“You can ask me anything.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I begin to tap my foot, needing to expel energy somehow.
“Why did you offer to let me ride with you to Arkansas?”
Trainwreck shoots up from the couch and closes the distance between us, his own anger flaring.
“Seriously?” he asks incredulously. “That is what this is about?”
I nod sharply and he narrows his eyes.
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he says with conviction. “Because it’s a long fucking ride, even split over three days, and that’s hard on anyone. Because we’re going to take out one of the evilest cults there is, and who knows what will happen on our way. Because…” He pauses and takes a deep breath before expelling it. “Just because.”
What he says makes sense, and they’re all good reasons, yet…
“But I’m not your ol’ lady, or even your girlfriend.” I shake my head in disbelief. “I’m just some chick you rescued from a psycho.”
“Why does this bother you so much?” he counters. “Can’t I just be a guy who’s trying to do something nice for you?”
“No!” I shout. “Nice guys don’t exist. Horny guys do, stupid guys, assholes, pricks, only-want-one-thing guys.” I shake my head. “But nice guys? I have yet to meet one.”
“Jesus, you have a warped view of the world.”
“And how do you not with everything you’ve seen or with what happened to Trinity?”
Oh trust me, I do,” Trainwreck tells me. “But I don’t let it stop me from living.” He takes a step closer to me. “If my offer pisses you off this much, I rescind it.”
My stomach bottoms out. Huh. I thought that’s what I wanted, but now that he’s said the words, I realize it isn’t even remotely close.
“Sylvia, I told you before, I’m always going to do what I think is right. And again, I’m sorry if I upset you, but I can’t help who I am.”
My face falls, and heat creeps into my cheeks. I rub my temples, trying to rid myself of a forming migraine.
“Shit,” I mumble and stare at the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off on you. Bad habit I guess.”
“Sylvia, look at me.”
I try to look at him but can’t bring myself to do it. Trainwreck lifts my chin with two fingers. My eyes dart away, trying to focus on anything other than him.
“Sylvia.” His tone holds a hint of warning, or maybe it’s promise. “Please look at me.”
Finally, my eyes land on his face and he smiles.
“Is it so hard to believe I’m nice?” he asks as he shifts his hand from my chin to cup my cheek.
I nod, my mouth suddenly filled with cotton.
“I suppose you’re right, to a degree,” Trainwreck admits. “I’m not your typical nice guy. I do bad things and enjoy every second of it. I have a dark side.” He nods toward his bedroom. “An obsessive side. I can’t rest until my target is taken down.” He rubs his thumb over my cheek, and I lean into his touch. “But I would never treat you like anything but the amazing woman you are. I am nothing but a nice guy where you’re concerned.”
I pull away from him to avoid leaning closer. “You don’t even know me.”
Trainwreck drops his arm and shoves his hands in his pockets. “I know you’re sexy as hell regardless of if you’re in sweats, a fancy dress, or jeans and a hoodie. I know you’re smart and strong and more than capable of taking care of yourself. I know you don’t let much get you down. You’ve got this quality that some might call bitchy, but not me. It reminds me that you have a backbone and don’t need me. Which is good because if I’m ever going to take a chance on a chick, she’s gotta be able to stand on her own two feet. I don’t want someone who is only with me because she needs me. I want her to be with me because she wants me.”
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