Love Tap(21)

Reaching outside, my chest constricts with the incredible urge to burn this f*cking place to the ground in a fit of rage.

Why in the hell did I come back here? Sure, I was miserable in LA, but at least I wasn’t feeling like this. Camden doesn’t want an apology, he wants to hurt me.

Sprinkles of cold rain pelt my skin, cooling my flustered state.

“Tate!” that low growl with an undertone of silk calls after me and I cringe.

Ignoring him, my feet crunch into the gravel from the parking lot.

Fingers wrap around my bicep and I’m turned around before I realize what is happening.

“Why did you come back?” Camden is face to face with me, his chest heaving. I tear from his grip, staring at him with a vengeance.

My lips part to answer him, and the skies open up allowing a harsh rain to fall. “Tell me! Why you are here, damn it. You at least owe me that much!”

“I came back to mend things with my family and go pro, I told you that.”

“Why do you want to go pro? Why here?”

My eyes sting, my heart beating so fast I can barely catch my breath.

“I came back because I was miserable, and I wanted… I wanted to come home.” The words come out as if I was a homesick child wanting their parents. “I wasn’t doing what I wanted, I was doing what I thought was the right thing to do.” I continue, hoping to come off a little more mature.

Rain sticks to his lashes, his shirt outlining his chest perfectly.

A commotion catches my attention behind him. His date is stumbling in her ridiculous heels, as she tries to cover her head with her tiny purse. Makeup running down her face like melted crayons.

“She’s nothing like me.” The words fall from my mouth before I can stop them.

He glances at me, his thumb rubbing his chin.

“Exactly,” his reply comes quick, and hard.

It’s a knife to the chest. Fuck I hate him!

I blink rapidly, not sure if it’s tears or rain that are falling down my face. My head replaying moments of him and I as a kid, ones my heart won’t let go and make things like this much harder to get through.

“You really are an *, you know that?”

He scoffs at me, looking away.

Turning, I jerk the car door open, just as Chloe reaches the driver side.

Getting in, she stalls, her mouth opening and closing as she searches for the right thing to say.

“Tate, he’s not doing anything to keep you his, so why are you hurting yourself trying to make him happy?”

She’s right. I’ve been nothing but nice when he’s done nothing but been a jerk since I got back in town. He’s had his time to be angry about past events, but now it’s getting personal.

“Let’s just get out of here.” I cross my arms, anger and hurt fueling my body like poison.



Camden



The taillights fade into the night’s rain. I’m feeling so many emotions I feel dizzy. It’s not from drinking though, I haven’t had a drop. Running my fingers through my wet hair I look at the ground wondering if the hate and longing for Tate will eventually sort itself out.

“Baby?” a voice coos from behind me, her hand resting on my shoulder. I don’t even know her name. Cathy, Cindy? Fuck I can’t remember.

Chase is standing by the door to the pub, a beer in his hand as he stares at me with a smirk. Is he toying with me?

Marching toward him, my hand curls into a fist. My jaw locking from rage.

“I told you,” I point at him, “stay away from her!”

“What do you care?” His face smug. “Aren’t you more of a boobs than brains kind of guy? That girl there is hot, and way out of your league.”

Before I can think about what I’m doing. My fist collides with his face. My knuckles splitting from the contact, the pain a f*cking rush. All this pent up anger and conflict releasing on Chase.

His beer falls to the ground breaking. His hands fisting my shirt and shoving me off him.

Wrapping my arm around his neck I put him into a chokehold, as my vision turns red.

“Any woman in this town, you can have. But that one, I specifically said to stay away from!” My face burns from the adrenaline torpedoing through me, the urge to split this f*cker’s head open is overwhelming.

“Fucking get off!” Chase struggles and I shove him against the brick building, not nearly done with him.

“You’re going to f*cking regret that.” He roughly pushes the hair out of his face and I get a step up to him. “You better get out of my face,” he threatens.

“Or what?” I taunt, hoping he does something to awaken the beast inside of me.

“Guys!” Cindy states from the side, catching my attention. Fuck, maybe her name doesn’t even start with a C.

I shake my head, and step away from Chase.

“Who is that bitch?” Chase asks, wiping the rain from his face.

“She’s nobody. Just stay away from her.”

My jaw suddenly aches, and I realize I’m gritting my teeth to near cracking.

His eyes widen, and an evil smile crosses his pretty boy face.

“She’s that girl you were talking about awhile back isn’t she?” He nods knowingly and my chests constricts. I got drunk a few years back, and a girl that was at an after party looked just like Tate. Needless to say, she became the topic of conversation in my inebriated state.