Rock the Heart

by Michelle A. Valentine

  “Thanks. It’s not much, but it’s home,” I answer politely and glance over my shoulder at him, knowing he’s only saying that to be nice.

  Trip stares up, studying the rafters in our unfinished porch. The idea that he’s judging us on the looks of the place makes me stiffen. Like most things around here, Dad never had the time or money to get around to actually completing it. Not that he doesn’t want to, but things cost money, and that’s one thing we haven’t had very much of in a while. At the rate we’ve been going, we’re lucky to keep the electricity on.

  I open the door wide and step back. “Welcome.”

  He smirks and shakes his head before sweeping his hand out in front of him. “Ladies first.”

  I roll my eyes and shrug. I flip on the light in the small foyer as Trip closes the door. Even though it’s two in the afternoon, we still have to waste electricity running the lights all day because of how dark it stays in this old farmhouse. I was just a baby when Grace, and Dad bought this place. It had been a fixer-upper, but had all the potential for my dad to realize his dream of opening a dirt-bike track. Twenty years later it still needs a lot of fixing.

  As a kid, the condition of this place used to embarrass me, but now that I’m older and understand the concept of money, I’m just glad we have a roof over our head. I don’t care what people think about me anymore.

  “How long have you lived here?” Trip asks as he walks around, peeking his head in the living room and the kitchen to inspect the place.

  “All my life.” My feet find the first step on the staircase. “Your room is up here.”

  His eyes follow the staircase to the second level. “I was thinking, why not start with a tour of your room instead?”

  I shake my head as he follows me up the stairs. “That’s never going to happen.”

  He laughs behind me. “If denying how much you want me makes you sleep better at night, have at it.”

  At the top of the landing I turn around and Trip stops one step below me, so our eyes are level. I’m about two seconds from ripping into him and telling him how disgusted I am that he doesn’t even remember me, but I decide if he’s going to play dumb, than so am I. “There are two bedrooms up here. The door to your right is mine, and the door on the left is yours. The door at the end is the bathroom. We’ll have to share it.”

  His green eyes dart from one side of the hall to the other, checking out the tan walls and white doors with caution. “So it’s just the two of us up here alone?”

  I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

  He sets his foot on the top step and leans into me a bit, closing the gap between us. “Not for me, but can’t say the same for you.”

  I fold my arms under my boobs, drawing his attention to my chest again. I could kick myself right now for not putting my uniform top back on. “Why would that be a problem for me?”

  Trip smirks. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you giving me the old fuck-eye. I’d say in a week or so I’ll have to keep my door bolted shut to keep you from sneaking in and having your way with me.”

  I let out a bitter laugh. What a self-centered jerk. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not my type.”

  He studies my face. After a few seconds he raises his eyebrows as it appears he’s had a flash of memory, because a gleam of recognition flashes in his eyes. “You sure about that? It didn’t seem that way last night.”

  The blood drains from my face. Shit. He does remember. “That was a drunken mistake. I wasn’t myself last night. Trust me that won’t be happening again anytime soon.”

  “I told you, sweetness, I can read people. It’s sort of my thing. Sooner or later you’re going to have to admit to yourself that you’re into me. I drank a lot at the bar and I thought you looked like the girl from last night, but I wasn’t sure. Not until just now, that is. In this dark hallway, you look just the same as you did last night. You wanted me too. I know you did. I could feel it in your kiss.”

  “Like I said. You’ve got no chance in hell with me.”

  “Really?” He laughs heartily and steps onto the landing in front of me and his face is suddenly serious. “I’d say you were pretty damn close to allowing me to have my way with you last night. If your boyfriend hadn’t dragged you away, we would’ve had a great time. Where is he now, anyway?”

  “My love life isn’t your concern.” He steps closer to me and I shake my head and take a step backwards. He’s trying to bait me into playing his game by closing the distance. “This isn’t going to work on me, you know.”

  Trip scrunches his brow. “What isn’t?”

  I wave my hands in front of me, directing attention to his body. “This...your whole bad-boy charm. I’m immune to it. I don’t sleep with guys I don’t know.”

  He traces a line down my arm with his finger. “Sweetheart, I haven’t even begun to charm you yet. When I do, I promise I won’t have to ask twice to get you naked. You’ll be begging for me to take you and make your body feel good, just like you were last night.”

  I roll my eyes and try to pretend my heart isn’t pounding fifty miles an hour. “You are so full of shit.”

  He licks his lip, and stares into my eyes so intensely I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making any noise while under his powerful gaze. “I know you’re trying real hard to make yourself believe what you’re saying. Honestly, I find your self-preservation charming. But I happen to know women are defenseless when I set out to seduce them.”

  I lift my chin. “I highly doubt you can get any woman you want. I hope that’s not what you’re trying to do with me, because if it is, I can assure you, you’re failing miserably.”

  “When I decide I want something, I get it. Always. Failure isn’t in my vocabulary.”

  The determination in his eyes makes my legs weak. There’s no doubt in my mind he can get most women to do whatever he wants when there’s pure alpha male radiating from him. But I’m not most women, and he won’t be making me another notch on his undeniably sexy bedpost any time soon.

