Amanda trots off and heads upstairs. Claire and I are alone and quiet for about a minute, just listening to Joan hum gospel to herself while she clears the plates, loading them onto the nearby cart.
Damn do I love that woman and her music, even if I've never been the religious type. I let Joan's soft hymns float over me and don't dare look at Claire again 'til she's done. Even I have limits for how fucking awkward it would be to have my cock at full mast while I'm listening to the soft, sweet stuff that used to lull me to sleep.
“Well? What do you say, Sis?” I emphasize the word, loving the way her eyes spark with anger when she hears it. “How 'bout a little family bonding time?”#p#分页标题#e#
“No way.” Claire's cheeks go red.
She's pissed off, embarrassed, confused. I can't blame her, but I sure hate having my ass turned down. I'm not used to no, and it sits about as well with me as a punch to the jaw.
Her chair screeches on the floor just like her mom's, and then she's up, taking her glass of orange juice with her.
“You're crazy if you think this breakfast changes anything. After seeing your dad blow up, I can kind of see where your crap comes from, Ty. I feel bad for you.” She lowers her voice. “But let's just get this clear – there's no fucking way I want to spend any time with you. Certainly not alone. I saw what you're like at the club. You're a drunken, crazy, womanizing creep.”
Fucking shit. It stings more than I expect, lights a spark I haven't felt since I was a goddamned gawky teenager asking out a senior chick to prom my sophomore year. The older girl said no, and she was the last one ever 'til today.
“Okay, Sis. You wanna treat me like a goddamned stalker criminal, then I'll fucking act like one!” I get up in her face for a second, flatten her against the wall as she gasps. “I read you loud and clear. This creep's gonna fuck right off. I thought it'd be nice to sort this shit out, maybe try to find some common ground. But you're absolutely right – we don't fucking need to, and I sure as hell don't need your shitty sympathy. You can shove it up your perfect ass and spend the day alone. I can do the evil eye too, Sis, and that's all you're gonna get from me all summer.”
I let go. She blinks, and doesn't move a muscle. Turning sharply, I head into the hall.
I don't even feel bad about scaring the shit outta her for like the third time since we met.
The only thing that makes me burn is my own stupidity. I've been a fucking idiot to think I'll ever feel anything for this woman except a blinding urge to fuck her, or else rip her goddamned head off.
There's no common ground between us. There's nothing. The bitch is right – if it doesn't involve my dick pushing in her pussy, then we don't need to explore. We just need to stay the fuck outta each other's way.
III: Calm and Stormy Seas (Claire)
I didn't know whether to scream or slap him. He gets in my face, sad and scorned and angry all at once, and then he's gone in an instant, leaving me hating him more than ever. I also feel like the biggest bitch in history.
Guilt blossoms in my stomach like a heavy, bitter lump. But then I remind myself that Ty's used to getting his women on demand, however he likes. I won't oblige him. I'm not going to play nice when he hasn't given me one good fucking reason to.
I can't pretend. I'm not going to suck up to him and bring myself agonizingly closer to sucking what's probably a magnificent cock between his legs.
Just thinking about how close we've been the last few times makes me blush.
I head downstairs and sit at my laptop, trying to read some stuff my new boss has sent over. It's a nice escape for awhile, but I can't stop looking out the window.
The beautiful day lends a terrible distraction. Right now, I don't want to be reading about how fat cats are wrangling to bring down every inch of Cascadia's pristine wilderness. I want to be out in it, running along the shore, feeling the warm sand flush between my toes. Here in Washington, these are the rare days you're supposed to pluck from the tree, gorge on every golden second that breaks the eternal rainy gloom.
Damn it. I last about an hour, and then I can't take it. I'm going stir crazy.
Slamming my laptop shut, I grab a water bottle and head out to the huge twelve car garage. My rusty shitbox of a car looks as out of place as I feel in this house. It's a decaying tumor wedged between three shiny new Tesla cars. I wonder if they all belong to the billionaire, or if one of them is Ty's.#p#分页标题#e#
“Hey, what the fuck?” A gruff voice behind me makes me spin.
Ty's standing there in shorts and a wickedly tight t-shirt, an umbrella tucked underneath one arm, plus a bottle of sun screen. In the other, there's an open bottle of rum. I smell it on him, spicy and infuriating, the rum's natural hues blending with his rough, masculine scent.