Valentine (A Standalone Novel) (Bad Boy Romance Book) (17 page)

Chapter 18

Tate

"Hey, boy." Jerry glanced up at
me as I walked into the shop, feeling like a new man. Something about even
contemplating having Val in my future made all the difference. I wanted to find
a way to show her I was the good man I hoped she believed me to be. I'd come up
with a million ways to convince her to be mine, but it all seemed rather trite.
She deserved far better than me, but I wasn't humble enough to give up an inch as
she granted it to me.

"Hey, Jerry. How was business
yesterday?" I pulled on a ball cap and moved up to start working to lift
and old Ford truck that sat in the middle of the garage.

"Busy as hell. I told you that I need
you to get serious about coming in more often. I can't do this seven days a
week bullshit, anymore. We're going to have to hire someone else or get you
guys to step it up." He gave me a stern look.

I let out a sigh, but nodded. "I
understand, Jerry. I'm just trying to figure out where my future is. I have
eighteen months of school left, and I honestly can't imagine throwing that
away, but I realize the opportunity you're giving me is a great one, too. I
really do."

"I know, boy. Chew on it some, and
maybe we can work around the school thing and just give you some more hours.
You only go a few hours a day, right?" He handed me the wrench I was
looking for.

"Yeah. It's only four hours a
day." I started to include the fact that swim team was going to take up
quite a bit of time, too, but decided against it. No one would understand my
need to swim, and to combat their disapproval or lack of understanding was only
going to leave me edgy, which was something I didn't need.

"Good. We'll figure it out. Just let
me know when you decide if you want more responsibility and money. Okay?"
He patted my back and left me there to stew in my thoughts.

I barely had time to study with the forty
hours I was squeezing in at the shop on top of school and the swim team. Now
that I'd made the decision to pursue a relationship with Val if she agreed, she
was going to have to have some of my time, too.

A growl left me as my shoulders tightened
due to the stress of trying to work everything out in my head and coming up
short.

Sharon's voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Tate, some guy is here to see you, hun."

"Alright. Tell him I'll be right
there." I reached up and unscrewed the bolt I had been tugging at while
Jerry was talking. After getting it undone, I moved back and laid my tools down
and pushed them out of the way.

I wasn't expecting anyone, but then again,
I rarely was. Sharon knew Sam, so she would have mentioned that it was him if
it was.

An older man with salt and pepper hair and
a tight smile turned as I walked up.

"I'm Tate. How can I help you?"
I started to cross my arms over my chest, but decided maybe looking closed off
wasn't my best move. Besides, the guy looked important. Maybe he was from the
college or the police station. Maybe they needed me to come down and talk about
testifying against Daniel.

"You can start by realizing that
trash like yourself doesn't have a place in my world." The old man's
expression grew angry as he poked his finger into my chest.

"Whoa. I'm not sure you have the
right guy, mister." I pushed his hand back. "Don't poke my chest
again."

"I'll poke you as many times as I
want, and you'll not do a damn thing about it." He poked me again, and I
smacked his hand away.

"I'm warning you, old man. I can be
respectful all day long in the face of a lot of shit, but someone picking on me
isn't happening." I took a step toward him, and damn if he didn't move
toward me.

"I'm Valentine's father, and you,
little man, are messing with the wrong girl. You'd better back the fuck up or
I'm going to make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?" He
looked me in the eye. Suddenly, everything made sense.

Someone had told the great David Scott
about me and Val, and he was here to force me out of her life before I really
ever got invited into it.

"Not sure what you're talking about.
Val and I are friends, and-"

"No, you're not. She doesn't have
friends that we don't approve of, and you're not on the list. Stay away from
her or not only will I get your mother's piece of shit abusive boyfriend off
the hook for what happened yesterday, but I'll shut this shop down, I'll have
your mother fired from the hospital, and I'll get you ejected from UMN so fast
it will make your tiny head spin."

"Fuck you," I mumbled as terror
raced over me. The man wasn't at all intimating physically, but he could pack a
serious punch with his power.

"Yeah, that's what I figured you'd say.
Funny how you poor kids only have a few words to grab when you're in a
bind." He smirked. "You've been warned, Tate. Don't come near my
daughter again."

