Page 26 of Diesel's Perseverance
“Good.” He ran his eyes over the petite brunette’s tight body. “You?”
“All right, except that I’ve been missing you.” She placed her hand on his bicep and squeezed. “I like this,” she said softly, leaning against him.
The cloying scent of her perfume curled around him, and without thinking, Diesel stepped away, and Nina’s hand dropped. He looked at her and wasn’t prepared to see tears shining in her eyes. He’d hurt her.Fuck.
“Look—” he began.
“Don’t. I know the score.”
“It’s not that, Nina. It’s that I got a lot of shit on my mind.”
“I get it, I really do.” She swiped a hand across her cheeks, then threw him a weak smile. “Bones wants me.”
He watched as she walked over to Bones, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him deeply.
“You fucking blew it,” Throttle said, pushing his empty plate away.
“I didn’t want it.” Diesel gazed out the window, wondering what Myla was doing.
“Why the hell not?” Throttle’s voice pulled him away from his musings.
“I got shit on my mind, that’s all.”
“It must be tough not knowing where your brother is.”
“Yeah… it is.”
“How’re you getting along with his ol’ lady?”
“Myla’s not Freddy’s ol’ lady.”
Throttle leaned back in the chair, a smile twitching the corners of his mouth. “I thought she was.”
“Not like in our world.”
“Then how is it intheirworld?”
Diesel’s jaw tightened. “What’s with all the fuckin’ questions?”
“Just making conversation.” Throttle chuckled.
“Fuck off.”
He turned around and strode out of the clubhouse. The warmth of the sun spilled over him. Wispy clouds fanned out across the canopy of blue sky. A soft breeze blew through the trees, rustling the leaves and carrying the scent of fresh pine as birds called to one another.
Glancing around, he didn’t see Myla. He walked to the back of the clubhouse and spotted her crouched down on her haunches by the riverbank. As he strode toward her, he could see by the foaming waves over the rocks that the river’s current was swift.
“Hey,” he said, bending down on his knees beside her.
She looked up toward him, drawing a hand to her forehead to shield the sun. “Hi.”
They sat in silence, listening to the rush of water.
After what seemed like forever to him, she said, “Do you want me to move out? I’m fine with that. I can go—”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I know I’ve disrupted your life.”
