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“Yes, sir.”
“You have one week.”
“One—” At his glare, I snapped my lips shut. I wanted to make this work. “You got it, sir.”
He gave a curt nod and stormed away. I released a long breath, sagging against the wall. Fuck, that was horrible. I didn’t want to let him down, but how the hell was I going to convince Red to let him get a Vespa? This was a no-win situation. Either I let Cotton down and lost my chance to repair the damage between us, or I pissed off my teammate and dealt with his wrath for the rest of my life.
“Hey,” Laura smiled, wrapping her arm around my waist. “This place is great. And Cotton is so awesome.”
“Yeah,” I smiled weakly.
“So, are you ready to go home?”
Home. That brought a grin to my face that I knew would be permanently in place. She was finally mine. “We’re moving your stuff in tomorrow.”
“Most of my stuff is already there,” she grinned.
“I don’t want a single thing left behind in that roughneck’s house,” I growled.
“Stop being jealous,” she giggled. “He’s just a friend.”
“A friend who’s in love with you. I don’t like the competition.”
“There was never any competition. It’s always been you.”
“Keep saying more things like that. My ego needs it.”
She sunk her teeth into her lower lip, preventing her from smiling. “Why don’t you take me home and I’ll give your ego a real boost,” she said as she turned around and sashayed down the hall.
My brain temporarily went on the fritz. Then I saw Cash and called out, “I’m going home to have sex with my girlfriend!”
“Nobody cares!”
I rubbedmy palms on my pants, nervous as I waited for Cotton outside Red’s house. If this didn’t go just right, that was it for me. I would never get another chance to make this right.
He stepped out of the house and stared at the bike, but then Red walked out behind him and my hopes fell. He was gonna kick my ass. I glanced back at the Vespa and prayed that everything was right. Icould take the beating from Red, but I wasn’t sure I could take any more of Cotton ignoring me.
He walked down the steps and examined the bike, scrutinizing every last detail. I couldn’t tell if he liked it or not, but it was clear by the way Red was clenching his jaw that he was not happy.
“So?” I asked when five minutes passed and he still hadn’t said a word. I hoped that meant he was happy. If he was displeased, he would have walked away immediately. At least, that’s what I told myself.
“The color is right.”
I released a long breath, but this was far from over.
He picked up the helmet and ran his hand over the glossy finish. “This is a nice helmet. You didn’t skimp on the quality.”
Only because I knew Red would put a bullet in my head. “It had the best ratings.”
He walked to the back of the bike, running his hand over the seat, then stopped at the flag I added just for him. “This was your idea?”
I had designed it just for him. “Yes, I had it made for you.”
Man, was it hot out here? I was sweating my ass off.
He ran his fingers over the flag, then his eyes flicked up to meet mine. “I like it. This is good,” he said in a dark voice that reminded me of The Godfather.
“It is?”