Page 3 of Possessing Paisley
“By working yourself into the ground?” I snap. Four sets of eyes turn to me, and Paisley narrows hers.
“Pretty sure it’s none of your business, big guy.”
I scratch the center of my palm, irritation crawling all over me like a horde of spiders. “We have leftovers from dinner. I’ll make you a plate.”
Chloe’s mouth falls open, and her gaze darts from me to Paisley and back again.
“I am perfectly capable of making my own dinner, thank you very much. I can take care of myself.” Paisley plants her hands on her hips.
The other three women must notice the fire in my eyes as I storm across the room toward Paisley because they quickly turn their attention to their work. Not Paisley, though.Nope. She doesn’t budge.
Leaning down so I’m face to face with her, I speak slowly and firmly. “Just because youcantake care of yourself doesn’t mean you should have to. Now sit your ass down while I go make you a plate.”
Before she can argue with me, I turn on my heel and stride out of the dining room, ignoring her “What an asshole” comment.
While I warm her food, I pace in the kitchen. Why does she have to be such a fucking brat? She only does it to me. With Grady or Ronan or any of the other guys, she’s sweet as sugar. It makes me want to kill them for it. Why, though? That’s the question of the fucking year. Paisley is no one to me. She’s my sister’s best friend who, for some reason, gets under my skin like no one ever has.
The microwave dings, and I pull out the plate of lasagna, grab a napkin, silverware, and a bottle of water, and take it to her. “I want all of that gone. The water, too.”
Craning her neck to look at me, her dark eyes flicker, and her eyebrows draw together. She’s going to say something sassy to piss me off. I just know it.
“You’re not the boss of me.”
Letting out a growl, I take a step back so I don’t snatch her up and put her over my knee in front of everyone. “Eat, Paisley.”
Then I turn to leave because my blood pressure can only handle so much for one day.
“Kieran,” Paisley calls out.
I glance back at her with a lifted brow. “What?”
She motions toward her food, her eyes glittering under the light. “Did you poison it?”
“No. But I should have.”
The corners of her mouth twitch as she fights a smile.
“Maybe next time,” I say, giving her a wink.
She loses the battle and looks away to try to hide her expression. That’s okay, though. I saw it, and I was the cause of it. Good enough for me.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I try to concentrate on the conversation in the room. It’s an important one. Something I need to pay attention to. Yet, the only thing I can focus on is being pissed that Paisley worked all day without eating. For fourteen hours? Not acceptable.
“Kieran,” Declan snaps.
I glance up at my boss and longtime friend. I hope the irritation on his face isn’t because I wasn’t paying attention.
“You’re good with what I said?” Declan asks.
Shit. I have no clue what he just said. He could have suggested we kill the president, for all I know.
Declan grips the edge of his desk and shakes his head, then looks at his brother—and my best friend—Bash with a smirk. “Told you he wasn’t paying attention. He’s distracted by the cute little goth girl in the other room.”
Narrowing my gaze, I lift my hand and flip them off. “You know, ever since you’ve settled down with women, you’ve become a bunch of meddling assholes. I’m not distracted by her.”
Bash coughs. “Uh-huh.”
I get up and stomp over to the liquor cabinet. “But you know, she worked all day today, skipped her lunch, and came straighthere to work some more? No meal break, no nothing. Then, she acted like a brat when I told her I was making her a plate of food. She’s so damn aggravating. I swear, I think I need to get my blood pressure checked whenever she’s around.”