Wanted: A Bad Boy Romance by Maya Hawk Page B

me. He knows
something’s up. At least I think he does.
    “I’ve read several studies on the
importance of helping former inmates get on their feet after release. Plus he
doesn’t need to spend his money on new things when these work just fine,” I say
with a sweet smile. “Anything I can do to help, I will. It’s my passion. I want
to see him succeed in life.”
    Lewis almost rolls his eyes.
    “I think that’s a wonderful idea,
sweetie.” Mom covers my hand again, rubbing my thumb with hers. “You’re very
kind to want to help. I’m sure Titan will appreciate it. Stopping by with those
things will be a nice surprise for him.”
    I don’t know if he’ll appreciate
it, but he’ll certainly be surprised.
    ***
    The stairs to Titan’s apartment
are narrow, and they creak. Stained, sticky carpet glides against the underside
of my shoes. A giant plastic tote fills my arms, and it grows heavier with each
upward step.
    His place is the last door on the
right. The number seven on the door hangs upside down.
    Taking a deep breath, I rap three
times on the door. It’s ten o’clock on a Friday. I have no clue if he’s home. He
could be in bed by now. Or he might be with someone. Maybe I should’ve called
first, but all I could think about were all the things I wanted to say to him.
    Things that
couldn’t wait.
    The door swings open a moment
later. Titan’s muscled frame fills the doorway, his elbow resting against the
wood. He scratches his chin, and drinks me up and down with a sideways glance.
    “You going to invite me in?” I
ask.
    He steps back, motioning for me
to come inside.  
    I drop the tote on the floor and
look around. The place is hardly the size of my bedroom – his old room
– back at the lake house. It smells awful: like stale cigarette smoke and
must.
    “What are you doing here,
Jordana?” He shuts the door, hooking his hands on his hips. I’m not sure how I
missed the fact that he’s completely shirtless, but there he is. Standing
before me. Nothing but low-hanging sweats, rippled abs, and a jacked chest
covered in intricate tattoos.
    “I had no idea you’d moved out,”
I say, arms folded.
    “Wasn’t aware I had to keep you
in the loop.”
    “It’s common courtesy.”
    “Why? Because you think we’re
some kind of family now or because I fucked you?”
    I stand straight, daring myself
to hold his intense stare.
    “You don’t just have sex with
someone and disappear,” I say. “It’s confusing…”
    He scoffs. “What part of that is
confusing? We didn’t have sex. We fucked. Huge difference.”
    “I don’t like feeling used.”
    “You used me just as much as I
used you.”
    None of my feelings make sense.
None of my arguments feel like my own. Everything coursing through my body is
unfamiliar, foreign.
    I hate that I had sex with him.
    And I hate that I want to have
sex with him again.
    “You weren’t used,” he says.
    “Easy for you to say.”
    “The hell does that mean?”
    “Men are wired differently,” I
say. “You’re programmed to be able to-”
    Titan’s head snaps back and he
groans. “Need to get your damn nose out of those fucking textbooks. Not everything
can be chalked up to research and studies.”
    “Yes it can.” My gaze narrows.
“It’s science.”
    “Sometimes…sex is just sex. Gotta
take the science out of it.” He crouches down to the tote, popping off the lid
and pulling out all the things I’d shoved in there in haste shortly after
dinner. “Anyway, what’s this got to do with me? You think you’re my fucking
girlfriend now?”
    My heart leaps. That’s not my
point at all. God. I don’t want him thinking that I’m in love with him now.
    “Absolutely not. No.” I can taste
the desperation in my voice. I’m desperate to ensure he knows I’m not suddenly
crushing on him.
    Titan lifts a toaster and sets it
aside, picking through the next few items. “Right. So why are you really here,
Jordana?”
    I…don’t know.
    All I know