Destroy You (Destroy #3) Read online

  This was the last chance for Miguel and me to be together. We couldn’t keep going with our yo-yo relationship, or at least I couldn’t. Jeremy was right; it was a strike against Miguel that I was driving myself to his house and had essentially planned my own birthday. Hell, I wasn’t even sure Miguel remembered why we were supposed to be getting together tonight. I was hoping for a fresh start, which would begin with an honest conversation over dinner. Maybe if we worked hard enough, I could find the butterflies with Miguel that I’d found years ago with Josh.

  I pulled into the circular drive in front of Miguel’s ridiculously grand house on the wealthiest street in Yakima. The sound of my car door closing seemed extra loud on this quiet street, but no one came to peer out the window, so I knocked and waited. July was scorching hot in central Washington, and the sun wouldn’t set for several hours, even though it was nearly six at night. Impatient, I tried the doorbell several times, but there was no answer.

  Tired of waiting, I tried his phone and heard it ringing in the backyard. I let myself through the gate and walked around the house toward the pool. My stomach was churning with dread.

  Miguel and some blond chick were in the deep end of the pool. Her wet bathing suit had been tossed haphazardly up on the deck, where she would not be able to retrieve it quickly if someone, like me, happened upon them. His trunks were floating around on top of the water.

  I stood stunned, watching him hold on to the stair rail while he nailed her from behind. His other hand was under the water, presumably doing things I didn’t want to try to picture too clearly.

  Stupidly, I’d brought a bottle of wine for us since I thought we’d be celebrating my birthday. My grasp on the neck slipped, and it crashed to the concrete and shattered into shards that would be impossible to clean up completely. Everything slowed down at that moment, and they turned their heads to see me gaping at them.

  “Toni. Oh shit,” Miguel shouted.

  Before he could get out of the pool, I ran from the backyard, leaving the glass for him to deal with. I wasn’t cleaning up another mess caused by Miguel Santos.

  He followed through the gate a few seconds after me, limping and trying to hold a towel around his waist. “Toni, baby, please wait.”

  I stopped, because curiosity made me want to hear how in the hell he thought he was going to talk his way out of it this time. He had to know I was done. He couldn’t be that stupid, could he?

  “Baby, she doesn’t mean anything. You are my future. We’re meant to be together, but baby, I get lonely with you away at school. I’m only a man,” he complained.

  Slowly, I turned to face him. His mouth dropped open in disbelief, probably because he realized I wasn’t crying. “That’s too bad, Miguel, because that means you lost me over nothing. Every roller coaster ride has to end eventually, and I think we just found ours. Have a nice life.”

  I started to turn back toward my car, but he stopped me one more time. “You won’t be able to avoid me. Our families are close. You’ll be back. You and I are meant to be.”

  I looked at him over my shoulder. “I won’t be back.”

  Thirty minutes later, due to some recklessly fast driving, I pulled into the driveway at home.

  Jeremy took one look at me as I walked inside and mumbled, “What a fucker. I’ll kick his ass.” He seemed too sweet to be a fighter most of the time, but occasionally I believed he could do some major damage. This was one of those moments.

  “He isn’t worth it,” I replied. All the fight had been drained from me. My parents refused to see Miguel for what he really was. I didn’t have to tell them about this latest development, because this wasn’t the first time he’d cheated, and they’d made excuses for him in the past. I wouldn’t be surprised if they still expected us to get married someday.

  My mom and dad were twenty years older than all of my friends’ parents. They’d been in their early forties and had given up hope they’d ever have a child when my mom discovered she was pregnant with me. All the years they spent waiting and praying for a family made them very overprotective parents. They monitored who my friends were, what clothes I wore, what I ate, and the activities I participated in. They chose Central for my education because it was close enough for them to drop in and check on me whenever they felt like it. Thankfully, they hadn’t done so without notice since my freshman year, but the possibility was always in the back of my mind.

