Hard(26)
He hadn’t made a pass at me. Hadn’t tried to kiss me. And he let me hold the remote.
So far, the sexual deviant was a perfect gentleman. His promise rang in my head.
The next time he came into my bedroom, he wasn’t leaving till morning.
Thoughts like that didn’t make the trip home any better. I pumped the radio and tried to think of anything but how fun a forbidden all-nighter would be.
Sin. Disaster. Perversion.
Muscle. Power. His lips…
That offer.
I screeched the car to a halt before I made it to the garage. I parked behind a little, red Porsche that hadn’t been there when I left.
Who drove the midlife-crisis-mobile?
I edged out of the car, and my heels clicked against the walkway. The front door abruptly opened.
A little blonde bunny slipped outside. She squeezed Zach’s hand goodbye.
Oh. He had to be kidding me.
I crossed my arms and let my arched eyebrow do the talking. Blondie got the hint. She fluttered her hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes at Zach. Her baby-blues stared at him with some intelligence, but she was still screwing around with a guy in a house that didn’t belong to either of them.
He was such an asshole. My shoes were too good to kick his ass out.
First a snotty professor who insulted my character, and now a step-brother man-whore who disrespected my home, inheritance, and my father’s estate?
No wonder he earned his nickname. The bastard got hard for anything that let him get close enough. If his petty officer waggled near me again, he’d be wise to go on high alert—defcon one. One word, and I’d go nuclear.
“Zach.” The blonde had a soft, sultry voice, and she wore a perfume to match. I’d never get that rosy scent out of the furniture. “Promise me you’ll do as I say.”
He smiled, but the dimples didn’t dig in deep. The dog knew he got caught. I was surprised he could even feel shame.
“Always, Gretchen.”
She hummed. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because if I listened, I’d never have to call you again.”
“You’re probably right.” She donned a pair of designer glasses and glanced me over before turning back to him. “I’ll see you next week.”
I pushed past him into the house. He scheduled his sexcapades in front of me!
Goddamn it. He teased me with a promise of a night of blind, perfect, passionate sex to mirror the amazing night we had before. Had I less willpower, morals, and a hell of a lot more alcohol in me, who knew what might have happened!
I didn’t care how many centipedes he dispatched for me. He was a no good, perverted, fiend who probably had a girl in every port. Now I was sure of it. He wanted to get with me so he could humiliate me and take my family’s money. Unbelievable.
The front door closed. I stormed into the kitchen. His dirty dishes cluttered the sink, including a glass with a lipstick print on it.
Gross.
Zach followed me. He should have crawled on his knees to apologize.
“This isn’t how it looks,” he said.
I turned, facing a man who thought only with his cock. “Oh, so you didn’t invite Goldilocks over to my house?”
“Our house.”
“Don’t start.”
“Look, Gretchen is a close friend of mine. She was helping me with—”
“Stop,” I said. “I don’t need the details. I know exactly what she helped you with. The same thing I helped you with two weeks ago.”
“Shay—”
“You know what?” I took a cleansing breath. “You’re a grown man. You’re entitled to do whatever or whoever you like to do.”
“Listen to me—”
“I don’t care what you do, Zach. Drink the milk out of the carton. Invite over all your friends. But you will stay out of my way.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, from now on, we’re two separate people in this house. I’ll live my life, and you’ll have yours. I’m done with you.” I shoved the dirty plate and two glasses into his arms. “You can buy your own food, wash your own dishes, and keep out of my rooms. I want nothing to do with you.”
He laughed. “You think you’re just going to…ignore me? We live together, Shay.”
“No. We share the same house. That’s it.”
“The least you can do is hear me out.”
“Oh, now you want to talk?” I poked at his chest. “Where was that initiative two weeks ago? We needed to have a very important conversation before you decided to fuck your sister.”
“For Christ’s sake, you’re my step-sister.”
“You’re only after what doesn’t belong to you. And not just me. This house. The money.”