  He takes another step. “Admit that you like me.”

  I shake my head as he takes another step, followed by another until my back is pinned against the wall. “No.”

  Trip bites his lip and leans into me and places two fingers against my neck like he’s checking my pulse. “Then tell me, sweetness. Why is your heart racing? You can deny it all you want, but you’ll only be able to fight what your body wants for so long.”

  My breath catches. He makes me nervous and I don’t like the effect he’s having on me. I wish he was wrong about my stupid body wanting him.

  I clear my throat and shove myself away from him, needing to get away from him. “If you need anything other than sexual favors you just let me know.”

  Before he can say anything else, I slip into my room and close the door behind me. I press my back into the door and sigh. Damn, I wish he wasn’t right. I do feel some strange pull toward him, but I’ll be damned if I give in to it and get my heart broken again.

  I stay still until I hear his footsteps go back downstairs and then the front door shut. I slide down the door and take a deep breath. Trip is more intense than I’m used to. Sure, in a place overrun with men, guys come onto me all the time, but this one? He’s different. I’ve never had a man so sure of himself approach me like that. Most guys in come into the shop and tell me I’m hot or have a great ass and then get pissed when I don’t drop my panties fast enough for them.

  I’m done dating jerks.

  I have to put a tougher bubble in place around me. This guy isn’t going to take no for an answer, which may be a problem seeing as how I have to be in close proximity to him for a month. That, and the fact that he’s quite possibly the most attractive man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

  Before I have time to think on it any further, my cell phone whistles with a text message.

  Kara: Missed you at the Alpha Gamma Sigma party. These things aren’t the same wit
hout you.

  I smile as I read her message. Kara is a girl I met back at Ohio State. We were a package deal last year when it came to parties. I hate the fact that I dropped out of college after my spring semester was over this year. I hoped Kara and I would be together my entire time there seeing as how we were both studying to be psychologist.

  Holly: Miss you too. How is everyone?

  Kara: Everyone is exactly the same. Summer break didn’t change things much.

  Holly: Tell them I said hello.

  Kara: Will do. Has Jackson begged for your forgiveness yet?

  Holly: No, he’s been keeping his distance and only talking to me when he has business at the track.

  Kara: He deserves a swift kick in the balls for what he did to you.

  The thought of Jackson and what he did to me makes my blood boil. The last thing I want to do right now is think about him. For the last two weeks it’s been torture seeing him around the town knowing how he betrayed me. For once I wish there was another track in town he could train on. He hasn’t been to the track since that night in my room, but I know he can only stay away so long. He has to have a place to train seeing as he’s becoming a professional rider.

  Holly: Agreed.

  My answer is simple. I hope it’s enough to pacify her so she will drop the topic.

  I sigh in relief as her next text comes through.

  Kara: Gotta get to class. Miss you! XOXOX

  I shove myself off the floor and stuff my phone back in my pocket. Kara’s text couldn’t have come at a better time. The mention of Jackson only solidifies the need for me to be done dating guys for a while. And by a while I mean probably forever. I just can’t trust them, and if I can’t trust them why would I hand over something as precious as my heart? They’ll just destroy it for the hell of it.

  Especially someone like Trip Douglas. He has heartbreaker written all over him. I would like nothing more than to completely ignore him with the hope that he and his sexy body disappear. I’m going to have to fight hard to deny him considering I’ve already tasted his lips and my body already wants him—a woman can only be so good for so long.

  After eating my lone peanut butter sandwich, I decide it’s time to go back to the main office. As much as I would like to, I can’t avoid Trip forever.

  I lock the front door behind me and the gravel crunches under my feet as I trudge towards the office.

  Like everything else around here, this building has seen better days. The posts on the front porch could use a fresh coat of paint and the building itself needs a few upgrades. The red brick is dull and dingy, with some of the mortar between them cracking and peeling away. The bushes are in great shape though thanks to a day’s worth of sweat from me out here trimming them up. I remember that day fondly. I saw Jackson at the local mall talking to Stella Charles, the girl I’d recently heard he’d been sleeping with all last year while I was away at college. I took all my aggression out on our poor shrubbery that day.

  Max leans against the porch railing in his black and yellow riding gear as I approach. “A little late for work aren’t you? How many times did you barf?” Max asks as I close in on him.

  I give him my best scowl. “A couple, thanks to you.”

  He laughs and his brown, floppy hair bounces. I stick my tongue out at him and his brown eyes grow wide before he rushes over and grabs me up in a big bear hug. “Is that any way to treat your best friend who was trying to break you out of a funk on your birthday?”

  I smack his chest as I try to wiggle out of his hold. “Who said you were my best friend? I should hate you for how much you let me drink last night.”

  Max sets me down and dramatically throws his hands over his heart. “That wounds me deeply, Holly. It’s not like I didn’t warn you.”

  I pull his hands down. “Stop it. You know I’m kidding. What girl wouldn’t want a best friend as handsome as you?”

  He gives me a lopsided grin. “That’s more like it. Have you seen the new man-meat in the shop? He looks a lot like that guy from last night, only today he’s got a hat on.”