"And, if she comes near me?" I
couldn't help but push him.

"Then, you push her away. Hurt her. I
don't care, but you'll suffer far more than she will from this stupid,
pity-relationship. There's no way she'd be with a guy like you, and you'll do
yourself a favor if you back off now. No need to get your hopes up; she's a
Scott, whether she chooses to act like it most of the time or not." He
tilted his head slightly. "Good day."

I stood there in shock, unable to move or
say anything. I'd never in my life had someone be so rude to me, and certainly
not some chick's dad.

"That's not good," Sharon mumbled
from behind me, and I realized she was there, which only left me more
embarrassed.

"Wow. He was a total dick." I
ran my fingers through my hair and turned toward her.

"I've heard he's a complete asshole,
but I didn't think he would be so low as to get involved with his kids’
relationships." She shook her head. "Who does that shit?"

"I guess the great and mighty
Scotts." I shrugged and started toward the back.

"What're you gonna do?" Her
voice followed me.

"Fuck his daughter. What else?"
I opened the door the garage and walked out as rage burned through me. I was
just being a cock, too, but truth be told, I had no clue of what to do. If the
man really had the power to turn my life upside down like he said he did, then
I was screwed. The fact that he knew so much about me was insanely unnerving.

I couldn't just let Val go, though. Right?

She was more woman than I'd ever
encountered and the idea of pushing her away again felt like it would be the
biggest mistake of my life.

The memory of watching her with my mother
the night before swept over me, leaving my heart hurting deep inside of my
chest. Val had far too many layers to count, but after seeing her not only help
me manhandle Daniel, but act kind toward my mother, I wanted to peel each one –
to know her, to memorize everything about her. To love her.

"It's not in the cards," I
mumbled to myself and put in my earbuds. The day was going to be spent trying
to figure out what the fuck to do while I worked to fix as many cars as I could.
I'd talk to Sam later before swim practice. He'd know what to do.

*

"He said what?" Sam was almost
screaming as he sat in the truck next to me.

I ran my hands through my hair and closed
my eyes. "Yeah, I know. I'm honestly not sure what to do about it. I can't
go up against him. I'll lose. Fuck, my mom will lose everything, too."

"I can't believe that bastard said he
would get Daniel a free ticket out of jail. What kind of guy does that shit? A
monster. That's what kind." Sam pulled up to the gym and shook his head at
me. "You need to tell her, Tate. She has no idea her fucking family is
sneaking behind her, ruining her life."

"Maybe they’re not ruining it, but
saving it. She's far better than me. We both know that." I shrugged and
reached for the handle. "Thanks for the ride."

"Hey, you're wrong. She's a good
woman from what you say, but you have the ability to make her a great one. Tell
her what's up. Don't turn your back on his. I'm serious. You'll regret
it." He gripped my shoulder tightly.

"Thanks, buddy." I got out of
the truck and jogged up to the natatorium, trying to let all my angst go. Val
had texted a few times that morning, and I'd responded more fully before
talking to her dad, but only in short responses after. I hated to leave her
thinking that something was wrong, but it was. I had to let her go, even though
she really didn't belong to me yet.

I was grateful for her denying me sex the
night before. It might have been trite, but I knew that if she'd let me take
her to bed and hold her all night, I'd not be able to walk away. I'd have felt
too connected to her.

"Hey, you." Martin lifted his
hand to me as I walked into the warmth of the natatorium.

"Hey, man. How's it going?" I
gave him a high-five before dropping my stuff beside everyone else’s.

"Good. We're just warming up. Get to
it. Coach was asking where your ass was an hour ago." He smirked and
nodded toward the group of guys we'd be swimming against. "They're at the
top of our division right now. I think we can take them down."

"Yeah, we'll get them. No
worries." I turned to find Coach walking toward me with a less than
pleasant look on his face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Be on time or your
ass is off the team. Got it?"

A couple of guys snickered behind me, but
I ignored them. We were grown-ass men. I wasn't playing into their childish
bullshit. I had real problems, which made my situation on the swim team seem
like something I should simply walk away from.

