“You’ll stay at my place as long as it takes.”
“I appreciate the clarity.” Rolling my eyes, I clenched my jaw.
He didn’t respond to my sarcasm, but instead drove the rest of the way to the apartment I shared with Ashley in total silence. The truck finally came to a stop at the curb, and I reached for the door handle, eager to put some distance between us so I could breathe. As I exited his truck, the cold winter air hit my cheeks, a welcome change from the uncomfortable tight space of the truck cab.
Priest joined me on the sidewalk and held out his hand. “Give me your keys. I want to check things out before you head inside.”
“You’re overreacting. There’s no one in my apartment.”
He didn’t budge. “Then it’ll only take me a minute to make sure it’s all clear.”
The man was more stubborn than a whole pack of mules combined. I handed over my keys with a frown, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to argue with him.
He unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. It didn’t take more than thirty seconds for him to motion me inside. “Go ahead and grab your things.”
I left him leaning against the kitchen counter and headed straight to my room, resisting the urge to slam my bedroom door behind me. He was infuriating. He thought he could pop in and out of my life whenever he wanted and treat me like a little girl who needed someone to protect her from the big, scary world. I’d been doing just fine without his help.
Instead of rummaging through drawers and packing an overnight bag like he told me to, I flopped down on my bed and pulled out my phone. Ashley had sent several texts, and I didn’t want her to worry about me.
Me: Sorry about ruining your date night. Are you still out with Razor?
Ashley:What the hell was that?
Me: He’s a little overprotective.
Ashley: You think? Eight Ball is pissed. Says your pseudo daddy blew up his deal.
My stomach churned. Priest was nothing like my dad and a father figure was the absolute last way I wanted to view him.
Me: Don’t call him that. He’s just a family friend.
Ashley:Well, your family friend is fucked. I think Razor and Eight Ball might go looking for him later.
I wasn’t worried about Priest. He’d been a Navy SEAL and could handle himself around a bunch of wannabe bad boys. Ashley tended to date guys who were a little rough around the edges. As long as they left me alone and treated her right, it didn’t matter to me who she dated. But knowing the two guys might be looking for a way to get to Priest meant he was right, and they might come after me first.
Me: I’m going to lie low for a few days until things calm down. Be safe and let me know if you need anything.
Ashley: You got it. Take care.
“Rae, you need any help in there?” Priest called out from the living room.
“No.” Grumbling to myself, I got up off the bed and pulled a few things from my drawers. Knowing it would be useless to resist him once he made up his mind about something, I bargained with myself. He could have two nights, but that was it. By Sunday afternoon, the weekend would be over, any hurt feelings would have passed, and I could get back to my life.
Just because Priest was forcing me to stay at his place didn’t mean I couldn’t have any fun. I reached into my top drawer and pulled out the satin chemise and matching panties I’d bought myself a few years ago. It had seemed silly at the time, but I’d been thinking of him when I picked them out. I’d never had an occasion to wear them and suspected I’d never get the chance. That might change, though, if he was forcing me to spend time with him.
Against my better judgement, I shoved them in my bag, along with a few other items. One thing was sure about this weekend—my relationship with Priest was going to change whether he wanted it to or not.
CHAPTER3
PRIEST
I pushedthe door open and flipped on the light. “Here we are.”
Rae followed me into the main room of my two-bedroom cabin. She pretended like she was still irritated as hell, but the way her gaze darted around the room proved she was more curious than anything.
I didn’t like having her in my space. My cabin was my refuge—a place where I could get away from everything and gather my thoughts. As soon as her feet crossed the threshold, it became tainted. I’d never be able to enter this room again without picturing her standing just inside the doorway with snowflakes melting in her chocolate brown hair.
“This is,”—she bit down on her bottom lip while searching for the right words— “quaint.”
