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If she really thinks I’m going to thank her, then she’s lost her damn mind. I grab the pan with the pizza on it, ready to toss it in the sink to cool off, and it burns the fuck out of my hand. I drop it back down, causing the metal to collide with the stove in a loud thud.
“Dammit!” I quickly turn the cold water on in the island sink, running my hand under it.
Laying her elbow on the countertop, she slowly pulls the oven mitt off with a pleased look on her face. “I’m not going to pretend you didn’t deserve that.”
“Ya know what, Elodie. I really don’t give a shit what you think.”
When I turn my head slowly, I notice she’s wearing only a baby pink nightgown with no bra underneath. Fuck. My cock twitches at the way her puckered nipples threaten to cut through the fabric.
She notices my stare and quickly crosses her arms over chest. The sound of disappointment mixed with a heavy breath of air escapes her. “That’s so typical of you to not thank someone for saving you.” She grimaces tightly as she lowers her hand to put the oven mitt back in the drawer. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
My lips flatten as I reach over and push the drawer closed with her hand still inside.
“What the hell, Rome!” She lets out a shrill cry as I hold her fingers hostage. “Stop it, or you’re gonna break my fingers!”
I remain stoic, my expression unreadable. "Say sorry," I tell her calmly. "And maybe I'll let you walk away with your bones intact." My tone is full of menace and hate, reflecting exactly what I feel right now.
Her eyebrows pinch together tightly as my threat hangs heavy in the air. "For what?” She huffs out a shaky breath. “Standing up to you? Pulling your burnt pizza out of the oven and fanning away the smoke from the alarm before you woke up the entire house?”
I’m not talking about right now, I’m talking about a year ago. I need her to fucking apologize because just thinking about what she did has my blood boiling. It was the deepest betrayal that she could have ever carried out. My jaw tightens as I try to keep my temper in check, not allowing the drawer to snap her fingers just yet.
I shake my head. “None of that. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“If this is about class today, you started the bullshit. It took me almost an hour to get all that gum out of my hair after school.” She pulls on her hand, but I don’t let up. When she sees the evil behind my eyes, she actually flinches, looking afraid for the first time since she moved in here.
The gum shit was pretty hilarious. A good show to start the day off right. But this isn’t about that either.
“I’m not talking about today, or even yesterday.” My voice rises a few octaves. “I’m talking about how you ruined my fucking life.”
“You really are insane!” She attempts to pry the drawer open with her free hand, digging her other fingers into it while she uses all her strength. When she fails, she digs her nails into my arm, trying to pull my hand off hers.
Her breaths become heavy as she tries to free her hand to no avail. “You’re obviously as upset about our parents getting married as I am. But that’s not my fault. Trust me, I don’t want to be here either.” Finally she gives up and pulls her claws out of my skin. Her shoulders slump in defeat and she drops her head. “Just let me go back to bed.”
In a swift motion, I yank her hand out of the drawer by the wrist in a vise she can’t break free from, and I pin it to the counter behind her. The sting on my arm is a reminder that she just left a band of scratches, and it only fuels the fire inside me.
“Ouch!” She seethes. “You’re hurting me!” Tears well up in her eyes and even though she’s afraid, I can see she’s not ready to let them fall for me. So I push even further.
“Good,” I spit, my face a mere inch from hers. “I want it to hurt. Your cries are a sweet symphony to my ears. I want to be the reason for every tear that falls down your pretty little face. You fucked my life up, and now I plan to return the favor.”
“Why?” she screams. “Tell me why, Rome! Why do you hate me so much?”
She wriggles to free herself while I open my mouth to speak, but before the words can come out, another voice overpowers mine.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
I look at the entryway and see my dad standing there with a heavy brow. Quickly, I let Elodie go and she rubs her wrist that my fingers were just wrapped around.
“I burnt a pizza,” I tell him honestly, leaving out everything that came after the fact.
“I can see that.” He walks toward us, fanning away the lingering smoke in the air. “It’s almost one o’clock in the morning. Why in God’s name are you cooking pizza at this hour when you have school in the morning?”
“It’s not a big deal, Dad.” I blow out a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “I was at the gym and missed dinner and just got hungry.”
Elodie stands there innocently, hiding her arm behind her back where I no doubt just left a mark. She’s quiet with her eyes downcast as if she’s waiting for permission to leave the room.
“Were you part of this?” Dad asks her, and she lifts her wide eyes.
“I just heard the smoke alarm and hurried down here before it woke anyone up. Apparently I didn't get to it soon enough. I’m sorry.”