  A lot of people thought I was spoiled because my parents seemed to be generous with their money. I didn’t have to get a part-time job to pay my living expenses, like most college students. My car was also paid for, and they gave me spending money. But their financial support was contingent on me continuing to obey their rules. My mom and dad had a vision for my life, and deviation from their plan wouldn’t be tolerated.

  They expected me to obtain my bachelor’s degree in business and graduate with honors. Then I was supposed to return to Yakima, marry Miguel, and start a family. It was a safe, respectable, and mind-numbingly dull plan for my future. Not exactly what I would choose for myself if they ever bothered to ask me what I wanted.

  A laugh burst from me as I considered my failed relationship with Miguel. My parents wanted us to get married, and we couldn’t seem to stay together longer than a few months at a time. How exactly did they expect us to promise each other forever? I wasn’t sure how I was feeling right now, but it didn’t feel like my heart was broken. Yeah, I was pissed, but a little relieved, too.

  No matter what my parents wanted, I wouldn’t be marrying him after this. I would miss the friendship we’d once had, but if he had been a true friend to me, he would have just ended it rather than cheating on me. Too bad it all had to go down on my birthday. Maybe Jer would let me use him as a pillow while I watched a chick flick. That would make it suck less.

  Changing into sweat pants and binging on takeout sounded like a master plan, but Jeremy redirected me back into my bedroom when I came out wearing a hoodie and oversized pants. I didn’t even get to the part where he had to watch a man-candy marathon with me.

  “Go find something slutty that’s covered in glitter,” he ordered.

  I stepped aside and glowered at him. “You go find something covered in glitter. I’m not your type and I’ve had a shitty night.”

  Jeremy gripped my shoulders and gave me a push toward my bedroom. “Pull back the claws, Tiny Tiger. We are going to talk, but first we’re going to mainline tequila. I’m taking you to The Hitching Post. You know, that bar downtown that always has a line to get in?”

  “Why does everything in this town have to either have the name Rodeo in front of it or some random cowboy phrase?” I asked.

  Jeremy shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. Now go find something to wear that will have me beating the shit out of someone when they get disrespectful by the end of the night.”

  “You’re really weird, you know that, right?” I asked on my way back to my room. Honestly, if I couldn’t sit and pig out in comfortable clothes, getting completely shit-faced sounded like the next-best option.

  Jeremy didn’t fight me when I came out of my room wearing a pair of my favorite jeans and a tank top. I really wasn’t in the mood to strut my, uh, assets for men at the moment.

  My bitter mood was momentarily lifted when we walked into the bar and Jeremy led me to our friends. Aiden, my best friend Becca’s husband and Jeremy’s childhood best friend, rose to greet me. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a quick squeeze, and I fought the urge to melt into the comfort he offered and cry. Becca found the love of her life when she met Aiden, and I found myself with two guys who had become like brothers to me.

  I hadn’t given the dirty details about my breakup to Jeremy, but he’d obviously spilled his suspicions to our friends. It wasn’t hard for him to guess what happened after I returned home early and pissed off. Add the yo-yo history I’d had with Miguel, and it was easy to figure out.

  Becca was eight months pregnant with her first child an
d struggled to get out of her chair. I shook my head at her. “Don’t get up, silly. Why are you even here? This can’t be the most comfortable place for you. Not to mention how loud it is,” I admonished.

  “Like I’d miss my best friend’s twenty-first birthday,” she scoffed.

  Aiden pulled out a chair for me next to Becca and took the one on her other side. I looked around the table and noticed a few places were still open. “Where’s Kate?” I asked.

  “She’ll be here after she changes. She just got off work a little bit ago,” Cameron, Kate’s twin brother, announced as he approached the table. “Happy birthday, Demon.” He kissed me on the cheek.

  Jeremy looked in the other direction when Cameron sat down. They were both trying a little too hard to look unaffected by the other’s presence.

  The arrival of Reed distracted from the growing tension at the table. We were all a bit obsessed with him because he was our personal superhero. Not only did he find Becca after she was abducted, but he took a bullet from Aiden’s psycho ex-girlfriend while protecting Aiden and Becca. All of that bravery was wrapped up in a tall, broad-shouldered, thickly muscled package. It was no surprise that my super-reserved other best friend, Kate, had a thing for the sexy detective. Hell, if she hadn’t seen him first, maybe I’d have made a play for him. Not that it would have done me any good, because anyone with eyes could tell he was sprung on Kate.

