“Knew what?” T asked, moving closer to the counter. “What the fuck is going on?”
Roxanne ignored T and kept glaring at Bogs, squinting her eyes. “That’s why you gave Stone that bullshit speech about me being an adult. I should handle it myself, right, Bogs? You knewexactlywhere you were sending me,” she shouted, unable to control her frustration.
“Send you where? Somebody better fucking clue me in,” T said.
She turned, about to explain what happened when she caught Bogs’ snicker. She whipped her head, scowling in full force.
“HowisJonah?” Bogs’ taunting tone had her anger coming to the surface. She balled her hands, imagining the pure satisfaction of landing her fist directly on his nose.
“You’re such an asshole!”
Bogs widened his eyes and scoffed. “I’m an asshole? C’mon, it’s not my fault you didn’t put two and two together,Ms. College Degree.”
Dick!
“I hate you.” She sighed and rolled her eyes.
“You’ll get over it.” Bogs laughed, shaking his head. “Rox, did you really think I’d let you go to some stranger’s house by yourself?”
“Yeah, I did, Bogs. ‘Cause newsflash,jerkface, I’m an adult.”
Bogs burst out laughing. “Yeah, ‘cause most adults use the word jerkface.”
That’s it!Roxanne had officially lost her patience with him. She skirted around the island, but he shifted to the right with the table separating them. This was reminiscent of their childhood. No one could push her buttons like him.
T slammed his hand on the counter. “Either tell me what’s going on or get the fuck outta my house.” Bogs started to speak, but T immediately shut him down. “Not you.”
The last thing she wanted was to rehash the story. But there was no way T would let it go without getting all the information.
She drew in a breath. “So, last week I got into a little fender bender, and when …”
“Wait, back the fuck up, what happened?” T snapped.
Roxanne closed her eyes. Brothers. Four of them. All older. Ridiculously overprotective.
T didn’t even wait for a response.
“Did you get hurt? Where did he hit you? What did the doctor say?” He moved closer, but she backed up. She appreciated theconcern, but it was completely unnecessary and, at the moment, extremely annoying.
She waved her hands, shooing him away. “T, I’m fine. I was at a stop sign down at the marina. A car hit me from behind. I’m not hurt, so I didn’t go to the hospital, okay?” She flipped her hair and clenched her fists. She was just going to blurt out the rest. Otherwise, her explanation would include further interruptions. She spread out her hands. “Look, I’m fine, but my car was damaged. When I talked to the guy who hit me, he begged me not to go through insurance and said he’d pay for the repairs. I agreed, which, before you say anything, I know, was stupid, but I felt bad for the kid, and well, I had no idea he’d totally dodge my calls for the next week.”
T’s jaw tightened, and his temple pulsed. When his face turned a darker shade of red, she wrapped the story up before he blew up. “Bogs looked up his name and number. I had a picture of his license plate, so he ran it and gave me the address.” She slowly craned her neck, and her lips pursed. “What the asshole didn’t tell me was that it wasJonah’shouse.”
T’s eyes hardened. “Jonah hit you?”
“No,” Roxanne snapped, shaking her head. “His brother did. But I didn’t know they were related until I went to confront Cord. And imagine my surprise when Jonah walked through the door.”
Stone snorted, and she glanced up. He was holding back a smile.
“You knew too?”
Stone folded his arms and jerked his chin toward Bogs. “He told me when you left. Did you really think I’d let you go if I didn’t know?”
Roxanne let out an exasperated sigh and tossed her hands over her head, darting her gaze between Stone and Bogs. “I hate you both.” That earned her a roar of laughter from everyone,including T. She grasped her hips and stared down at the floor, trying to regain control. She still desperately wanted to smack Bogs, and if she got the opportunity tonight, she was taking it.
“So what, Rox?” T asked and waited for her to look up before he continued, a small smile playing on his lips. “What’s the big deal, anyway? I mean, it’s just Jonah. He’s solid, what’s the fucking problem?”
Oh God.She folded her arms, avoiding eye contact, trying to combat how awkward the question was. There was no stopping the rise of tension and heat from her neck, eagerly spreading across her cheeks. She swallowed the lump in her throat and shrank under the curious and slightly amused stares from her brothers.
