“I’m mine,” I gripe as I stare Dad down like he created the Black Plague from scratch. My eyes widen, and I nod my chin to Daniel and Jeremy because things are about to get out of hand. Part of me wants Jeremy to tell Daniel I am his, but that would be a lie. Plus, I’m really not a fan of the whole idea of ownership.
Dad nods his head at me and then strides toward Daniel, blocking Jeremy’s line of sight. I take a few steps back and find myself sandwiched between Duke and Uncle Wyatt. “Actually,” Dad says with his attention on Daniel, “she’s mine. Back off, boy.”
Daniel raises his hands in the air as he takes a few steps backward. Jeremy’s shoulders heave in agitation as he glares in Daniel’s direction. Dad just shakes his head. His eyes are locked on mine. The closer he gets to me, the more irritated he seems.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” he asks.
“Um,” I say, unable to finish.
“Explanation. Now.”
“I was trying to sneak a beer in the garage when Holly stormed in all pissed off at you, so I came out here to sneak in the front door, when this guy found me,” I say as quickly as I can and hike a finger in Daniel’s direction.
Duke chuckles on one side of me while Wyatt shakes his head and mumbles, “Shit.”
“The good shit or the cheap shit?” Dad asks, surprising me.
“You don’t have good shit,” I say, slightly perplexed.
Dad’s eyes narrow. “Buy your own fuckin’ beer, kid.” A sick smile slides over his features. “Oh, that’s right. You can’t.”
“I’m thinking really rude things about you right now,” I say quietly without breaking eye contact.
“I want your ass at the kitchen table. Now,” he barks loudly.
My lungs expand and collapse in quick succession. My face heats up, and my hands clench into fists at my side. I’m in fucking trouble for something I didn’t even do. Then again, I’d be in way more trouble if I told him the truth. So I’ll take my punishment, but I don’t have to like it.
“Can you please send me to a surface you haven’t had sex on?” I snap, careful to keep my voice low. Dad doesn’t care if family hears me being sassy, but if an outsider overhears, it’ll be my ass.
“Then you might want to wait in your car,” he says slowly as he licks his lips and leans in so that his nasty-ass breath covers my face. I love my dad, I really do. Grandma says we’re just too much alike to get along sometimes. “Shit, sorry, baby girl. Guess you can’t sit there either.”
My face pales as my stomach churns. I hope that, at the very least, it was Holly he’s been with in my car.
“Kitchen table, right now, or I’m going to find a much less comfortable place for you to wait for me.”
“Fine,” I say in a huff and stomp off toward the front door, already formulating a plan to move out and never come back.
CHAPTER 7
December
16 months to Mancuso’s downfall
I drag the thin brush full of polish up my fingernail and consider whether I really want my nails to be Paris Pink or not. It’s softer than the shades I usually go for, and in fact, it’s not even mine. I swiped it from Holly’s small collection in her and Dad’s room. She always wears these really classy shades that are soft or muted in tone. In comparison, my colors are all loud and sometimes even neon. They seem childish next to Holly’s more adult choices.
The interaction with Daniel last week made me think twice about the way I’ve been going about things. Daniel is a man. He doesn’t have any trace of boy left in him like Jeremy still does, and that kind of scares me. My eyes survey the hot pink and black decor of my room. I loved the way it looked once, but now I feel stifled by it. It’s so childish.
My cellphone chimes, alerting me to an incoming text message. When I carefully maneuver the phone into my hands with my still-drying nails, I find the message is from Jeremy.
U WITH ASSHOLE?
My brows pull together in confusion. What the hell does he mean by asking me that? I swear, he’s so hot and cold I never know what to expect with him. This inconsistent behavior is one reason I’ve been inclined to keep texting Daniel despite my feelings for Jeremy. When he sent me a random text message after our first meeting, I was put off by it. He didn’t do much to apologize but rather explained himself. For some reason, I’m still having doubts that the things he said are true.
I LIKE YOU, Daniel sent a few days ago.
Then yesterday, I WAS JUST MESSING W/THE PROSPECT.
WE GOT A CONNECTION, he followed it up with.
To be fair, I haven’t exactly been radio silent on my end of things. I think I’m half in like with Daniel, but mostly just in like with the idea of him. He hasn’t said much about Jeremy, but the few times he has, it hasn’t been very kind. Jeremy on the other hand has been totally MIA. While Daniel isn’t the perfect biker by any means, he’s at least present.
DAD NOT HOME, I respond back to Jeremy and banish my thoughts of Daniel.
WRONG ASSHOLE, he says. I knew that, but I’m not about to get involved in this ridiculous pissing match they have going on. It’s not about me—it can’t be—because neither of them have actually asked me out.