Page 93 of Property of Tacoma

He nods, squeezing me tighter.

When we finally pull apart, my eyes connect with Tacoma’s.

He’s watching us with an expression I can’t quite read—pain, longing, regret, all mixed together.

I turn, needing to get as far away from Tacoma as I can, when he grabs my arm, stopping me.

“Angel.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Angel.”

The word comes out rough, desperate, and I tighten my grip on her arm before she can pull away.

She freezes, her back still to me, those slender shoulders rigid with tension.

“Jagger, get on the back of your dad’s bike,” I hear my brother say as the sirens get closer.

Thank fuck for Bane because right now, all I can focus on is Cali.

The woman who risked everything to save my son.

The woman I pushed away because I was a fucking coward.

“Let me go, Tacoma,” she says, her voice barely audible.

“No.” I step closer, my chest nearly against her back. “Not until you hear me out.”

“There’s nothing to say.” She tries to pull away, but I hold firm. “You made yourself perfectly clear two days ago.”

I close my eyes.

The memory of what I said to her slices through me like a blade.

We were just fucking. That’s all this was.

Fuck, I’m such an asshole.

“Prez, we gotta roll!” Journey shouts from his bike.

I ignore him, spinning Cali around to face me. Her green eyes are swimming with unshed tears, and there’s blood splattered across her beautiful face—blood she spilled to save my boy.

“I was wrong,” I say, the words tumbling out. “Everything I said that night—every fucking word—I was wrong.”

She shakes her head, trying to pull away again. “It doesn’t matter?—”

“It does fucking matter!” I snap, cupping her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. “It matters because I love you, Cali. I’m in love with you, and I fucked up.”

That’s the understatement of the century. I royally fucked up, pushing her away.

Her breath catches, and for a moment, I think I see hope flicker in those emerald depths.

Then her face crumples, and she shoves at my chest. “Don’t. Don’t you dare say that to me now.”

“It’s the truth?—”

“Tacoma!” Bane’s voice cuts me off. “Cops are two minutes out!”