Chapter 33

JULY 17 – MONDAY 7:23 AM

R en

"Dammit." The mat felt paper thin on the hard ground when my back hit. I hated Mondays, but now I had a whole new reason to detest them. I glared up at Nash as he arrogantly stared down at me. "I swear, I will wipe that look off your face one of these days."

"Big talk from a little girl like you," he said, smiling. Smacking my hand off the mat, I pushed myself up and hated that it felt like every one of my bones was bruised. He backed up but bent over at the waist as he mocked me. "Come on, Princess." He pushed out his jaw and put his hands behind his back. "I'll give you a free one. Make sure that I know you hit me, though."

Rolling my shoulders, I pushed out my chest and fixed him with a glare. "No. I will earn my punches. I don't want or need your pity freebie hit."

He shrugged. "Have it your way." Nash walked over to the picnic table and grabbed a bottle of water. He threw it at me like a football. I jumped back and snatched it out of the air before it hit me square in the face.

"Really? Do you always have to be such a jerk? Every day, you get worse."

"I'm not being a jerk. I'm fine-tuning your reflexes. Until I say we're done, be prepared for anything." He sipped his water, and I found myself staring at the droplets escaping the corner of his mouth. "And I get worse every day to push you to be better?"

"Give me a break. You'd hit me in the back of the head if you thought it was funny."

"No, I wouldn't." He crossed his arms, and I copied his pose. "I wouldn't. I'm an asshole, not a dishonorable prick. Well…I am with the girls I date and anyone who crosses me, but those are the only times. Besides, I thought you wanted me to train you to protect yourself. Do you think that all the bad guys are going to play fair with you? Walk up to you on the street and warn you that they're going to try and kill you. Maybe you think they'll give you a few minutes to put your hair in a ponytail or get into your workout gear?" The mocking tone in his voice had my feet moving before I could think about what I was doing.

"I'm not like that, and you know it," I growled at him.

"That's it, Princess, get mad. Show me who's boss." He smiled and took a swig of his water like I wasn't worth his time. With a yell, I smacked it out of his hand.

"Stop making fun of me." I punched at his face, but he moved out of the way and then laughed as I kicked at him. I missed my mark and took a fighting stance, but he swatted every single strike like I was an insect.

"Why would I do that when it's so much fun to piss you off?"

Nash made as if he was going to hit me in the face. I got my arm up to block the blow but couldn't stop the flinch or that my eyes closed for a second. That was all he needed, and I screamed as he picked me up and, once more, unceremoniously slammed me down on the mat. Laughing, Nash held my hands over my head. His face was dangerously close to mine, but I was spitting mad and snarled at him. I'd learned that being angry was far safer around him than any other emotion.

"I really love having you on your back, Princess." He licked his lips and stared at mine.

"Kiss me, and I'll bite your lip off." My chest heaved with the exertion and my out-of-control heart. I didn't know what I hated more, the constant teasing and picking at me or the fact that as hard as I tried, I couldn't seem to stop thinking about Nash. I was at war with my will, and it felt like my fingers were slipping on the cliff's edge every day we were together. He seemed to know it, too. Nash greedily took every inch I lost.

"No, you won't," Nash said, his voice far too sexy. "You'd moan and beg me to continue, Princess."

"Do it and find out. I dare you," I said, pulling on my hands even though I knew it was useless. He hovered over me as his lips closed in on mine. Nash stopped no more than a breath away.

"You almost had me convinced there. But…you wouldn't hurt me."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because you're a decent person, and even though you might be pissed, it would eat you alive if you actually hurt me." I ground my teeth together, hating that he was right. "That's also why you're still struggling to land a solid hit. You don't really want to."

"Trust me, it feels like I want to."

He smiled wide. "Princess, I don't know why you won't just give in to what you really want. I keep telling you that you want me, and you keep denying it, but your eyes are saying something else." The weight of his leg between mine was far too tempting to rub against. I needed him to get off me before I did something idiotic like kiss him.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Get off me, Nash. I can't handle your BS this early in the morning. I haven't even had my coffee yet."

"Then just give in and stop fighting it." He dropped his lips to my ear. "I promise you won't regret it."

His voice was gravelly, and I held my breath, trying not to be affected by the sultriness that he oozed. Not only did I not need another guy in my…whatever you called my relationships, but Nash…no, just no. That was asking for trouble, and if he broke my heart, which I was positive he would, then Myles would lose his mind. If I were a bitch, I would use that as a weapon, but Nash was right. I was a good person. Fuck, he annoyed me.

