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I peer up at him, surprised by his offer of making a deal. Even though he’s so much taller than me, I’m unmoving, unflinching, and refusing to show weakness. In fact, I smirk. “What kind of deal?”
“You stay here with me and wait out the hurricane.”
My eyes bug at that. “No, I can’t––”
“And I won’t call the cops on you,” he finishes.
“Or I could just leave now,” I challenge, standing up and pushing him back a fraction. We’re chest to chest. Well, it’s more like we’re chest to stomach, but I hold my ground. “It would be your word against mine.”
He scoffs, his fingers catching a strand of my red hair. He rolls it between his thumb and then drops it. “Oh yes, the word of a teenage homeless girl against the heir to King Media, in his own home. Whoever will the police believe?”
He’s being intentionally cruel––but he has a point.
“Why do you want me to stay here with you?”
His eyes soften but the hard lines of his jaw do not. “I’d like the company.”
I find that hard to believe. “Okay, and why are you even on Nantucket to begin with?”
Ethan hardly seems like the type to purposely seek out this kind of an experience. If he wanted a thrill, there are far better ways to get it than hunkering down during a hurricane. Especially not with me. He hates me, has treated me like crap from day one.
“I had to get away.”
“So you decided to get away by going to the house that’s supposed to be evacuated? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“No more questions,” he says firmly, that emotionless mask returning. “Yes or no? Hurricane or cops?”
I doubt either will be pleasant but I can’t get in trouble with the law. I don’t know what the punishment is for squatting, but the Kings have money and lawyers and power, and I have nothing and nobody. If they came down on me for this, I might lose my scholarship. I might even end up incarcerated. Ethan is making it seem like there’s a choice in this, but I don’t see one.
“There are no good options, but at least one gets me to school by the twenty-fifth,” I bite out, angry to be in this position. He’s also making a choice here. He could let me go and be a decent human if he wanted. He obviously doesn’t. And now he’s telling me I can’t even ask questions. “I’ll wait out the hurricane with you, but I can’t be late for the first day of college, so if the ferry gets delayed, you have to get me off this island another way.”
He has resources. He can charter a private plane or helicopter if needed. I refuse to be late for my first day of college, not even for an act of God.
His eyes trail me up and down, that scrutinizing gaze searing into my flesh, then he reaches out his hand. It’s so out of character for him, so surprising, I almost don’t know who I’m looking at. “Is that a yes?” he questions.
I place a confident hand in his. His is dry and cool––and punishing as we shake. “Why do I feel like I’m shaking the devil’s hand right now?”
“Because we both know I’m no angel.”
Twenty
He’s all business after that, taking inventory of the house and cataloging the pantry. Although I’ve been eating the food, I’ve barely made a dent. There’s more than enough for us to get through the storm and then some, assuming he’s okay with canned goods and not the luxuries he’s accustomed to.
“Is there a problem?” I ask, hand on my hips. “I’m sure Camilla is busy, probably already evacuated, so don’t you dare call her and put this on her. The woman has enough to deal with and doesn’t need to be worrying about you being here.”
“Us being here,” he turns on me, fingers trailing over the cans as he exits the pantry and closes the door. “And no, I’m not going to bother Camilla. What do I need her for?” His eyes sparkle with mischief. “I have you.”
“If you think I know how to cook, you’re delusional.”
He barks out a laugh. “I figured, but it’s fine. We have enough food, but we should still go to the grocery store anyway and get what we can.”
“It’ll probably be picked over if it’s not already closed.” But then again, the idea of getting out of this house sounds amazing. “But fine, let’s go check it out.”
He leads me out to the garage where his Range Rover is waiting. “Does this stay here year-round?”
He nods. “It’s my Nantucket vehicle.”
“Oh, as opposed to your other ones?”
