“Why don’t you just flip the lock on your way out?” I suggested, muttering into the pillow.
“You still need to throw the deadbolt.”
Sighing, I shoved the pillow down, squinting out of one eye at the angry beast of a man standing in my doorway. “I have a broken sliding door with nothing preventing anyone from coming in but some plywood. I hardly think a deadbolt is going to stop an intruder.”
His body shifted, setting off dangerous vibes that I couldn’t care less about at the moment.
“Look at me,” he snarled.
I sighed heavily at his command. “Go play Macho Man somewhere else. I’m going to bed.”
I flopped back down, but was laying in peace for less than three seconds when two strong arms dragged me up, shaking me slightly.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Again, I squinted at him through one eye. “Me? What’s wrong with you? Can’t a girl suffer in silence? Why do you have to be such a damn brute and charge in here, ruining my night?”
“Get your ass up and lock the damn door!”
“Go fuck yourself!” I snapped. “This is my house. My fucking life. And last I checked, you didn’t want to be part of it!”
He huffed out a laugh, running his hand over his jaw. “So, that’s what this is? You’re punishing me for not wanting a relationship?”
Groaning, I tossed myself back on the couch and buried my face against the cushions. “God, men are such babies. Not everything is about you!”
“You just said?—”
Jumping to my feet, I narrowed my one good eye at the man, my anger spiking to unnatural levels. “Look, I’ve got a migraine, and I’m about five seconds from grabbing this lamp and bashing it over your head to get you to shut the fuck up. Right now, I have the chance to make this spike in my eyeball disappear, but that’s only if you leave me the fuck alone. If you stay, you’ll only piss me off, and then this will most likely turn into one of the worst migraines I’ve ever had. So do me a favor and piss off!”
My chest was heaving by the time I was finished, and the stunned expression on his face would have made me laugh if I wasn’t in such a pissy mood. No, I didn’t normally lose my temper. I was usually very mild-mannered, but when I had a migraine, I couldn’t tolerate anything.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he had the decency to look sheepish. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Yeah, leave me the hell alone.” I was about to lay down when a pang of guilt struck. “And I’m sorry for swearing at you. That was rude. Now, would you kindly get the fudge out of my house?”
I thought I saw an amused smile touch his lips, but he did as I asked, retreating to the door and quickly locking it before shutting it quietly. Since I was already up, I stalked to the freezer and grabbed an ice pack, then trudged through the house to my room.
When I flopped down on the bed, I placed the cold pack over my eye and snuggled under the blankets, hoping the worst of it would pass by morning.
Unfortunately, my hopes were squashed when I rolled over an hour later, the pack falling to my sheets as I groaned, holdingmy head. The worst was definitely not over, and the spike driving through my eyeball had now started pulsing.
I desperately needed pills, but on an empty stomach, that would only make me sick. Stumbling out of bed, I gripped the walls as I made my way to the kitchen. With the lights still on in the living room, I could clearly see where I was going, but it did nothing to help the pounding in my head.
I was nearly to the cabinet when I slammed my toe into the corner of the lower cabinets, sending a sharp pain through my pinkie.
Biting my lip, I bent over the counter, breathing deeply as I tried to force the pain from my body. “Son of a bitch,” I muttered, lifting my foot and cupping my toes. “I am so going to call off work tomorrow.”
Not that I really had to call off. I basically just didn’t open the store.
Taking a final deep breath, I dropped my foot and stood tall, taking several breaths before walking to the corner cabinet for my pills. And that’s when I felt the sharp sting in the bottom of my foot. Gasping, I instantly lifted my foot, hopping out of the way, only to land on whatever the hell I stepped on in the first place with my other foot.
“Mother fucking son of a bitch!” I shouted as tears poured down my face. “Why? Why the fuck does this have to happen today?” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as pain radiated through my right foot. That one had taken the brunt of the pain since I’d jumped and landed on whatever sliced my foot, and was currently still embedded in it.
The door banged open at the front of the house, and I grabbed the frying pan just as an intruder stormed around the counter, charging me. I swung hard, hitting him over the headwith one harsh blow that vibrated up my arm and through my body.
“Son of a bitch! What the fuck?”
