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"Fine. Whatever. Just wear the damn clothes. That's all I want."
"No. I won't. You send them back." Her face was mutinous.
He pushed his chair back from the table and slid slowly to his feet. His eyes narrowed on her and he started toward her. Selena didn't want to be cornered by him and glided toward the mudroom door. He followed her. She pushed open the door and walked outside. He continued to follow her.
She was a few paces away from him and turned to face him. She stood in the yard, glowering at him.
He crossed his arms over his chest. The shirt he was wearing was a t-shirt with the sleeves completely cut out, a favored style for him, and his hands pushed his biceps into two bulging threats. "You're going to wear the goddamn clothes if I have to strip you naked and put them on you myself. Don't you for one minute think I won't."
She glared at him mutinously, her body bristling with frustration and anger. She couldn't form the words she wanted in English, so she leaned down, picked up a handful of the dry Texas dirt, and hurled it at him.
Travis raised his arm and deflected the biggest pieces of dirt and rock just as Gus, Curley and Clinton stepped out of the bunkhouse. He didn't have time to see if they moved on before he had to raise his arm again. More dirt came his way.
"Selena, I'm warning you, you better quit that shit." His words were stern, and he expected to be obeyed immediately.
Selena ignored him and threw more dirt. "Go away. You leave me alone." Her words rang across the yard and arrested the three men walking toward the kitchen.
" Goddammnit. I'm not throwing shit at you, you can't throw shit at me. You better play fair, Angel, or you're going to regret it." He started prowling toward her, but was intercepted by the three men.
Clinton was the bravest only because he was the youngest and didn't know any better. "Selena, are you all right?"
Selena jerked her head and saw the three men directly behind and to the left of her. She started to speak but Travis cut off any words she might have said.
"This is none of your Goddamn business. You three just keep on walking." He reached Selena and grabbed the hand full of the dirt she was about to sling in his face.
All three men hesitated, not knowing what to do.
Travis felt the bite of fury. "I'm warning ya'll, if you still want your jobs come sun up, you better keep moving now. You know Goddamn well I'm not going to hurt her."
Selena struggled against the hand that held her.
Travis yanked her to him, his scowl blazing into her face. "Tell them. Tell them they can go. Tell them you know I won't hurt you."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
His voice rumbled, "Selena--"
She yelled at the top of her voice. "Go. You can go. He won't hurt me."
Travis looked from her face and motioned with his head for the men to leave. First Gus, then Curley turned and walked off. Clinton continued to stand there for an agonizingly slow moment before turning his head and spitting a stream of tobacco juice on the ground at Travis's feet. He tipped his hat back on his head and said in a voice laced with tension, "Selena, if you scream, I'll hear you." Then he gave Travis one more speaking look and turned and followed the other two men.
Travis didn't waste any time and started pulling Selena back toward the house.
She jerked her arm and dug in her heels, but it was like trying to fight against an immovable force. In moments, she found herself standing in the mudroom, rubbing her arm where he had just released her.
Travis turned to the door and slipped the bolt home. Selena gasped at the implication. She had never seen that door locked since she had come here. It was always left open.
Selena stamped her foot and shook her head defiantly. "You get your way, always!
Always, you get your way!"
Rage and frustration poured from her. Travis saw her emotional turmoil, and it set off answering feelings in him. He stalked toward her. "You bet your sweet little ass I always get my way. And baby, you better understand me right now when I tell you that's how it's always going to be." He reached out a hand for her, but she executed a quick maneuver and flitted away from him.
She immediately turned from him and started for the kitchen. She ignored him and picked up the dirty dishes from the table. With economical movements, she moved around the room and began to restore it back to order while he lounged against the wall, watching her.
Travis took a moment and tried to control his raging emotions. Anger, lust, and impatience were a conflagration about to erupt any second. He tried taking deep, calming breaths. He needed to be careful. He remembered his threat from earlier, that he would strip her and dress her himself. At the moment he said it, he had meant it.
Now he knew he couldn't do that. No way could he trust himself to strip her. He was already on such a tight rope, that any wrong move would set him off.