I laughed. "Now that is a blatant lie," I said but shivered as Nash groaned in my ear. I needed to get away from him. I wasn't lying. My brain was far too tired for his games. My body had a totally different agenda than the logical part of my mind as it heated from his words and not the hour-long workout. He insisted that he'd be the one to work with me after his morning swim, and then either he or Myles would work with me again in the evening. This was my schedule until school started, and then Liam was supposed to add boxing lessons. I couldn't even imagine adding more.

It was grueling, and it felt like I wasn't making any progress. I still couldn't knock either of them down and rarely landed any punches or kicks. The only thing that was getting better was my knife throwing and my aim with the gun. I finally hit a can off the top of the target yesterday. I was only ten feet away, but it was a start.

"Princess, the only thing you'll regret is not saying yes sooner," Nash said.

"Am I interrupting," Blake asked. I felt Nash's annoyed huff even if Blake couldn't hear it.

"Just teaching Princess here some manners."

"Spare me," I mumbled as Nash pushed himself up. I ignored his offer to help and stood on my own. Marching over to the water I'd dropped when he tackled me, I cracked the lid and took a gulp.

"If you need a break…Theo just arrived with the Shelby on the flatbed." I whipped my head around and smiled. Finally, something that would allow me to keep my hands busy rather than pacing the cabin trying to figure out how to get answers to all the questions about my family. All my searches only went so far, and then I hit dead ends.

Grabbing my towel, I turned toward Blake, but Nash stepped in my path, effectively stopping me from going any further.

"What?"

"We weren't finished with training this morning."

"Trust me, unless you want me to claw your eyes out, we're done." His lip twitched.

"More empty promises," he drawled, and I almost threw the bottle and towel aside to tackle his ass. I hadn't met anyone who could push my buttons like Nash. He had it down to a fine science. No matter how many times I told myself that he loved to get under my skin and ruffle my feathers…I found myself rising to the bait. He looked up at the sky and then sighed. "I guess we can call it a day. I have a board meeting to get to anyway." I stepped around him, but he called my name, and I cringed. Looking back at Nash, he smiled. "Don't look so disappointed, Princess. Myles is too busy to train you tonight, so I'll be back later. We can finish our talk then."

"Excellent," I said, giving him a tight smile as creative new swear words danced in my head.

"I can never tell if you two are going to kill each other or rip your clothes off and fuck in the garden like rabbits," Blake said. I pursed my lips and glared at him, the words sour in my ears. "Okay, I'm sorry I said anything."

"Please don't ever mention me and Nash having sex again. I'd rather swim in a school of piranhas while I was bleeding."

Blake laughed as we rounded the corner of the cabin, and all the dark, confusing thoughts flew away as I laid eyes on the Shelby that Theo was backing off the flatbed truck. Before school ended, I'd gotten a massive chunk done to restore the car. Even though she now ran, she wasn't yet road-ready. Myles had moved home to keep Lip safe. It was better for Lip to be away from the cabin and the potential danger here. I'd hardly seen him since the airport, but that only made this the perfect time to finish the restoration.

I stepped up to the car as Theo shut it off and got out. He rubbed the roof, and I smiled as I pictured Myles behind the wheel. This was my birthday gift to him. He still hadn't replaced his sports car because he didn't want to ask his father for money, and I knew he missed it. I'd rooked Theo into helping me finish the Shelby before then. We didn't have long, but with both of us, I was confident we'd have it done by August tenth.

Theo touched my hip, and I rose up on my toes to kiss him. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. We don't have it done," Theo said, but there was excitement in his eyes, and I knew he was up for the challenge.

"See you at seven, Princess. Be ready to try harder when I get back. Your performance this morning was lackluster at best." I watched Nash casually stroll down the driveway, put on his shades, and get into his car, looking totally unfazed. I wanted to scream.

"I'm going to kill him one of these days. I think that's what he's pushing for."

"Oh, he's pushing for something, but you killing him, isn't it," Theo said, and Blake laughed.

Shaking my head, I slipped into the open car door and ran my hands over the steering wheel. This really was the perfect gift. Not having access to my money was hindering, but it didn't make it impossible to do something special. I probably could've made him a card, and Myles would've been happy. But he added something so special to my life that I couldn't quantify, and this…this would make him smile. Not only was it an amazing car, but I'd put a ton of time into it, and he would appreciate what it took to make this beautiful girl purr. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

Blake leaned on the passenger side window while Theo stood outside the driver's side door, looking at me.

"You okay," Blake asked.

"Yeah. I'm really excited to do this. Do you want to help, too?"

"Sure. Put me to work."