  Kate slipped through the crowd toward us, and Reed never looked away. He seemed to have the same protective urges Aiden had for Becca, only Reed wasn’t free to act on his. I didn’t envy him. Kate was very guarded. I wasn’t sure she would ever let go of whatever was holding her back from those of us that loved her.

  Having everyone show up to my birthday made me hope Jeremy would drop his plans of getting me drunk and making me relive the Miguel disaster. I should have known better. Jeremy is like a dog with a bone when he wants to know something.

  Jeremy returned from the bar with several shot glasses and set down two of them in front of me. “You know what they say about tequila,” he began.

  “It makes your clothes fall off?” I asked, confused. No way Jeremy wanted to see me naked.

  He rolled his eyes at me. “I thought it made you talk. Whatever, drink it and start spilling.”

  I wrapped my arms around my chest and glared at him. Jeremy nudged one of the shots closer. “Fine, but it’s going to take more than two shots to make me spill my guts.” I tipped back both of them quickly.

  I looked around for the limes but didn’t find one. How could he forget how to do a tequila shot? Then I saw the slice of lime in his mouth. Jeremy waggled his eyebrows at me. It was my turn to roll my eyes. He liked being provocative. It didn’t matter that my lips on his didn’t do it for him. We’d tried a few times. It was weird, because Jeremy was smoking hot and a fantastic kisser, but kissing him did nothing for me except make me question my sexuality. I mean, if I couldn’t get into kissing Jer, I had to be a lesbian, right?

  As it turned out, it was only because of my feelings for him. Kissing Jeremy was about as erotic for me as kissing one of my cousins. Hot or not, Jeremy was firmly in the friends-and-family zone.

  He waggled his eyebrows. It was a challenge he didn’t think I’d accept. Dumbass. I grabbed his shirt and used my teeth to take the lime wedge from his mouth, then shoved him back and licked the remnants of alcohol and citrus off my lips.

  Cameron got up and stormed away from the table. Jeremy dropped his head back as we all stared at him. “I’m getting really sick of his shit,” he muttered. “I mean, fuck! He’s banging some chick from his apartment complex.”

  Kate laid her hand on Jeremy’s. “I’m sorry, Jeremy. You are exactly what I want for him, but Cameron has demons.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not going to exorcise them for him.” Jeremy turned to face me, and I smiled. “Toni, I…”

  “Go after him,” I encouraged.

  “I’m so sick of this shit,” he said under his breath.

  I bumped my shoulder against his. “I know, but he’s under your skin. Don’t go for him, go for you.”

  Jeremy stood and kissed me on the cheek. “I love you, Pixie. Happy birthday,” he whispered.

  Kate was fading fast. She worked twelve-hour shifts and still came out to celebrate my birthday. It was no wonder why I loved these people. “You, too. Go home,” I demanded.

  “No. I can…” She yawned. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m sure. Thanks for coming, but I want you to go home and sleep,” I reassured her.

  “Where did you park?” Reed asked. He was back in protector mode.

  “I, uh, walked?” Kate winced when Reed and Aiden both looked at her, shocked.

  Reed stood instantly. “I’ll take you home. You shouldn’t be walking alone at night.”

  “I’d argue with you, but I’m tired. I’d love a ride home. Thank you.”

  Becca turned to me with her concerned look. Dammit, I did not dodge talking about Miguel with Jeremy only to have to go through it with Becca. She was around in the beginning when I still cried over problems with Miguel, so she knew more about it than anyone else. I didn’t want her concern or her pity. I only wanted to drink this night away.

  I waved at the bartender, who incidentally looked like sex on legs, and pretended to know him. I then turned to Becca and Aiden again, prepared to lie my ass off. “Hey, guys, I see a friend at the bar. Why don’t the two of you go ahead and go? It’s loud in here. That can’t be good for the baby.”

