Who knew it was all the rage?
“Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river.”Maybe Cordell Hull’s words didn’t exactly apply.
Unless I was the alligator.
Christian had definitely insulted me.
With what?
Pick just one small deed.
A Mercedes and not one of his fabulous sports cars? Imagine an alligator riding in a black sedan. An insult worth a solid four point five out of ten.
From there the list grew highly offensive, including suggesting if not demanding I purchase a shockingly provocative bright red long gown with a slit up to my thigh, with a low-cut bodice and clingy in all the right places.
Eight. Maybe eight point five.
The only saving grace was that it was apparent the man had good tastes.
However, thepiece de la resistancewithout a doubt was his blasphemous, reprehensible, demanding statement.
Over my dead body would I ever beg him for anything, let alone for him to fuck me.
A fifteen on the scale. Maybe higher.
Huffing, I shoved my phone into my purse and glared at the list of instructions, forced to admit I needed them so I could get back into his house while avoiding the police being called.
Rolling my eyes had become a recent habit, but everything with and around Christian was annoying. I glanced at the keys, snatching them into my hand. I might as well use his vehicle while I was… married.
Coughing, I headed to the garage, now trying to turn my concentration onto Donovan. I had a terrible feeling he’d try to fight me about rehab or worse. He’d been strange on the phone the night before, the quick call just before midnight. His voice had sounded normal.
Too much so.
I hadn’t been certain what to expect when I’d called this morning. At least he sounded like his old self. Maybe. Oh, howcould I be certain? He’d managed to lie before, sneaking drugs and even able to hold down a job. At first. Then things had spiraled out of control. I had to shove the ugly thoughts from my mind. They weren’t going to do me or my brother any good.
I set the security alarm just after opening the door, wincing in prayer that I’d done it correctly.
The moment I walked into the garage, I was thrown by the number of vehicles he had lined up side by side in the glorious space. I hadn’t paid any attention to the size of the garage the night before. There were seven of them. Seven. And one bay was empty. One man owned eight vehicles.
How gluttonous.
From where I stood on the top stair, I could see a massive Humvee at the end, a shiny Dodge Charger, the black Mercedes sedan I’d anticipated, a white sports car whose name I likely couldn’t pronounce, two others that were gorgeous and sleek, and my favorite parked right in front of me.
A red Ferrari.
Wicked thoughts drifted into my mind. Hmmm…
A wooden board on the side wall captured my attention and I was unable to keep a smile off my face. The man didn’t seem to trust anyone any more than I did, yet he kept sets of keys attached to a pegboard. Was he kidding me? Was he so certain in his security system or simply that arrogant?
I needed to make a choice of vehicles. With the alarm set, I had five minutes. What would my brother say? Why not give him a little hope. Maybe I’d take him on a ride for the pep talk. I’d come up with something. With an evil grin on my face, Iexchanged the keys, thankful the one good thing my father had taught me was how to drive a stick shift.
Once inside, the roar of the engine awakened the bad girl side of me. Sadly, the rumble between my legs reminded me of the hard, hot fucking from the night before.
I couldn’t believe I’d enjoyed myself.
Again.
Every time he pretended to let his guard down, I fell for it. I’d all but accosted him the night before. What had I been thinking?