"To start, we need to get it into the drive-in shed around back. I've already cleared a workspace for it and brought all my tools. The custom paint will be here next week, which will give me time to set up a makeshift painting booth," Theo said, and I smiled at him.

"Thank you both for helping me with this project. I really want to make Myles's birthday special."

"Don't mention it. Myles is my best friend. Of course, I'm going to help." Blake and Theo shared a brief look that I didn't like. I couldn't tell what was wrong, but it felt like they weren't saying something.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

They shook their heads in unison. It really was creepy when they had identical expressions. "Nothing," Theo said, and before I could question the strangeness, he ordered me out of the car. Then, he and Blake got to work at moving the flatbed out of the way.

I was hanging around Nash too much. That was the problem. His paranoia was rubbing off on me.

JULY 17 - MONDAY 7:44 PM

Theo

I stood from the couch and went to the window at the sound of a car pulling up to the cabin. Blake and I needed to take care of something, and tonight was as good of a night as any. Ren was busy writing down questions and possible ways to find the answers about her family. None of us had any idea where to start. Every rock I'd turned over since getting back from Canada had led to another dead end, but I did have one burning question of my own, and I wanted my brother with me for the answer.

Nash glanced at me as he jogged up the stairs. A moment later, the door banged against the wall and closed with a thump. Ren jumped, pulling her headphones off as she glared at Nash.

"Were you brought up in a barn," Ren asked. Nash smirked as the dance continued between them. I rolled my eyes. The two of them were seriously like an old married couple. They just refused to acknowledge it.

"I wanted to make sure you knew I was here. Wouldn't want you accusing me of sneaking up on you again," Nash said, grabbing an apple out of the bowl on the table as he sat down. He put his feet up on another chair as if daring Ren to say something. She looked at his boots and shook her head but didn't say a word.

"Is it safe to leave the two of you alone," Blake asked as he got up from the couch and turned off the television.

"Yes," Nash said.

"No," Ren countered.

"Perfect," I said, smirking. "We won't be long. Try to behave and not tear apart the cabin."

"Don't worry, Liam is coming to help babysit Princess." My smile faltered.

"Liam is coming here?"

Nash took another bite of his apple. "Yeah, why? Trouble in paradise?"

I glared, suddenly agreeing with Ren that we should just shoot Nash. "No, we're fine," I lied. "He just didn't mention being here tonight." In reality, I was purposely giving Liam some space. I'd never met a more complicated personality, and being with him was walking a tightrope without a safety net.

He'd finally said he loved me and had been groveling with sorry text messages and a dozen phone calls, but it felt surface level deep of an apology. I'd put up with too much for too long, and he made me feel like a fool for it. Now that I wanted something that didn't align with his plan, he was suddenly spouting his love. It wasn't that I didn't believe him, but I needed him to make a real statement. What? I didn't know. That was part of the problem.

"Yeah, funny thing that. It kinda seemed like he wasn't going to come until I said you weren't going to be here." Ren and Blake looked between me and Nash, but I gave him a curt smile. I doubted that was true, and I wasn't going to let Nash get to me.

"Odd. You'll have to inquire with Liam why he gave you that impression. As far as I'm aware, we're perfectly fine." I grabbed my jacket even though it was a warm night while Blake kissed Ren goodbye.

As soon as Blake was ready, I walked out of the cabin and took a deep breath. Blake waited until we got into the car, but as soon as he looked over at me, I knew what he wanted to know.

"We'll be fine. There is unresolved tension around the new arrangement with Ren, but we are working through it," I said before Blake opened his mouth.

"Are you sure the two of you are going to be okay? What will you do if he gives you an ultimatum?"

I'd thought about that. I didn't want to admit it, but I worried Liam might pull that trick like he was laying an ace on the table. I loved him, but I couldn't let him think he could control me. That was dangerous with a personality like his. Ren was new to me, but I was falling for her despite her relationship with Myles and Blake. It was complicated all around. I honestly didn't know what I would say or do if pushed. Logic was comfortable for me, and at the moment, Liam was being anything but logical.

"I'll figure it out if that happens." Backing up, I turned the car around and met the man of the hour at the end of the driveway.

My heart galloped at the sight of him. Other than family vacations, I'd never gone more than a day without seeing Liam. We stared at one another as we put our windows down.

"You going to be here when I get back," I asked, keeping my voice even.

"Yeah, I was planning on staying the night."

My eyebrows shot up. "Okay, we won't be long. I need to talk to my mom, and then we'll be back." Liam nodded, and we both put our windows up.

"Brrr." I looked over at Blake, who was rubbing his arms. "That was a chilly hello."

"Like I said, we're working through stuff. We'll be fine." But I really had no idea.