Page 43 of Unraveled

It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because a dozen more bottles and tubes, half of which he was pretty sure she didn’t even need, came flying in his direction. He snatched each out of the air and tossed it into the bag. He missed the hairbrush as it hit the ground at his feet and ricocheted against the bed. When nothing else came flying through the air, he met Audrey’s gaze where she leaned against the doorway.

“That all?”

Face set in a mutinous expression, she pushed off the doorjamb and started past him. He caught her around the waist and pulled her close, careful not to bump her injured arm. “Have I told you recently how much that temper of yours turns me on?”

“Have I told you how much I dislike you right now?” she shot back.

He couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up. “Is it gonna be like this every time we fight?”

With an irritated little scowl, she pulled free and propped her right hand on her hip. “This is literally the stupidest thing ever. A hotel would be perfectly safe.”

“You’ll be safer with me.”

Her lip curled up in disgust as her gaze swept over him from top to toe, letting him know exactly what she thought of his pronouncement. “I’d prefer a hotel.”

She would have been safe enough in a hotel, that much was true. But the fact of the matter was, he wanted her in his house where he could see her and know she was safe, and he wasn’t above playing dirty to get her there.

“Peanut!” he bellowed the dog’s name and was rewarded a few seconds later when he heard the scrabble of little feet tearing down the hall. The dog skidded into the room, and he scooped him up. “Want to come have a sleepover at my place?” The dog licked his chin, and he sent a challenging gaze in Audrey’s direction.

She stared at him, unblinking. “Are you seriously threatening to kidnap my dog just to suit your own agenda?”

“I am. And what kind of name is Peanut anyway? We need to come up with something new. You’re a boy, right?” he asked the dog as he held him up to confirm. “You need a masculine name, like… Thor. Or maybe Thanos?”

The dog tipped his head to one side as he inspected him curiously, and Audrey’s scathing retort cut through the silence. “He’s not a character in some stupid comic book.”

Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair, and her eyes snapped with barely restrained fire. He loved that he could read every emotion flitting across her pretty face, and he loved to rile her, push her to the very brink of her patience until that aloof façade exploded. Intent on goading her further, he tried again. He turned back to the dog and scratched him under the chin.

“How about… Caesar?” The dog let out an excited little bark, then lapped at his chin.

“Caesar?” he tried again, with the same reaction. “Guess that settles it.”

He leveled a victorious smile on Audrey, who looked like she would happily rip out his entrails and strangle him with them. “You’re not changing my dog’s name.”

“Let’s go, Caesar. Time for a car ride.”

The dog tore out of the room the moment his tiny feet touched the ground, then he turned his attention back to Audrey. She blinked once, hard and slow.

If looks could kill…

Man down.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Audrey petted Peanut absentmindedly as she stared out the window, houses and buildings a blur as they passed.

Carter reached over and squeezed her knee. “Still not talking to me?”

She shifted her legs to shake him off but didn’t bother to respond. Heck yes, she was still mad. She was pissed that he had so expertly manipulated her into doing exactly what he wanted, and she wasn’t nearly ready to forgive and forget just yet.

Though the idea of spending the night alone in an empty house wasn’t exactly appealing, she had several other options. She could’ve stayed in a hotel or, barring that, she had friends in the area or could’ve gone to her parents’ house.

“We both know this is completely unnecessary,” she snapped.

“I disagree.” Carter settled his elbow on the console between them, cautious to avoid jostling her arm. “We both know it’s a big deal; you just don’t like being told what to do.”

“No kidding,” she drawled and rolled her eyes.