AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dalton
I immediately urge Aubrey to come into the living room. As soon as we enter the space, I wonder if I should talk somewhere else. This room will always remind me of how we gave in to each other. The memories are too fresh. Combining the hit of them with my anger, I’m not in a good disposition to be my usual self and listen first.
I let loose, pacing and clenching my teeth. I don’t care if she sees how angry I am. “Don’t use that teacher voice on me and tell me I need to calm down.”
She opens and closes her mouth, then furrows her brow. “I…I wasn’t going to say that.”
“Bullshit.”
“Fine. You need to calm down!”
“The hell I do. If you heard the shit he was saying…” I growl, pacing faster and almost losing my temper to kick at the blanket I’d left folded up near the chair.
“So what?” She shrugs.
I glower at her as I turn and stalk back again. “So what? How can you say that?”
“Because.”
“How can you stand there and act like this is okay?”
She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t say this was okay. I’m going to guess he was being pervy and crude.”
“And that’s okay?” I fling my arm out. “You want me to calm down after hearing that?”
“Yes. Because he’s not the first man who’s spouted that kind of crap. He won’t be the last, either.”
“Sure. And that excuses it all.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m not making excuses for anyone.” She crosses her arms. “But I am telling you to cool it. You’re here representing Marian’s business. You can’t react like you want to. You need to be professional.”
“I fucking know that.”
She stomps her foot. “Then act like it.”
I stop pacing and stare her down. “You can make all the excuses you want. I’m not going to stand there and let him talk about you like that.”
Again, she rolls her eyes. I can’t tell if she’s doing it to be flippant about something she’s so used to and expecting from men, or if she’s really this irritated at my close call with fighting the contractor Caleb hired. A contractor he could easily replace with another.
“Hayes is just being a jerk. He’s trying to rile you up for whatever reason.”
Whatever reason. I scoff, looking away. I know why. The asshole sees me as competition, as a threat to him being able to get a “piece of ass” for his own fun.
He taunted me, asking if I’d staked a claim on her. I loathe that kind of possessive shit, but honestly, I wondered. What am I to Aubrey, after all? Am I making a fool out of myself in thinking I’m her knight in shining armor? Of course, I wouldn’t stand for this kind of treatment toward a woman, no matter who she might be and regardless of who the man is.
Am I getting this pissed off because it’s her? Because I do see her as mine to protect and want to be the one to see to her happiness?
I face her, licking my lips as I scramble to think fast enough and word this the way I need to in order to make my point clear.
“What?” she asks cautiously.
“What is this between us?”
I catch the slight wince she isn’t quick enough to completely hide. Yeah, I’m putting her on the spot with that challenging, tricky question, but after last night, she should have some kind of an answer for me. She spent all day avoiding me, and I’d bet my entire fortune she’s been thinking, rethinking, and analyzing having sex with me. She has to have considered this by now if she hasn’t been taxing her mind and heart to figure out how to accept what we shared here in this room last night.
I grow impatient waiting for her answer. I’m so used to listening and hearing out another person first, but I can’t stand by with this topic.
“I like you.”
