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“Yeah, well, I’m not a little girl—”
“You better be thankful you’re a little girl right now.” He looked down at her bare legs. It might be December, but it was almost eighty degrees in south Texas.
Anger penetrated the fog in her brain and her spine stiffened. “What the hell do you mean by that? Are you threatening me?”
“I’m stating a fact. You. Are. Lucky. You’re. A. Little. Girl.” He punched the words out, pulsating anger coming with them.
His tone and attitude pissed her off. He was nothing to her; he had no right to speak to her like that. She became belligerent. “What the fuck’s it to you?”
His hand reached out and swiped her wrist in a brutal move that reminded her of a snake striking. He pulled on her arm and her butt lifted involuntarily from the seat as she was forcibly moved until her face was only inches from his.
Elaina sucked in a single breath and then began hyperventilating. Her eyes opened wide. Damn her mouth.
“What word did you say to me?”
She licked her lips as fear slid through her system. Her heartbeat pounded away in her chest as her bravado disappeared in the face of his anger and the proximity of his large body looming over hers. “N-nothing.”
“Good answer. Little girls don’t say fuck. You understand me? Little girls who throw the fuck word around are askin’ for it, baby. You askin’ for it?” His hand tightened on her wrist. “Because I gotta tell ‘ya, I’m trying to be nice here. But eighteen is a legal adult, Miss Ruiz. If you’re askin’ for it, I got every right to give it to you.”
Elaina shivered in his hold. Now was absolutely not the time to tell him she was twenty-one. He assumed she was eighteen because she was first year. His mistake. Her good fortune. Not everyone had the money or the opportunity to start college at eighteen. She hadn’t. But no way was she telling him that now.
“I’m not asking for it. Let me go.”
He waited for the count of three very long heartbeats as he seemed to conquer his anger. Finally, he dropped her wrist.
She immediately scrambled back and scooted away from him and then lifted her hand to rub her wrist. It was red and almost sore where he had squeezed her. She bit her lip and stared at him while she held her arm and waited for him to say something, do something.
His eyes dropped to her reddened wrist. “Did I hurt you?”
“I’m okay.” She pushed the words through gritted teeth.
His eyes ran over her and Elaina was supremely conscious of the fact she should have put on more clothing that morning. Yellow t-shirt, frayed shorts and Converse weren’t nearly enough protection against his dark, intense inspection.
He raised his eyes from her body, to her lips. His searing stare held her until he lifted a hand, ran it through his dark hair, and put the truck back into drive.
Three minutes later, he was pulling around to the front of her aunt’s house.
She reached down for the handle, but before she could get her hand there, the locks were activated and she was shut inside with him until he decided to let her out. Shocked, her breathing going haywire, she silently turned to face him, her back against the door.
He broodingly watched her and took his time about speaking. “I’m going to get one of my men to put gas in your car and bring it around. There’s no sense in having the garage pick it up. But you can bet your ass I’m going to tell Brian what you did. Maybe he can talk some sense into you.”
“You’re too kind, Mr. Vega.” Her words were sarcastic and she watched a quick, ferocious scowl cross his face.
“You just do not know when to quit pushing, do you?”
“Let me out.”
He didn’t move. His eyes were glued to her.
She tried again. “Let me out.”
“Doesn’t feel good, does it? Knowing you’re stuck. You better be glad it was me that found you, baby. Another man might not have been such a gentleman.”
Her eyes flared wide. “A gentleman? Are you f—”
Her voice stopped on that word he hated as he interrupted her at the same time.
“You want your ass blistered?”
