“Brinley,” Dereck all but choked. “This is Silas Mercer. He’s the one I told you about. The one you’re going to be staying with for a little while.”
Silas’s hazel eyes glowed, and another one of those smirks lit at the edge of his wickedly sexy mouth. “I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, gorgeous, but I’m pretty sure the sentiment would not be returned.”
THREE
SILAS
“I’ll showyou to your room.” I didn’t look back at her as I started across the property in the direction of the clubhouse.
Since apparently she thought she had to pack her entire fucking closet, I had a suitcase in each hand and a giant duffel bag slung across my body.
Boots pounding the dirt while I did my best to keep my shit together when every single thing about this situation had me riding a crumbling edge.
Nerves frayed and guard so fucking high I couldn’t see over the top of it.
Could feel her gaze whipping between me and her scumbag brother’s retreating car, irritation and befuddlement stirring her into a ball of disorder as he peeled out onto the road.
Dude tucking tail when I’d strode up to him like I was gonna give him one of those affable man hug/claps on the back thingies, only instead, I’d leaned down to his ear and rumbled, “Get the fuck off my property before you don’t have the ability to do so.”
Coward had her bags out of the trunk and was shoving his car into reverse in ten seconds flat.
She was still wavering there, anger billowing off her in waves, before she finally gave a little shriek of frustration and scrambled to catch up to me.
A wildfire enclosing fast.
“What, do you expect me to just follow you wherever you tell me to go?” she huffed at my back.
“That’s exactly what I expect you to do,” I grunted, barely glancing her way.
A fall of honey-strung brown hair whipped around her stunning face, red and gold strands lighting up beneath the sunlight that slanted through the air as the sun began to descend to the west.
Rays of it struck along the ferocious slash of her cheeks. Her pink, full lips glinted like blades as she curled her mouth in dissatisfaction.
No woman should be that beautiful.
Or that pissed off.
It pushed me one more inch closer to that edge.
“Well, my brother might have caved to whateverdebthe owes you that you called in, but I’ll have you know, my loyalties do not belong to you. I’m not about to fall for however you manipulated him into bending to your will.”
Is that what she thought? That I manipulated her brother?
That fucking little weasel.
I tried to ignore her, but she just kept right up behind me. “If you think I’m going to concede to whatever sick, twisted games you’re playing, you picked the wrong girl.”
My nostrils flared as her words impaled me in the back.
And did she stop firing them?
No.
Not this one.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she spat.
Her suitcases hit the ground with a thud, and I whirled on her so fast she jarred back like she’d slammed into a brick wall.