"Got it. I was at work, so if it
happens again, I'll just drop being a part of the team. My mom depends on me to
help with rent and put food on the table, but it's no big deal. Just surviving
and shit." I shrugged and hated how quickly I'd resorted to talking to the
coach like some punk-ass kid.

"Watch it, Phillips. Communicating
more effectively would have saved me from getting angry at you and give you a
chance to act like a man, instead of a kid. Get dressed and don't talk to me
like that again. Period." He patted my chest and walked off.

"Right." I turned and picked up
my bag before jogging to the locker room to change. I wasn't surprised to see
Val in the stands with some of her friends when I walked back out.

She waved, and I returned the gesture,
unwilling to be rude. I would let her down easy later that night, but for now,
she could believe that everything was fine – that we were fine.

I had to concentrate to keep myself from
grabbing my shit and going home. Nothing really mattered anymore now that
someone had their hand clamped around my throat. It wasn't Val's fault, but I
couldn't help but feel the same concern I had the first night we met.

The rich would always be in power. The
rest of us would just limp along and hope that we stayed out of their way.

I wasn't sure if I was going to follow the
rules this time or not. It seemed far too much was at stake no matter which
choice I made.

The whistle blew and I shot off the side
of the pool and into the water, letting my fear and anxiety propel me to take
first place at the meet.

Everyone was thrilled, except me.

I couldn't seem to shake the numbness that
had settled over me.

I had to let her go. She wasn't intended
to be mine, anyways.

I wasn't worthy of something that great.

Chapter 19

Val

Something was wrong with Tate. It didn't
matter that he pulled through and took first place in the swim tournament. He
was upset, and I figured something had happened before he came to campus. His
texts had gone from playful and flirty to short and almost non-existent.

"Hey, great job out there
today." I reached up and touched his chest.

He glanced around while pulling my hand away.
"Yeah, it was good."

"It was better than good." I
smiled at him and moved around until he put his attention back on me. He was
pulling back again.
Was it because I
hadn't slept with him?

"Thanks, Val. I'm glad you were
here." He winked and started to turn.

"Hey. Wait." I grabbed his arm
and tilted my head to the side. "Did I do something wrong?"

He hesitated, and I had my answer.
"No. It's just...I have a lot going on. Too much, actually."

"Then, let's get out of here
together. Come with me to the lake tonight. We can build a fire and roast
marshmallows." I almost sounded like the needy bitch I was.

"I can't. Really." He tugged his
arm from me and started to leave again.

I jogged around him, wrapped my arms
around his neck, and pressed myself to the front of him, kissing him hard in
front of everyone. He was stiff and unyielding for the first few seconds, but
he quickly warmed up and returned the kiss.

The chants around us were infantile, but I
didn't care. I wanted him to know that there wasn't anything we couldn't figure
out. I'd just found him. I wasn't losing him yet.

He pulled back before kissing me again
softly. "We can go out, but nowhere around here. I need to get the fuck
away from these people and their expectations."

"Good. I'll drive out to your
mother's place and-"

"No. Meet me at the outside track in
an hour and dress warm. We'll go to the big lakes just a couple of hours from
here. I'll get Sam's truck." His eyes moved down to my lips. "Don't
tell anyone, okay?"

"Alright." I didn't understand
why he was being so secretive, but I didn't care. Something was obviously going
on with him, and I planned on finding out what it was.

He kissed me once more before turning and
walking back to the locker room. I watched him go as I wrapped my arms around
myself. I was soaked all down the front of my clothes, but I'd be fine. The
Gamma house was only a few hundred feet away and my coat was dry on the bench
behind me.

"What was that all about?" Martin
asked as he walked up beside me.

"I'm not sure. Something is
wrong." I glanced up at him, hoping that he would know what happened.

"You're telling me. He acted like an
ass to Coach today. I'm surprised he got to swim at all." He shrugged.
"Anyway, figure it out and make it better. We need him."

I nodded and let out a long sigh as Martin
left me standing there by myself. "I need him, too."

The truth was almost too painful to admit.
I wasn't in love, but I could see myself getting there without too much effort,
at all.

