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“Did you bump your head when you fell?” he asks, narrowing those poisonous eyes. “Because you’re not talking sense. I suppose that’s a regular thing for you, Angel, but for me, not so much.”
“Give. Me. My. Phone.”
Jesse grinds his teeth, and we square up. He holds the phone toward me. I grab the end of it. He doesn’t let go.
“You have to call the cops. Someone vandalized your fucking diner.” His gaze flickers upward. “Which means your apartment is compromised too.”
“Why the hell do you care?”
“It’s my job to care.”
“Spare me,” I say. “I don’t need your pity. You’ve already done enough.”
“When are you going to stop blaming others for your brother’s problems?” he asks.
I suck in air through my nostrils. “What did you say to me?”
“I arrested Billy because he had an outstanding warrant,” Taylor replies.
“That’s ancient history. Why bring it up, huh?”
And that doesn’t matter. The sheriff and his star son, Nate, have it out for my family.
“You and I both know the reasons you hate me, Angel,” he says.
“Stop calling me that.”
“Then stop being a little Angel,” he replies, breath hot against my face, sending shivers over my skin. “Goodie two shoes, Marci.”
“I wasn’t so good the other night when I was skinny dipping, was I? Huh? So what is it? Am I an angel or a wild child? A lawbreaker. Make up your mind, Taylor.”
“I’ve already made up my mind about you, Angel. A long time ago. It’s you who has the fucking issues.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I tug on the phone, but his grip is iron.
“It means you’d better call the cops. I’m not leaving until you do.”
“Then you can sleep on the floor like a dog,” I say.
“As long as you feed me a treat before bedtime.”
I let out a frustrated shriek, and he gives me that grin I despise.
“You can’t stay here if it’s not safe.”
“It’s kids,” I say. “Kids acting the fool.”
“Bullshit.”
“Once again, I don’t want or need your opinion or your presence, Taylor,” I say. “When are you going to get tired of making my life difficult?”
“When are you going to get out of your own way?”
“Wow, I had no idea you could bethathypocritical. I mean, I expected it, but the way you confirmed it is … chef’s kiss.”
Jesse stares at me for a long moment, and the silence builds between us. His gaze flickers over my face, down to my lips, lower, and then back up again. My breath comes rapidly, rising and falling.
