Oh, I’m done, all right. I’ve had enough of this asshat and his monster ego to last ten lifetimes. I tuck the box under my arm and make my escape, tossing one last jab over my shoulder as I go.
“I guess I had a little left in me after all.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Connor
“PLEASETELLMEyou went back there and kneed my father in the nuts,” I say to Brie when she catches up to me outside the restaurant. “No, wait. Don’t tell me. Because if you did and I missed it, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything. Nothing physical, anyway. Although I admit, I was tempted to throw a drink in his face. Lucky for him, the waitress already cleared the table.”
She produces something from behind her back. It takes me a second to realize it’s the box with my mom’s things. “You left this behind. I figured you’d want it once you calmed down.”
My heart stops for a second, then thumps harder. This woman never ceases to amaze me. All I wanted was to get the fuck away from my father as fast as humanly possible. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not even what might be my one and only chance to have mementos of my mother.
Trust Brie to have my back.
She hands me the box, and I stick it under one arm so I can use the other hand to tip her chin and kiss her. “Thank you.”
“Your father’s even worse than I remembered. I’m sorry I made you made you do this.”
“First, you didn’t make me do anything. And second, I’m not sorry we came.”
“Because you got your mom’s stuff?”
“That. And because if we hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of watching you take down the great Vincent Dow.” I push her hair off her face and kiss her again. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She grins up at me. “So me going off on your father turns you on?”
“Honestly, pretty much anything you do turns me on.” I step in closer to her so our bodies are touching. Barely, but touching. It has the double benefit of making it easier to hear me when I lower my voice and let her feel the physical evidence of my arousal. “But I’ve never wanted to fuck you more than I do right now.”
My phone buzzes—thanks for the fabulous timing, universe—with a notification that the Lyft I called while Brie was not throwing a drink at my father is here. I spot a black Volvo XC90 pulling up to the curb and quickly confirm that the make, model, and license plate match the information in the app.
“This is our ride,” I say, leading Brie over to the car and opening the door.
She slides into the back seat. “I thought you said we had plans after lunch.”
“We do.” I take a second to appreciate the flash of upper thigh as she adjusts her short skirt then climb in after her, pulling the door closed behind me and setting the box down at my feet. “They involve you and me getting naked as soon as possible.”
Our Lyft driver, a silver-haired, middle-aged woman who the app says is named Linda, turns around and glares at us. “Not in my car, you don’t.”
Brie meets her glare with a smile designed to charm the surliest of rideshare operators. “It’s okay. I’m sure I can hold him off until we get home.”
“You’d better,” Linda snaps, unmoved. “Because I won’t hesitate to kick your bare asses out in the middle of 7th Avenue. And there’s a hundred-and fifty-dollar surcharge for cleaning up bodily fluids.”
I nod. “Duly noted.”
Apparently satisfied we’re not going to hump like jackrabbits in the back of her car, she turns around and pulls away from the curb. The sudden motion puts Brie off balance, jostling her against me. I sling my arm around her and gather her in.
“Did I tell you how hot you were standing up to my father?” I whisper the words in her ear, not willing to incur the wrath of Linda and risk getting tossed out of the car in the middle of Sunday matinee traffic. I bet she wouldn’t even bother to slow down.
“You did.” Brie’s purse slips down her arm, and she lets it fall to the seat beside her. “But I don’t mind hearing it again.”
“And that no one’s done that for me in a long time? I think the last person was your brother, back in high school. And he wasn’t anywhere near as sexy as you.”
Brie lets out a snort that would be unladylike in other circumstances but she somehow makes endearing. “I’d be worried if you thought he was.”
She takes my head in her hands and pulls me down to her, planting the mother of all kisses on my lips. You know that final kiss inThe Princess Bride? The one that left the five most passionate, most pure kisses behind? This kiss makes that one look like a peck on the cheek.