*

"Wow. You look incredible." Tate
walked around to my side of the truck and opened the door for me as I walked
toward him.

"You're not too bad yourself, mister."
I smiled and let my eyes move down to take in how good his jeans fit him. The
nice-sized bulge at the front of them had my stomach tightening. If the night
allowed for it, I was done playing hard to get. I wanted to feel his skin
against mine before I lost the chance. Something told me that he wasn't playing
for keeps anymore. Something had changed – shifted. I wasn't sure what, but it
was major.

I got into the truck and buckled up as he
stood there, watching me like he had that first day in the library.

"What?" I reached down and
touched the side of his face. "Why do I feel like this is our last
date?"

"No clue." He took my hand and
kissed my palm several times before touching the side of my neck and pulling me
into a long, hot kiss. I started to get out of the truck, but he pulled back
and laughed. "You're a bad girl all of a sudden?"

"If it means you not letting me go
before we ever get this thing started, then yes."

Sadness brushed across his features, but
he forced a smile and closed my door. I waited until he got into the truck to
unbuckle and move to the center seat.

"You want to grab some hot dogs from
the grocery store?" He glanced over at me.

"Yeah. Anything you want." I
slid my hand down his thigh as his breath caught in his chest.

"Val." He took my hand and
clasped it in his. "Not while I'm driving."

"Really? You seem like the kind of
guy who would be more than happy to have me touch you while you drive." I
pressed my lips to his shoulder, expecting a sexy comeback.

"Why is that? Because I'm a whore?
Because us poor folk have no respect for ourselves?" His tone was less
than pleasant, and the sound of him verbally biting at me was a little more
than I could take.

Tears filled my eyes, and I moved back as
if scalded.

"No, because...never mind." I
moved to the other side of the truck and buckled up again.

"I'm sorry. I've been through some
crazy shit today, and-"

"And instead of including me in it,
you're shutting me out. I get it." I shrugged and wiped at my eyes.
"I'm not feeling this anymore. I'm sorry to be a pain in the ass, but can
you just drop me off at the next gas station and I'll catch a ride home."

He jerked the truck over to the side of
the road and unbuckled. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the last thing I was
going to do was offend him again by flinching or appearing scared of him.
Though I maybe should have been, I wasn't.

"Fuck this." He moved toward me
and pulled my seatbelt off before pulling me into his lap. He forced me to
straddle him as he lifted his hips a little and worked to consume my mouth.

I wanted to fight against him, to slap him
instead of give in to him, but I couldn't force myself to do anything but cling
to him and give every ounce of passion that I had to give.

"I want you so goddamn bad," he
grumbled against my lips as his hands moved up my waist and cupped my breasts.

I moaned and pressed into his hold as I
rocked my hips forward to get the full effect of his erection against my
center.

"Me, too," I whimpered softly as
I tugged at his shirt.

"Not here, baby. Not now.
Tonight." He ran his fingers through my hair as he pulled me down for
another long hot kiss.

I melted against him and sucked on his
tongue as we breathed each other in and fogged up the windows of the old truck.
I was no longer sure what I was mad about by the time he pulled me back.

"You're getting on my damn nerves
with your bipolar shit today." I poked him in the chest. "Hurt me
again and I'm outta here. I have enough people standing in line to slap me
down. I don't need it from you, too."

"Never." He moved to put me back
in the seat and pressed himself against me in what should have been an awkward
position, but it wasn't. He pressed himself between my legs and rubbed the
thickness of his body against mine as he licked and nipped at my mouth.

"Fuck," I groaned and arched my
back, needing more of me pressed to him.

"God, Val. You're everything I want.
I need you beneath me tonight." His tongue ran up the side of my neck, and
I cried out again.

Every wet dream I'd ever had could
possibly come true with the man above me, and yet I was scared for both of us.
We had yet to define our relationship, and yet could easily find ourselves set
on a path that could end in forever being spent together. I could see it in my
mind's eye. It was the first time I could ever imagine being with anyone for
any length of time.

He kissed my lips once more before
crawling back into his seat. After dropping his head back, he let out a long
sigh only to take another shaky breath and do it again.