  I shrug and toss my blond hair over my shoulder. “It is the same guy. Good thing I didn’t sleep with him, huh?”

  His eyes widen. “Holy shit! What’s he here for? Did he track you down?”

  I shake my head. “He’s here to inspect the track for that investor Mr. Johnson told Dad about.”

  Max raises his eyebrows. “Really? He’s not exactly what I expected.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir. He’s a real piece of work too—so full of himself. The Gods-gift type, you know. I owe you one for saving me from him last night.”

  He folds his arms over his chest. “You telling me we have another Jackson on our hands?”

  Jeesh, does everyone have to bring up Jackson today? “Ugh. I hope not. Trip claims to actually have a brain.”

  Max grimaces. “Trip? What in the hell kind of name is that? Who would do that to a kid?” I stay quiet and he notices. “You don’t think it’s a weird name?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not so bad.”

  “What?” Max bends down to look me in the eye. “Wait a minute. You like him. I thought we talked about this last night?”

  I open my mouth to protest but Max’s laugh cuts me off, and I grimace before arguing. “I do not.”

  I start to turn away as the heat rises in my cheeks, but he grabs my arm. “Oh no you don’t. Don’t deny it—you’re into him. How quickly you forget that I’ve seen that look on your face before. Admit it. You got a thing for him. You still want to bang him, don’t you?”

  I shake my head and shove his shoulder playfully. “Maybe it’s you that has a thing for him.”

  His face gets pale. He hates it when I hint at his sexual preference within earshot of others. After he whips his head from side to side, making sure no one overheard, he sets his eyes on me. “Sometimes I wish that you didn’t know so much about me.”

  I grin, knowing I’m the only one who knows his little secret. “You know that’s exactly why you love me.”

  He wraps his arm around me and turns in plain view of the window looking into the shop where we can get a clear view of Trip. “That’s way too much man for you, Holly. A guy like that will chew you up and spit your little heart all over the sidewalk. You need to steer clear of that tasty piece of dangerous ass.”

  I roll my eyes. “Seriously? When have I ever been interested in that type?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe since high school?”

  “I’m completely over Jackson Cruze, and the bad-boy type. I was drunk last night and my judgment was off. I promise I won’t be letting my guard down again.”

  “Really? After one day? Why do you still have those magazine covers of him hanging on your walls?”

  “He’s the hottest motocross rider around. It’s good for our business when people find out that he trains here at this track,” I argue.

  Max gives me a pointed look. “Keep telling yourself that, Blondie.”

  I shrug his arm off my shoulder. “Ugh. Whatever. Let’s not talk about Jackson anymore.”

  He smirks. “Why? Got your eye on someone new?”

  “I told you, I don’t like him!” I gesture towards the window where we last saw Trip.

  Shit.

  At the same moment I realize Trip is gone, a voice behind me stops me dead in my tracks. “I hope you’re not talking about me. You’ll break my heart if you are.”

  I could kill Max right now. I narrow my eyes at my best friend and do my best to send him a telepathic message that he’s dead meat before turning to face Trip, wearing the sweetest smile I can muster. Against my better judgment, I have to force myself to be nice to this guy. Like Dad said, we need him to like us. “Of course not. I don’t even know you well enough to not like you yet.”

  He leans casually against the doorframe that leads inside the office. The rickety screen door is propped open with a red brick to allow more airflow into our hot-as-hell offi
ce, giving me a full view of Trip and that mouth-watering body of his. I jerk my eyes off his chiseled, tattoo-covered biceps and he chuckles. Damn it. He caught me looking. I have got to get his sexiness out of my mind.

  Trip’s eyes flit to Max, like he’s testing to see if my gay best friend is my actually my boyfriend before deeming it safe to turn his heated gaze in my direction.

  I glance over at Max and he holds up his hands, indicating he has no ties to me as Trip stares him down. Trip shifts his heady gaze from Max to me. “Well, I’m all for rectifying that problem.”

  I shake my head. “You don’t take no for an answer very well, do you?”

  “Not when it comes to something I want.”

  I laugh. “And I’m guessing I’m something you want?”

  He shrugs. “Maybe, I’m still making up my mind. Don’t worry, as soon as I decide, you’ll be the first to know.”

  This guy does not give up. “Well, like I said, you and I are never going to happen. I’m not sleeping with you. You might as well get that idea out of your head right now. But whenever you’d like to go over the business aspects of the place, I’m all for it.”

  I start to shoulder around him to get inside the office, but he grabs my wrist, halting me in my tracks, and the look in his eyes softens. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to piss you off. From now on, I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I want us to be friends.”

  I stare up into his green eyes and take in his easy smile. He bites his bottom lip and all I can think about is how soft his lips were when he kissed me. I silently curse myself for thinking about his stupid mouth before I shake out of his grip. “Good. Come on, then.”

  Chapter 4

  Good Girls, Bad Guys

  TRIP

  I turn my head and watch Holly stalk off inside. I fold my arms over my chest and blow a frustrated breath through pursed lips. This isn’t good.

  “She doesn’t hate you if that’s what you’re thinking,” the guy she was talking to says to me. I turn my gaze in his direction and he extends his right hand to me. “The name’s Max.”