Too Sweet (Hayes Brothers #3)(27)
I want to ask how he knows my address, but there’s a clog in my throat the size of an apple. If I open my mouth, I’ll cry.
Most girls love bad boys: their charm, the aura of danger, their controlled arrogance... Aisha’s books are full of guys like that and they sell out like warm cakes.
But bad boys are only great in books.
Nico holds his jacket over his knee as we pull away from the curb. The expensive silver watch adorning his wrist contrasts the black tattoos marking both of his hands and arms.
He’s worth a fortune, but money isn’t what I’m attracted to. Or was attracted to before he made assumptions, not letting me explain.
It’s his confidence I adored. The way he knew exactly how to handle me and watched me like I was something important that should be cared for.
Disappointment floods my system, settling deep in my gut. For a moment, I thought he could be interested in me, but that ship sailed. Even if he didn’t mind the ten-year age gap, I’m not the type he goes for. He likes short skirts, big boobs, and glamorous makeup.
I don’t fit him. Not in the slightest.
He’s a predator. Tall, broad, strong. Everything about him screams testosterone: from his smell, style, and stance right down to his voice. He’s rough around the edges, his chin peppered with two-day stubble, eyes framed by thick eyebrows. Tattoos mark every inch of his upper body... and I’m like that girl from A Walk to Remember Aisha compares me to. Small, spineless.
I wish I could be more like my sister—outgoing and unafraid to act on my desires—because I’ve never felt so overwhelmed in a man’s presence.
Maybe if I had the guts to seize the opportunity, he wouldn’t be watching me like he can’t wait for the ride to be over.
“Do me a favor and stay away from my brothers,” he clips, pushing a long calming breath down his nose. “They don’t need problems, and that’s all you’ll bring.”
I stare at the back of the driver’s seat, my chest constricting again. He’s not wrong. The triplets get into pointless fights on my behalf, no matter how much I beg them not to. It takes as little as some guys calling me weird to set them off.
“You won’t talk to me now?” Nico asks, his voice dripping with annoyance. “Very fucking mature.”
My nails bite into the palms of my hands. “Why are you acting like this? I didn’t do anything wrong. I—”
“You let the guy touch you! You didn’t stop him, but you did look at me for help. I’ve dealt with girls like you before. I lived through this shit. It doesn’t end well.”
“I didn’t mean to look at you. I didn’t need help,” I force the words past my lips, though all I want to do is tuck and roll out of the moving cab. “I was looking for Aisha so she’d wait with me outside, and... I didn’t let him touch me, Nico,” I whisper the last part, not trusting my voice anymore. “I pushed him away. I just needed a moment to—”
“To what? Get enough attention on you? Maybe you didn’t let him, but you sure didn’t fucking stop him.”
God, why is defending myself so difficult? It shouldn’t be. I did nothing wrong, but thanks to Nico’s attitude, guilt sprouts in my stomach, making me feel so, so small. I should react faster. I know I should... it’s just that if I make one false move, I lose.
“It gets very noisy and overwhelming inside my head when I’m touched by someone I don’t want touching me,” I say.
The need to change his mind about me burns a hole in my chest. Or maybe the need to retaliate spurs me on.
It’s an odd, disturbing feeling. I’ve never gone down the eye-for-an-eye route before, always the one to give up, but Nico’s attitude awakens part of my character I didn’t know existed.
“Things resurface,” I continue, even though he probably already karate-chopped me dead in his mind and doesn’t give a damn about my excuses. “I get nauseous, panicky... I need a minute to get a hold of myself. A moment to push the panic down, assess my position, and find a way out.”
“It’s not rocket science, kid. You shove the fucker away, and you tell him not to touch you.”
I swallow hard, chancing a glance his way. “Stop calling me that. What did you say when you taught me self-defense? That I should stay calm because fear will choke me, correct?”
His jaw ticks, but he bobs his head once.
“That’s what I do.” I glance out the window, watching as we exit the town center. “Do you know how I met your brothers?”
Nico huffs quietly, either losing his patience or growing bored. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“More than you’ll ever understand. We may have been at the same schools since kindergarten, but we never talked until last year at Q. That night, I did what you said I should’ve done today. I pushed a guy away.” I adjust myself in the seat, toying with the hem of my skirt. “And then I kicked, screamed, and tried to fight him, even though I couldn’t hold my weight properly because of whatever he slipped in my drink.”
Nico doesn’t say a word, his unease betrayed by a nervous clenching and unclenching of both fists. I’ve got his undivided attention, and by the look of him, he knows where I’m going. He knows this story doesn’t end pretty. He probably heard about it from the triplets, Shawn, or maybe even the guy who owned Q at the time.