I stayed in my seat, trying to figure out
what the hell just happened.

Tate turned his face toward me and opened
his eyes. "You know I wouldn't ask you to give up anything for me,
right?"

"Of course I do. I would never ask
that of you, either." Confusion raced through me. "I would never ask
that of anyone, actually."

"Then let's go have some fun
together. Forgive me. Some shit went down at the shop this morning. I'll
explain later after I work through it, okay?" He took my hand and kissed
my fingers before pulling back onto the main road.

"Okay." I tried to relax, but
something told me that whatever was bothering him was going to affect me much
more than he was playing off.

*

Tate worked to start the fire on a small
fire pit he'd brought with him. It wasn't a particularly windy night, so it
wasn’t long before our blaze kicked in.

"Nice job." I popped his butt as
he stood up and gave me a hungry look.

"Watch it, woman." He smirked
before turning back to work on making the fire grow.

"I am, and I like it. A lot." I
grabbed the hot dog wieners and put them on the sticks we'd found before
handing him one. "You gonna tell me what's going on with you or am I going
to have to pull it from you?"

"It's nothing. I really don't want to
talk about it." He took the stick from me and wrapped his other arm around
my waist. "I'd rather just enjoy tonight with you. Can we do that?"

I wanted to say no and push him into
telling me why he'd been such an ass earlier, but I could see the pleading
behind his stare.

"Yeah, but I'm here if you need me.
You know that, right?" I moved closer and pressed my lips to his once
before pulling from his hold. "Let's eat."

"I like the sound of that. I'm
starving, so what you don't eat-"

"You'll finish for me. I know,"
I laughed and sat down on the large tarp he'd spread out. The blankets were
pushed back away from the fire, but looked comfy. I couldn't help but wonder if
he planned on having us spend some time underneath them. It was almost too cold
for that, but I was more adventurous than I was giving myself credit for.

"What are you thinking about?"
He moved to a squat next to me and stuck his stick in the fire.

"Making love to you." I extended
my arm and watched the fire dance in front of me. I wasn't usually as bold as I
was being with him, but I was so tired of hoping for a guy to leave me feeling
like Tate did. Everything about him excited me – emotionally and physically.

"Oh yeah?" He wrapped an arm
around my shoulders and leaned over, pressing his cold nose to my cheek as he
breathed in softly. "I haven't stopped thinking about that since we
met."

"Horny bastard." I smirked.

"You've no clue." He laughed,
and the sound of it warmed me far more than the fire ever could.

"I'm not sure I want to find
out." I pulled my hot dog back and blew on it before eating it off the
stick.

"I was a wild child in high school, but
I've chilled out quite a bit since then. I've seen firsthand what a shitty
relationship can do to two people." He shrugged as if he was just
rambling, but he had my full attention. "Daniel, the guy who was hauled
away yesterday, wasn't always like that. He used to bring Mom flowers and take
her on dates and all sorts of great shit."

"What happened?" I moved closer
and slid my arm into his.

"I don't know. They got comfortable,
and he got mean. He drinks too much, and that has to be some of it, but I don't
know. Everything just went to hell in a hand basket. He's a vicious bastard
now." Tate shivered, and I moved up to press my lips to his cheek, but he
turned, catching me off guard.

I touched the side of his face and
deepened the kiss, loving how right it felt to be with him. I wanted to guard
my heart, but there was no use in trying. I was the polar opposite of my family
and usually invited people in without reserve. I had no regard for my own
emotional safety – my past choices had made that perfectly clear.

"Let's make some s’mores and then
sneak back to your dorm room." He brushed his nose by mine softly,
sensually.

"I'd like that." I licked at his
mouth, only to have him capture my tongue as he pulled me down to the tarp
behind us. We laughed and rolled onto our sides, snuggling up and tossing our
dinner somewhere in the snow around us.

"I'm not sure we're going to make it
back to your dorm room if you keep sticking out that pretty pink tongue of
yours." He ran his hand down my side, over my hip, and cupped my rear
tightly as he scooted closer. "I wanna see you naked. Stripped bare and
shivering with need on the bed in front of me. It's my deepest fantasy right
now."