“Fuck me, baby. This place is a goddamn death trap.”
With a renewed sense of pride, I began struggling against his hold once more. “It is not! There are just a few things that need to be fixed. Nothing major.”
“Nothin’ major?” he asked, sarcasm turning his tone biting as he released me and began to move about. “Then what’s this?”Uh-oh. He moved to the piece of cardboard I’d duct-taped to the ceiling and ripped it down. “You have a goddamn hole in your ceiling!” I might have downplayed the water damage that had happened after the flood upstairs.
“It’s not a big deal, Garrett. Really. There was a tiny flood upstairs, that’s all. The landlord’s going to fix it soon.”
He poked and prodded at the ceiling around the hole. “It’s completely dry. When the hell did this happen?”
I began to shuffle from foot to foot and twisted my fingers together as I mumbled, “Summer.”
“This past summer? Christ, Gwen, that was months ago.” He wasn’t wrong.
I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. “Uh… actually, I mean the summer before last.”
He threw his hands up in exasperation. Then, to my horror, he started stomping through the rest of my apartment, undoubtedly looking for more damage to prove his point—not that he’d have to look too hard. Management really dropped the ball sometimes.
“For fuck’s sake,” I heard him grunt as he came back into the living room. “You gave Liddy the master?” he asked in an accusatory tone. “Not that it’s much better than the rest. But your room’s smaller than my fuckin’ closet.”
I propped my hands on my hips and tried to beat down thehumiliation. “Not all of us can afford to live in a mansion five times too big for one person,” I bit. “Liddy has the master because it’s big enough for all her toys. And this place has worked just fine for us for years. You have no business coming in here and insulting our home.”
“You’d have more than enough money if you’d just cash. Those. Fucking.Checks!”
Closing my eyes, I did my best to keep calm, pulling in several deep breaths before finally saying, “Once again, you’re getting off topic, and once again, you’re pissing me off.”
“Actually, this is good. The tour’s over, and me and the guys have agreed that we need a break from traveling and shit. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about seeing Liddy more, but now that I know my kid and her mom are living in a goddamn hovel, this’ll work perfectly. You two will move in with me. I’ll get to see Liddy more, and you won’t have to live in this cesspool you call an apartment anymore.”
I couldn’t even begin to comprehend what he’d just said, not a single word of it. My jaw dropped and I had to give my head a violent shake. “I’m sorry… are youhigh?”
“It’s the perfect solution,” he exclaimed with a pleased grin. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Like hell!“Uh… no. It’s a recipe for bloodshed. Have you lost your mind?” I laughed a bit maniacally. “Garrett, we hate each other. How could youpossiblythink living together is a good idea? I’d end up murdering you in your sleep!”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m speaking the truth,” I shot back.
Garrett paused and examined me critically, causing my skin to tingle. “Thing is, sweetness, I don’t think you hate me as much as you claim to.”
“Oh!” I laughed. “But I do. I hate youexactlyas much as I claim. And don’t call me sweetness!”
“And I don’t hate you at all,” he continued like he hadn’t heard me. “I don’t make a habit of banging chicks I hate.”
“You bang any woman with a pulse,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. Before they had a chance to circle back around, Garrett moved, startling me with how quick he was.
“That’s where you’re wrong, baby. I’mveryselective. And I knew the minute you walked out on that balcony that I wanted you underneath me.”
“You’re disgusting,” I said in a hushed voice, even though his words and his closeness made my blood sizzle.
“Just being honest,” he replied.
I took a step back to break the weird hold he had on me. “See? This is what I’m talking about. You saying that kind of shit is what makes me hate you. You’re a chauvinistic asshole.”
He laughed, undeterred. “Chauvinistic asshole or not, you know I’m right. You and Liddy would be better off at my place, and that just kills you.”
“I know no such thing,” I responded, defiance strong in my tone and body language. “And it’s not happening.”
“Fuck, you’re a pain in my ass,” he grunted, running a hand through his glossy hair. “Look, if you’re worried about us stepping on each other’s toes, it’s a nonissue. The place is huge, and I’m hardly ever there anyway. I’d feel a lot better knowing you and Liddy were safe. And face it, babe, this place isnot safe.”
