“You tellin’ me you would’ve gotten in yourself had I waited you out?” I questioned, already knowing the answer to that one. I glanced over again and watched Tori press her lips together. “Yeah. Didn’t think so,” I said, turning away.

“I probably would’ve gotten in eventually, considering I wouldn’t want you taking my car anywhere without me, but I wasn’t given a choice, was I?”

“On a bit of a time crunch here, Legs,” I reminded her.

She sighed, no doubt realizing I was right in rushing her and hating that fact.

I watched her turn away. “Keep goin’,” I prompted.

She looked at me again. A crease in her brow was forming. “Excuse me?”

“You said ‘first of all,’ like you had more than one point to make,” I said, putting my eyes back on the road. “Go ahead and make it.”

Tori let out a quiet laugh. “You’re not gonna like point two,” she warned.

“Comes outta your mouth, there’s a good chance I’m gonna like it no matter what it is.”

That was unfortunately the truth. Never in my life had I enjoyed getting lip from a woman before. But with Legs? I couldn’t seem to get enough.

The madder she got, the harder I got.

Those two things went hand in hand.

“Fine.” She twisted in her seat and angled her body toward me. “I was going to say this was a one-time thing and that we will never have places to go together, meaning you’ll never be driving us anywhere ever again, and the fact that you’re implying differently as if this is going to become a habit is ridiculous. I don’t even like you. That was my second point.”

“You like me,” I argued.

“Really, I don’t.”

“Really, babe, you do.”

“Seriously, Jamie, I’m being honest.”

“You’ll start bein’ honest when you admit to liking me,” I told her, turning into the parking lot surrounding Hammerjacks and searching for a spot. “Right now, you ain’t bein’ honest. You’re bein’ in denial. Don’t wanna feel certain things, so you’re just blocking them out and lyin’ to yourself and anyone who asks you. Lyin’ to me most of all ’cause you don’t want me knowin’ how you truly feel about me. But I already know, Legs, so we can go ahead and move past this if you’re finished wastin’ both of our times. And straight up, bet aside, you admit to liking me and I won’t act like a dick about it. So if that’s your worry, you can get the fuck over that, too. Swear it. It won’t go down like that.”

I wasn’t sure if that was one of her reasons for circling this issue the way she was doing, but I felt the need to clear the air, just in case it was.

Honestly? I didn’t know what her deal was. Only thing I knew for certain was that Tori was lying and covering that lie with layers of bullshit I was gonna have to wade through to get to what I wanted.

I pulled us into a spot along the side of the building, threw the gear into Park, and turned to look at her.

She wasn’t glaring at me anymore and her foot wasn’t swinging in edginess, but her arms were still crossed.

“You really don’t believe me when I say I don’t like you?” she asked, her blue eyes daring me to say differently. She leaned forward, declaring, “Well, I really don’t believe you when you say, ‘Swear it.’ I don’t believe a lot of things you say, Jamie. I don’t trust you.”

“Said it before and made good on it,” I reminded her, speaking of earlier down at the beach.

“You would’ve said anything to get me to climb on you the way I did.”

“Probably,” I replied. My lip curled up.

Hers grew tight.

“Tell me the truth,” I said, throwing my arm up on the wheel and facing her fully. “Test me. Go ahead.”

She sat back in her seat and tilted her head, staring at me across the small space, as if she was waiting for something and not keeping responses to herself.

I didn’t understand that look. I was the one expecting. Not her.

“Waitin’, Legs,” I probed.

“I already told you,” she shot back, holding my gaze steady.

I cocked an eyebrow. “Gave me a lie. Where’s your truth?” I asked.

Tori unbuckled her seat belt, then she looked away and reached for the handle on the door. “I gave you both,” she said quietly, pushing it open and stepping out.

The door shut behind her.

She gave me both?

What the fuck? When?

Only thing I heard was a bunch of lying from her, meaning she didn’t give me both. Tori gave me what she was always giving me. Bullshit. I was still waiting on a truth.

Jesus.

I shook my head.

Wanting this girl was the biggest fucking headache of my life. If it weren’t for the glimpses I’d gotten of what she was hiding underneath, I wouldn’t think it was worth it.

I turned off the car and stepped out, tucking the keys into the pocket of my shorts after locking up. I met Tori up on the pavement.

“Let me do all the talkin’ in here,” I told her. “Just stay with me. Don’t go wanderin’ off.”

Last thing I needed was her disappearing on me.

She rolled her eyes and started walking toward the door, leaving me standing where I was.

Jesus. Here we fucking go.

“Legs, swear to God, if I have to go lookin’ for you, we’re gonna have a problem,” I warned at her back. My longs strides got me to her quickly, and when I reached her side, I added, “Pissed me off enough today. Don’t push it.”

Tori let out a dry laugh. “I’ll be doing all the talking in here. Trust me. That’s how this is going to work,” she said, finality in her voice. She stopped in front of the door and reached for the handle.

She was doing all the talking? That’s how this was going to work?

I slammed my hand on the door and prevented her from entering.

“Say again?” I growled, meeting her eyes when she stopped pulling and whipped her head around to hit me with attitude.

“What?” she asked, looking confused. “That’s the plan.”

“That ain’t the plan,” I assured her. “I’m talking. You’re standing there, not wanderin’ off. That’s the plan.”

“Didn’t you say your sister isn’t into boys?”

“Yeah.”

Tori stared up at me. She grabbed on to her hips and cocked her head to the side, lifting her brows expectantly.

“What about it?” I asked when she wouldn’t elaborate or give me anything else besides looks and sass.

“She isn’t into boys,” Tori stated again.

My jaw clenched. I was losing patience. “We covered that,” I bit out.

“Boys are currently hitting on her and not taking the hint that she isn’t interested.”

“Why we’re here, babe. You feelin’ like sharin’ somethin’ I don’t know?”

Tori smiled big. “That’s where I come in.”

“What is?”

“Them not taking the hint.”

I lowered my hand from the door and stood taller. “Not following you,” I shared.