  Aiden seemed determined to stay with me. His need to protect Becca extended to everyone she cared about. As a result, he’d become like a big brother to me. But I knew the second I mentioned the baby, he would relent and take Becca home.

  “Call if you need a ride,” he insisted.

  “Promise,” I said, even though I had no intention of calling him back out.

  Becca’s lip quivered. “But it’s your birthday. I suck. I’m a horrible friend.” Her moods were unpredictable since she’d gotten pregnant. It was also getting late, which made her more likely be tired and ready to cry.

  “You don’t suck. Now go home and rest so my nephew doesn’t have to hear this awful music,” I demanded. Seriously, why did anyone like music made after 2000? Becca hugged me tight until Aiden interceded and practically dragged her out of the bar.

  It felt weird sitting at the large table alone, so I moved to the bar. I sat at the end and scrolled through my phone while I waited to order a drink. I had several missed calls from Miguel and even more text messages. I shoved my phone back in my pocket. I wasn’t in the mood for his excuses.

  I looked up and landed on a curious pair of gray eyes.

  “Tequila, right?”

  My voice disappeared. I nodded, and he placed a shot in front of me with a wedge of lime. I reached for my card, and he waved me away.

  “Your boyfriend told me it was your birthday,” he said. He knew I was legal because the bouncer checks everyone’s ID at the door.

  My brows furrowed in confusion, and I looked around me, trying to figure out who he thought I was with. “What boyfriend?” I asked when I didn’t see anyone standing too close to me.

  “The guy buying your drinks earlier,” he reminded me.

  I was used to being around our friends who would never assume Jeremy and I were together. I smirked, thinking about how we probably did look like we were a couple to people who didn’t know Jeremy was gay.

  I didn’t want this guy to think I had a boyfriend, though. “He isn’t my boyfriend,” I replied.

  He smiled, and my eyes were drawn to a small silver ring in the corner of his bottom lip. I never thought I’d find facial piercings sexy before, but his plump lips were made more masculine with that small piece of metal.

  “Well, Birthday Girl, what are you doing all alone tonight?” he asked.

  “I’m afraid the answer to that question is going to require a lot more tequila,” I evaded.

  He se
t another shot in front of me and opened his mouth to say something, but someone shouting for his attention down the bar interrupted him. It wasn’t like he was the only one working or that the bar was that busy. It was the summer, and most of the regular customers were at home for the break.

  “We aren’t done,” he said before walking away.

  I took the opportunity to study him while his attention was on another customer. He was tall, like maybe six foot one or two, shorter than Aiden and Reed but close to Jeremy’s height. His dark hair was cut close to his head.

  He moved with leonine grace. His muscles pulled and tugged against the soft-looking fabric of his black T-shirt. His jeans were a relaxed fit, not the disgusting, overly tight style that was unfortunately the trend for guys now. Even so, his firm ass and rock-hard thighs were perfectly showcased in the faded blue material.

  After assisting a few more customers, he started to work his way back down the bar. I felt like I was taking him away from his job and stood to say good-bye once he made it back to me.

  “You aren’t leaving already, are you?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “My friends are gone, and I realized I haven’t eaten dinner. Drinking more probably isn’t a good idea.”

  Irritation flashed in his stormy eyes. “No one took you to dinner on your birthday?”

  “I was supposed to go with my boyfriend,” I began. His expression fell a little, and I rushed to continue. “But that was before I caught him screwing someone else when I showed up at his house. It’s been a horrible day.”

  “Let me take you to dinner,” he offered.

  I checked my watch. “Now? It’s late.”

  “There’s a twenty-four hour diner that doesn’t suck. I promise the food’s better than I made it sound.”

  “I don’t even know your name,” I argued.

  He held his hand out to me. “Trent McKenzie.”

  I took it. “Antonia Padilla, but everyone calls me Toni.”

  “Now can I take you to dinner?” he asked.

  I looked around the bar. “Aren’t you working?” It still had a decent amount of customers, but they did have two other bartenders behind the bar and some waitstaff out on the floor.