There was a bit of comfort in the fact that I sat alone outside, the early hour keeping people from witnessing the bright red color of my cheeks.
A few minutes later, the cab pulled up. The look in the driver’s eyes should have sent me running for cover, but this walk of shame was better than facing the inevitable boot from Miller’s bed in a few hours. I climbed in the backseat and gave the driver my address. The urge to looked back to see if he would be coming through the door to stop me overcame me for a brief moment, but I fought back the impulse and forced my eyes to stay on the back of the driver’s seat. There was no doubt in my mind that when Miller woke, he’d be relieved.
No matter how much the fleeting images of a nice guy below his tough exterior intrigued me, I wouldn’t let myself dwell on a man who only saw me as a one-night stand. I had more self-respect than that.
The closer we got to the heart of the city, and to my apartment, the more I thought about the possibility of a confrontation with Ray. After paying the driver, I climbed from the cab and braced. I reached for the door and hoped the little shit found somewhere else to sleep. If I was lucky, he’d have already packed his clothes.
Snoring reach my ears from the living room down the narrow hall.
That bastard. I slammed the door shut so hard it rattled in its frame. The neighbors would probably complain later, but I was too pissed to care. My hands shook as I stormed down the hall, the only thing on my mind being the prey awaiting me. I reached the living room and there he was, sound asleep, his casted arm elevated above his head. I let all of the anger from the night before fuel my strength as I shoved the back of the couch as hard as I could, the movement enough to send him toppling to the ground, landing on his broken arm.
“Jesus Christ,” he howled, cradling his arm to his chest. “What the hell was that for?”
I stalked toward him. “Are you fucking serious?” I screamed. “You offer me up like some cheap whore and have the nerve to come back here to sleep in my apartment.”
Panting, he forced himself to his feet, his arm still held tightly in a protective embrace. “Our apartment. You and I are team.”
“A team? A team?” I grabbed the first thing my fingers came into contact with off of the table and threw it at him. He dodged the picture frame but the movement unbalanced him and he fell sideways, landing on his ass. “The only person you give a shit about is yourself.”
Once again he stood, his good hand held out as he walked to me. “Please, baby. I would never have done it if I didn’t think I would win. You saved me yesterday.”
His hand reached out to caress my cheek but I slapped it away. No way in hell would Ray ever touch me again. “It shouldn’t have mattered if you would win or not. If you loved me, you’d never be willing to give me to another man—even for one night.” I felt the backs of my eyes burn, but I wouldn’t let this asshole see me cry. Not over him.
“They would have killed me.”
“You could have folded,” I snapped.
“I love you,” he said. And before I could call him on his bullshit, his hand wrapped around my nape and pulled my mouth to his. I planted the heel of my shoe into his foot and shoved at his chest with my hands.
“Don’t you ever touch me again!” I slapped his face, the burn of my palm oddly satisfying given that I was not a person predisposed to violence. “Now you have three minutes to grab your shit and get the hell out of my place. If not, I call the cops and fill them in about all of this.”
His faced turned red and his eyes searched mine. Lines creased his brow and I waited for him to explode. He clenched his fists by his side and spun on his heel toward the bedroom.
I set the timer on my phone. No way would I budge on this. The sooner he was gone, the sooner I’d be able to shower, change, and start the process of forgetting this week ever happened.
With twelve seconds to spare, he emerged from the room, a duffel bag in hand. “I—”
“Don’t bother letting another word leave your lips. I never want to see you around here again.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. He stalked forward and wrapped his hand around my upper arm. “You listen to me. I’m only leaving right now to give you time to cool the fuck down. This isn’t over. We aren’t over.”
For the first time since meeting him, I worried about what Ray might do. “Let me go.” I try to yank my arm from his grip.
“No.” His head bent to kiss me, but I wasn’t letting the bastard touch me again. With my free hand, I reached into my purse that still hung from my shoulder and pulled out the pepper spray I always carried. I stomped on his foot once again, forcing him back and hit the button.