Reign (Sin City Outlaws #1)(44)

“Shit.”

Wiping it up, I throw the cotton ball in the trash and turn the lights off. Climbing into bed, I call Jinx.

“Men suck, buddy. You’re the only man I need.” He purrs and I bring him closer. Just as I close my eyes, the familiar sound of a motorcycle comes from outside. My eyes pop open, and I freeze. Moments later, a knock sounds at the door and I clench my eyes shut, willing him to just go away.

I can hear his boots shuffle on the porch. Maybe he’s leaving.

A fist pounds on the door.

“Jillian, open up.” Shit, he must have seen my cruiser in the garage.

Seconds later, my phone chimes on the nightstand.

Sitting up, I grab it.

Ignoring the text he just sent, I send the picture of him and his ho posse.

“I never said I was exclusive, Jillian!” he hollers. I don’t respond. What an *.

My phone chimes.

I don’t do relationships, I thought you knew that. You knew who you were getting into bed with Jillian, don’t be naive. - Z

“Gah, I was so stupid,” I whisper to myself, my fingers digging into the cell phone.

Go away. There’s no way we could work anyway. It’s best we end it now, before it gets out of hand. - J

I toss it on the bed and stand, tugging on my hair at the roots.

I can’t believe I was so stupid to think Zeek would only want me. Men like him, they don’t want just one woman. They get bored quickly with one; they need to feel wanted by all.

A fist slams on the door, startling me. “Goddamn it, open the f*cking door!” A dog across the way starts to bark from the commotion.

He’s angry? Ha! What does he have to be angry about?!

Pushing the curtains aside, I open the window and lean out. His eyes stick on my chest, my tank top riding up my midriff, before slowly raising to my face.

“What happened to you?”

Ignoring his question, I go in for the kill, releasing all the humiliation and hurt I feel.

“I need a man who is satisfied with what I have to offer, not what every woman who walks past him has to offer.” He tries to talk, but I cut him off. “I am not one of those girls who is waiting for your attention, who feels like it’s my lucky day that Zevin f*cking Deluca picked me to warm his bed.”

“Just let me the f*ck in so we can talk.” His tone is angry and harsh. He is always mad, or brooding. A piece of me used to like that about him, but now I find it arrogant.

“You know, we have a saying where I work. The citizens are the sheep, the criminals are the wolves, and we law enforcement are the sheep dogs.” I shake my head. “I got too close to the wolf and got bit.”

I slam the window, ending the conversation. Turning, I climb into bed and curl in on myself.

“Open up!” He pounds on my front door, my heart seizing that he might burst through it any minute.

Everything stills for a minute before he slaps the door one last time, his boots thudding on the porch as he walks away.

***

Two days go by, and I hear nothing from Zeek. It hurts, but not like you think it hurts. The fact that I was so naive to think Zeek wouldn’t screw around haunts me. The fact that his smooth words and the way our bodies spoke to one another in bed made me forget who I was really dealing with.

I pull into my driveway at the end of a long shift and spot Zeek sitting on my front porch. I’m surprised.

Opening the garage door, I quickly pull in and click the button to close it, hoping it closes before he has a chance to get up and come inside.

No such luck.

My car door is ripped open, my arm gripped roughly.

“What the hell?”

He shoves me against the car, his face right in mine.

“I tried to be nice. I tried to do it your way.”

“Nice? You call dry-humping a bunch of girls right before coming to see me nice?” I laugh in his face.

“Don’t you get it? I f*cking came here, Jillian. I didn’t sleep with those girls. This…” He pulls away, running his hands through his hair as if he’s annoyed. Dark strands slip through his fingers like silk. I love it when he does that.

“It’s f*cked. Whatever we are doing is f*cked. We’re stupid, and the way you make me feel is—” he shakes his head.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I spit out. Slamming the car door, I head inside. I try to close the door and lock it but he shoves it open, his face tight with irritation.

“You’re going to let me talk.”

“No, I’m not. I don’t need to hear your lies. I was stupid once, I won’t be again.”

I head into my room to change and he follows.

“Stop walking away from me.” He’s getting angrier. Good, I want him angry. I want to hurt him.

He growls, and before I can turn around to look at him, I’m lifted into the air and thrown on the bed.

“What do you want to hear? What will make you shut your mouth and open your pretty little ears?”

I sit upright, pushing him off me.

“Yes, I wanted to f*ck those girls. I wanted to f*ck them both at the same time, and then come over here and f*ck you.”

Biting my lip, I slap him across the face. His head whips to the side, his eyes closed.

“Get the f*ck out,” I breathe heavily.

Shoving him out of my way, I try to make my way off the bed but am stopped short, his hand gripping my upper arm.