Going Full Throttle

Chapter 19 - Tyler's POV

"Dude, we need to talk."

I looked up from my bed and nodded at Scotty to come in. The grim set of his mouth told me this was not about to be a fun conversation.

"Look," I started to explain myself but Scotty held up his hand for me to stop. He slumped onto the end of my bed and put his feet up. I would normally smack his gross, huge, feet away from me but it didn't seem like a good time to piss him off. Petey laid next to me with his face squished into my thigh and his legs sprawled out across the mattress. My bed was getting way too crowded but I restrained myself from saying anything.

"I told you to stay away from Pia." Scotty didn't look at me as he spoke. He just rubbed his jaw and glared at the mattress. It wasn't a question so I just stayed quiet. "But then you two hated each other so much, I didn't think it mattered anymore," he continued.

"Fair enough." I tilted my head in agreement.

Scotty lifted his gaze long enough to glare at me then went back to the mattress. "Then Ma' started making little comments here and there and I thought, 'am I missing something?'"

"Scotty—" I still wasn't able to finish before he held up his hand. I buried my hand in Petey's fur and distracted myself by petting him. What kind of comments had Twyla made?

"I told you to stay away because I didn't want you to corrupt my innocent little cousin with your bullshit. But then we got here and Pia was... different. I mean, she's like a mom practically. Who am I to control her choices? So, I stepped aside and tried to ignore you eye-fucking my baby cousin all of the damn time."

I grimaced and rubbed the palm of my hand over my eyes. Guilt's hand reached into my stomach and twisted my gut. I had tried to respect what Scotty asked me, I really had. It just became so much fucking harder the longer I was around Pia.

The tension that grew between us over the weeks I'd been here was more enticing than anything I'd felt before. At first, it had purely been an appreciation for her looks. Her sweet, freckled, angel face merged with a sinful body urged my fantasies on. Then it had shifted, though. She was so damn frustrating. Her stubbornness and quick temper set my teeth on edge, but it also intensified my need for her. For some reason, I wanted to fight with her as badly as I wanted to take her to bed. Not that that was an option anymore.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think anything is going to happen now," I grumbled and pushed the heels of my hands into my eyelids. The pressure cleared some of the frustration from my mind. Petey jostled into my side and pawed my leg. He didn't appreciate that I had stopped petting him. I slanted my eyes down at him and tried to silently say that it was not the fucking time for his princess shit. He pawed me again.

"Oh, I fucking know. Pia might be an adult, and she can make her own choices. But you are not going to follow her into private little corners every chance you get and then invite the fucking flight attendant here, Westwood."

I let out a frustrated, guttural, groan and hesitated before sitting up to look Scotty in the eye. "I screwed up," I said plainly. "And I didn't invite Ashley here either. She has a layover. I just thought it might be a good idea to... distance myself from Pia."

"By fucking hurting her?"

"Dude, Pia is the one who has told me twice now nothing is going to happen between us. I thought she was just playing hard to get or whatever but she means it. She's not interested."

"Do you think it's because something is happening between her and Ryan?" Scotty asked casually. He seemed to relax now that he didn't think I was playing games with his cousin. Or that even if I were, she didn't care.