Bad Boy Valentine by Sylvia Pierce Read Free Book Online Page B

and—”
    “You think I wanna be here? Seeing you every day, seeing that look on your face? Knowing that you can’t stand me? That I deserve it—and probably worse?” He shoved his plate away and jerked himself out of the booth, heading to the back room, but Kate was right on his heels.
    She grabbed his forearm and yanked him around to face her again.
    “Oh, no. You aren’t allowed to be angry with me,” she said, that temper shooting into the red zone, five seconds flat. “You gave up that right the night you bailed on me.”
    “ Bailed on you? Everything I did was… You don’t…. Fuck. You know what, Miss Molina? No. We’re not doing this today. Or tomorrow. Or ever.” Jagger backed off, shame heating his blood.
    Saying that everything he did was for her ? That was a bullshit excuse, and he fuckin’ knew it. He hadn’t done it for her. He’d done it for himself, because he was too immature and fucked up to be a man about it and walk away from Rage when he had the chance. He was too stupid to find a better way, too incompetent to take care of his woman, too much of a child to get his own shit together.
    That had nothing to do with Kate, and everything to do with him.
    Anger? Yeah, Jagger understood that. Anger was some heavy shit, but regret weighed a hell of a lot more. Jagger had spent his whole life lugging around both—especially when it came to Kate.
    He couldn’t—wouldn’t—do this with her. Not now. She had too much going for her.
    Leaving her was the best thing he could’ve done for her. It hadn’t been easy for her, but that’s the way it had to be. Opening those old wounds wouldn’t do any good—for either of them.
    Jagger took a deep breath, waiting for the muscles in his neck and shoulders to uncoil.
    “Kate—Miss Molina, listen. I’m sorry I snapped. Let’s just focus on the task at hand. There’s a lot of work to do, and I need to go over a few things with you about the project before I leave today.”
    Electricity crackled between them, the tension threatening to spark into a full-blown battle. He needed to diffuse this shit before it got any more out of hand. Before they both said things they’d regret.
    “I’m real grateful for the breakfast,” he continued, lowering his eyes. “And for the job. I just don’t see any point in bringing up the past. What’s done is done. The sooner I can wrap up the work, the sooner we can go back to our separate lives. Agreed?”
    After a long moment, Kate finally nodded. “Agreed.”
    And just like that, the walls of detached professionalism were back up between them, the heat of their argument rushing out the front door like a bad smell that just needed some fresh air.
    In the back room, Jagger gave Kate an overview of the wiring issues.
    “But this has to be done by the thirteenth,” she said, her voice edged with panic. “No exceptions. I’ll have a hundred people an hour rotating through here on Valentine’s Day, including corporate sponsors and the media. Everything has to be absolutely perfect. There’s no room for error on this, Jagger. None. And I—”
    “Can’t you just hold the event in the front room, save the renovation for another big shindig?”
    Kate rolled her eyes. “Jagger. You’ve seen the front. Two booths, two small tables, and a four-stool counter bar? Give me a break. The expansion was part of the deal—I promised the sponsors I’d have the space available.”
    He hated his next idea, but he was obligated to make the suggestion anyway. “Alright. What about bringing in another guy or two? With three of us on it, we could probably—”
    “Not possible.” Kate slid down against the drywall, burying her head in her hands. “No budget. And I’ve already gone through half the contractors in the city.”
    “Then you got one choice, Miss Molina.” Jagger knelt down in front of her, a smirk stretching across his whole damn face. “And you ain’t gonna like it one bit.”

Chapter Six
    “ S orry