanted him to call, I was also a little terrified that he would.

“Besides, you’re one to talk. Have you ever called a guy in your life?” I mumbled as I picked at a loose string on the inseam of my worn yoga pants. I was annoyed that Tayia seemed to have all the suggestions but would never follow through on them for herself. Sometimes I was convinced that she liked to live vicariously through me.

“You’re right. There are a lot of things I haven’t done that I regret,” Tayia agreed after several moments of silence, much to my surprise. “Hey, I need to get out of this house. Let’s go do something.”

“What are you talking about, Tayia? This is Sea Whisper Island. There’s not much to do.”

“Let’s go to The Spot. It’s Friday night. I’m sure something is happening up there.”

“What about Blake?”

“What about him?”

“He doesn’t like you going up to The Spot, especially without him.”

“Blake’s not here, and even if he was, I don’t care. He’s not in charge of me.”

The fact that she had to make that last statement proved to me just how in charge he was. I’d always thought he was too overprotective of her and that she never stood up for herself with him. It almost crossed boundaries sometimes. I grew up with two very vigilant brothers, but I’d seen Blake go crazy before when it came to his sister. But it was a sensitive topic where Tayia was concerned, so I learned a long time ago to just drop it.

“So I guess we’re going to The Spot,” I said with zero enthusiasm.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes.” Tayia squealed. I looked over at the clock in horror and saw that it was almost ten. I knew there was no way I’d be ready in thirty minutes. I had way too much hair to tame.

“Uh-uh. Don’t you even think about getting to my house before eleven, Tayia. I’m serious.”

“Fine,” Tayia grumbled, and then hung up the phone.