Page 29 of Leather & Lace

I yell as she slams the door shut and starts to walk down the darkening country road, flipping me off. I growl and turn the car off. I got out and ran up to grab her. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Jenny? You could have been killed!”

She giggles and lights a cigarette, blowing the smoke into my face. “I told you to stop, maybe listen next time.” She continues to walk off. I am fuming. Grabbing her wrist hard, I turned her to me. “Ow, that fucking hurts!” She tries to release her wrist from my grip.

“Good, I am glad it hurts.” She scowls at me and then shoves me back.

“You are a fucking asshole! Just like your friend!” Yeah, that did it. I decided I am not dealing with her shit today. I turn around and head back to my car, starting it up, revving the engine and then peeling back onto the road.

I watch her in my rear-view mirror, just standing there. Rounding a curve, I watch her disappear from my sight, I curse. Hitting my steering wheel hard, I whipped my car around and headed back to her. When I reach her, I can see tears in her eyes.

I roll my window down while I take a calming breath. “Please get in the car.” She stands there shaking her head, tears pooling in her eyes.

“You fucking left me!” Oh, here she goes again.

“Dollface, just get in the car.” She stamps her foot and sits there for a moment, contemplating, then lets out a small huff and gets into the car. We sit there quietly while the music plays from the speakers, both lost in our own minds.

“I’m sorry. Okay? I know you don’t want to be around Eli. I just wanted to do something special for you,” I say, as I take her hand in mine. I can feel her gaze turn to me.

“No, I am sorry. That wasn’t fair of me.” I sat there, in complete shock that this woman just admitted she was wrong. Ican feel her sneer at me. “Okay, don’t get too happy. I am hardly ever wrong.” I let a small sly smile spread across my face.

“Oh, I am definitely taking this as a win, dollface.” She hits my chest gently then places her hand back in mine.

“It’s fine, I can avoid Eli. Your house is bigger than the White House, so I am sure there are plenty of ways to dodge him for the time being.” She lifts my hand to her lips and kisses my warm skin. We make it back to the house and when we enter the large double glass doors, Eli is standing right in front of us.

“Oh shit, sorry,” he says awkwardly. Of course, this is going to be my luck. I can feel Jenny’s heated glare on the side of my face. If looks could kill right now, Eli and I would cease to exist. She is not going to let this one go.

“I was just leaving. I know you two have plans tonight.” Eli grabs his black leather jacket and moves past us. Turning back around, his glance lands on Jenny, hesitating for a moment then asking, “Is she okay?”

Jenny is fuming. She lets out a tiny, wicked laugh. “Is sheokay?What do you mean, Eli? Like has she offed herself, or is fucking anyone new?” I let out a low groan. This is not going to be pretty.

“Come on, Jenny. I care about her, okay?” She lets out a loud humph.

“Youcareabout her? Oh, that’s just rich!” She lets out a loud laugh. “Like how you cared about her after all the vile, disgusting things you said to her?” She questions while raising her brow.

“Or was it the time when you fucking shoved her into the fridge while you were on your way to murder a man who actually gives a fuck about her?” She walked up to him, mere inches from his face, her finger pointing directly at his nose. I stepped in between them, moving her back.

The look on Eli’s face is one of massive pain and regret. As if he is currently reliving the memory in his head. “You have no idea what the fuck you are talking about, Jenny.” He grits teeth, leaning down towards her, fury in his eyes.

“What, Eli? Are you about to snap on me too?” Her words cut like a knife.

“Enough!” I yell, causing them both to jump. “Just fucking stop. Both of you!” Jenny shoots me a look, then storms up the stairs. When I turned back to look at Eli, he was already gone. His bike started up and then peeled out of the driveway.

This night is already turning out to be the worst night of my damn life. Making my way into my bedroom, I see Jenny sitting on the edge of my bed, her head in her hands. I stood there quietly for a moment before shutting the door, causing her to look up at me.

“I’m sorry, Dane. Fuck!” She wipes the tears from her eyes. “I was so mean to him. I am just so angry with him!” She continues to cry and gets off the bed to head towards me. I am leaning up against the door. Bringing her hands up to my chest, I let out a sigh and then wiped her tears away with my thumb.

“Look, dollface, it's fine. He will get over this. Can we just move on from this?” She gently nods her head as I take her into my arms, her small body fitting so perfectly into mine. I lean down and give her a soft kiss on her forehead. “Get ready and meet me downstairs, okay?” I let her go and head out of the room.

Closing the door behind me, I let out a long sigh. I definitely need a strong drink. This woman is everything I want, everything I need, but it will never work if she can’t control her emotions. I know that. I can’t have another Eli on my hands. The thought of her not with me is heart-wrenching.

My stomach drops at the thought of it. I will find out what it is tonight, what makes her so emotional and quick to anger. I need to know before I can let myself fall deeper for her.

CHAPTER 16

JENNY

Standing in the room, I try to compose myself. I have been an absolute bitch tonight. I probably have already ruined things with Dane. Do I hate Eli, no. Do I hate him for how he made my friend hurt, yes. But I know he didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve my venom.

I went too far. I could see the truth in his smoky eyes. I can see the pain. I know he truly does care, but why then? Why does he push her away? I know that night was insane, and yes, he did push her out of the way, but I do know it was an accident. His rage was all he saw.

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