I shake my head, disappointed more than anything for thinking they would be different from my family. I pull out of his hold and storm up the pool stairs, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around me to cover myself up. I don’t look back at him. Instead, I head down to the other side of the pool to pick up my headphones. I can feel him staring at me with that incredulous look on his face that says he’s innocent and I’m the one being a raging bitch right now. He can give me that look all he wants, I don’t even care anymore. Because while they’re treating me like this, raging bitch is who they get.
The back door is open, and I waste no time in scurrying inside with one more quick glance back at Cruz as he sinks under the water. Well, good, at least he’s not going to follow me.
Now to avoid the other two for the remainder of today. I keep my head down and move quickly down the hall, heading for my room. Opening the door, I slam straight into a solid body andwince. From one asshole to another. I look up to find a grumpy Jagger dressed in only a pair of low-slung sweatpants.
“Where are you off to in such a rush, flower?”
“None of your business,” I practically growl back at him. He’s the worst of all, the fucking leader they all follow. But he won’t ever be mine. I shove past him, and to my surprise, he lets me. No grab of my wrists or pinning me to the wall so I can’t pass.
I rush into my room and go to slam the door, but before I can, he gets his foot in the way. “What are you doing?” I glare back at him.
He matches my intensity. “I was coming to talk to you about tonight’s security.” His scowl deepens. “That was until you decided to be a brat.”
“What did you need to tell me? I’m freezing cold and want to take a warm shower,” I mutter, looking anywhere but into his eyes.
He takes a step closer to me, crowding me, his fingers tilting my chin so I’m forced to look up at him. His dark eyes bore into mine, making me shiver. I’m dripping wet from the pool and could palm it off as a direct result of that, but we both know it’s more the effect he has on me.
“What? Give me your list of rules I must follow then let me be on my way.”
His other hand slips under my towel, his warm fingers pressing into my waist.
My towel falls to the floor as I suck in a shaky breath. Why is he looking at me like he wants to eat me alive? “Get it over with,” I growl out when he still hasn’t uttered a word.
“No drinking. No wandering off alone. You will have one of us three at your side at all times. You have your gun strapped to your thigh in case you need it.” He starts his list of demands.
“So, in other words, no fun! Got to make sure you protect me, don’t you, Jagger. I’m sooo damn important to you.” I roll myeyes, unable to help it. It would be such a tragedy if he didn’t get his hands on my share of Moretti Media.
His grip on me tightens. “I think you had enough fun last night, and you’re lucky you had Asher watching out for you. These events are dangerous. We do our best to control security, but you witnessed firsthand what happened at Cruz’s fight. Shit can and will go wrong. Why are you acting like you don’t give a shit anymore?” He looks me over, confusion mixing with his hostility.
I pull away from him and march toward the bathroom. “I’m so over this shit,” I mutter under my breath. They all know there’s something wrong. Are they really so blinded by their end game that they can’t work out what it is?
I flick on the shower to steaming and turn back to find Jagger in the doorway watching me. I throw him a “what?” look that tells him to piss off. But he doesn’t move. I untie my top and bottoms, letting them drop to the tile floor, then I step under the spray, doing my best to ignore the grumpy bastard glaring daggers at me.
“You’re fucking impossible, Daisy.”
I spin around. “I’m impossible. You’re an asshole, and you can fuck right off if you think I’m going to follow one of you around all night and not drink. If I have to go to this thing as Asher’s little missus, I’m making the most of it.” My heart kicks up a beat as I say the words, knowing I’m starting a war with him, but he deserves it.
I hit the wall behind me with a thud when in a couple of large steps, he’s closed in on me. He captures my hands in his, glaring at me. “I’m not sure what’s gotten in to you, but I’m warning you, I’m not messing around, Daisy. You fuck up tonight, you won’t like the consequences.”
I raise my head and puff out my chest, making sure to look dead into his eyes. “How much worse can it get, boss man?Right now, I’m locked up without any contact with the outside world. I can’t move without one of you fuckers at my side. Stop pretending this is something different to what it is. I’m a damn prisoner in this place, and you know it. And I want out. You don’t need to worry about my safety tonight. I’m not going. You can take me home to Sloane’s apartment, and just so you know, I’m going back to work. I don’t need you or your brothers watching out for me anymore. I’ve got this.”
He chuckles darkly, the frightening sound resonating around the room. When he’s like this, I hate him the most. There is this power about him, an arrogance that I want to slap right off his face. It’s kind of impossible when he has both my hands held so tightly. “We leave for the party at four. I expect you to be dressed and ready to go by then. Georgina will be here to fix your hair and make-up at one.”
I stomp my foot, so fucking frustrated I don’t know what else to do. “I’m not fucking going anywhere with you.”
In one move, he spins me so I’m facing the wall. My pulse races like crazy, not sure what he’s about to do. Warm water hammers down on both of us. His pants must be getting soaked all the way through, but he doesn’t seem to care or even really notice. “Don’t fuck with me, flower, I will make sure you regret it.”
My chest heaves as I try to control the emotions that are bubbling out of me. “Don’t threaten me, asshole.”
His lips hover over my ear as his solid body presses into mine, showing me how damn hard he is right now. Fighting turns him on, there is no doubt about it. “It’s not a threat, sweetheart, it’s a promise. You haven’t seen the half of what I’m capable of.” His leg gets in between mine, forcing them out wide. “I have been holding off until you’re ready, but I would take great delight in showing you.”
As much as my heart hammers like crazy, not really sure what he means, I can’t stop myself from snapping back at him. Rational Daisy is long gone, I’m in flight-or-fight, and this time I’m not running, so the only option is to fight for my life. “Don’t hold back on my behalf. I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be,” he growls, his lips so close to me I feel the words as he breathes them.
“Really? Is that what you want? For me to be scared of you? A man who has made all sorts of promises to me about protecting me and taking care of me.”
I feel his body grow tight. “I want you to respect me,” he spits, anger vibrating through his chest.
