Page 68 of Hurry Up And Wait

My face flamed in embarrassment and I was thankful for the dark to hide my reaction. The last thing I needed was for him to know how much he could get to me. “You’re an ass.”

His low chuckle filtered through the room. “Maybe. But I own it. Tell me, are you and Kavanaugh exclusive or will you let anyone between your legs?”

I didn’t even think as I slapped my hand against his face. My fingers stung as I glared at him. I didn’t want him. I just craved human contact after what happened. My head was a mess and IKE was here to protect me. I couldn’t let that screw with my head. “Fuck you.”

The lights flickered on, and for just a second, he actually looked pissed at me, but it faded just as quickly, replaced by a cocky grin. “Is that a yes?”

I glared at him, wondering how just seconds before I had been thankful to have him so close to me. “That’s a definite no.”

“Shame,” he shrugged, walking around me. “I got the feeling you were up for more.”

“And what made you think that?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“The fact that you didn’t immediately shove my hand away was the first sign. No, I take that back. Prancing around in my shirt certainly makes my dick hard.”

“I don’t have anything else to wear,” I retorted, “and it’s not like you offered anything.”

He slouched down in a chair, leaning back into it with his arms spread out on either side. “By all means, help yourself to my clothes. What’s mine is yours.” Despite the offer, it was clear the only reason he wanted me in his clothes was to prove some kind of point.

“I think I’d rather be naked,” I smirked, feeling a little more like my old self. I tore the buttons down the front and jerked it off as easily as I could, standing bare-assed in front of him. Was I embarrassed? Hell,yes, but I had to display a show of confidence around this man so he didn’t trample all over me.

I tossed the shirt on the ground and thrust my hands on my hips. “The last thing I want from you is any favors.”

His face went lethally hard as his eyes narrowed on mine. He didn’t look at my body. Cold, blue eyes stared at me, promising retribution for my insult. He didn’t really want me. He just wanted to push my buttons and see how many times he had to knock me down before I’d stay down.

I turned and stalked up the stairs as much as my tired body would allow. I wanted to sit down and take a nap, but it was too important to set some boundaries right now. Not that being naked was the greatest way to accomplish that, but it was all I had to work with.

“Try and keep that woman around,” he called out to me, making me pause on the stairs. I heard him stand from the chair and stroll over to the bar against the wall. “Your ex is about to put you through the meat grinder. You’re going to need a thicker skin if you’re going to make it through this.”

“And your idea of giving me a thicker skin is to feel me up?”

He chuckled, pouring himself a glass of something amber. “No, that was just for pleasure. I’ll gladly feel you up anytime you want. As long as you think Kavanaugh wouldn’t mind.”

Growling under my breath, I stomped up the stairs, only slowing down when I was out of sight. Slamming the door to the bedroom, I winced, leaning back against the wall as I tried to take a deep breath. I pressed my hand to my side and fought off the black dots forming behind my eyes. I would not pass out.

But I would take a fucking nap.

I wokeup groggy and my back ached worse than the day before. Of course, I hadn’t taken any pain meds last night. I couldn’t stand the thought of going back downstairs after tossing the shirt on the floor and showing IKE every inch of my body. It was an act of defiance—onethat I didn’t plan on repeating. I made my point and went out on a high note.

I slipped out of bed, desperate to take a shower to relieve the pressure in my head. On the way to the bathroom, I spied a pile of clothes—women’s clothes. My gaze snapped to the door and my breath came to a halt in my chest. He was in here while I was sleeping.

I tried not to think about the man creeping in here while I was out of it. He clearly had some kind of problem with me, yet he was watching over me. I didn’t understand it, but I wasn’t going to try either. The only thing I needed to focus on was the problem at hand. Shawn tried to blow me up. It must have really pissed him off that another man took him down a peg, and now he was taking his anger out on me. However, blowing me up seemed a little drastic.

But enough was enough. He scared the shit out of me. Job well done. He got what he wanted, but that’s where it ended. I couldn’t stay with IKE and be afraid of every shadow. The fact was that Shawn couldn’t stick around here. He had a job to do and didn’t have the time to worry about me. I was giving him way too much power over me and letting him get in my head. It was time that stopped.

After the shower, I quickly dressed and then headed downstairs to take on the blue-eyed beast. He was sitting at the table, drinking coffee without a care in the world as he read the newspaper. I wasn’t even aware this small town had a paper to print.

“If you’re done, I’d like to leave.”

He quirked an eyebrow at me. “Good morning to you, too.” His eyes skimmed down my frame, then returned to my face. “I see you found the clothes.”

“Yes.”

“You’re welcome.”

I gritted my teeth, doing my best not to snap at him. “Thank you, IKE.”

He hid a grin behind his cup. “Where did you want to go?”