AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let me grab a shower and I’ll be there in a few.”
“I’ll be here.”
I hang up and start hurriedly cleaning the mess I made in the garage before I head back inside to get ready, my previous solemn mood long forgotten. My father will probably bitch that I’ll miss family dinner, but that’s just another added bonus for me. Having to sit at the same table with his new wife—the woman he was obviously having an affair with while my mom was on her deathbed—and pretend that everything is hunky-dory just so I can play into his illusion that we are one big happy family, disgusts me.
Not that he gives a shit about how I feel.
He’s too preoccupied with how his new family is getting on to care about his old one.
Ever since Clara and her daughters moved in, he’s made it a point to be home for every dinner, fully stepping into the role of devoted family man, and turning down jobs that will take him out to sea for days on end.
Funny how he never made that sacrifice when Mom was alive. How money was always an issue back then and staying home was never an option. But I know that this fucking honeymoon phase of his has a ticking clock on it. Sooner or later, the debt collectors will start making noise, and he’ll have no choice but to face reality. He’ll never truly be able to escape his past, just as I can’t escape my future.
But while he’s on this delusional trip of his, one of us should have their feet on the ground and do what needs to be done. A few races and fights will get me the money we need to keep our heads above water. The last thing I want is for us to lose our home to the bank just because my father is too busy playing house. He might not think twice about putting my childhood home in jeopardy, but this is the house my mom lived in most of her life, and like hell I’ll give it up just because it no longer holds memories he wishes to remember. I guess the point of him having Clara and her daughters move into my home is so that he can create new memories and erase my mom completely.
Fucker.
Hatred starts bleeding through my pores, and instead of tempering it, I do the very opposite and harness it as fuel for tonight’s race. Hate can be quite the motivator, and lately it’s the only thing that keeps me from losing my shit. And if I want to be a few thousand dollars richer by night’s end, I’m going to need all the advantages I can get.
These are the thoughts that run wild in my head as I walk into the house and run up the flight of stairs up to my room. But just as I step into the hall, my brow furrows when I see my bedroom door left ajar. Slowly, I walk toward my room and open the door wider, rage consuming me from within at what I find.
“You have exactly one minute to tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my room. Start talking.”
My hands curl into fists at my sides as I stare daggers at Skylar’s immovable back. She’s so still that the only proof I have that she’s breathing is the faint sound of her shallow breaths. When she refuses to acknowledge me or tell me why the fuck she’s in my room uninvited, I step farther inside and slam my bedroom door so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t come off its hinges. Like I expected, the loud thud has her jumping in place, turning around to finally face me. My fury only increases with the way she brazenly looks me dead in the eye, like I’m the one in the wrong here. The only thing that shows her guilt is the way her cheeks flush crimson. Even if I didn’t know she was up to no good before I caught her in the act, her pink cheeks are a dead giveaway.
“Are you deaf? I asked you a question,” I seethe through gritted teeth, doing my best not to bridge the distance between us and strangle her where she stands. I’d never lay my hands on a woman in anger, but Skylar sure likes to test my fucking restraint. I’d bet she would laugh in my face if I ever even tried to wring her long slender neck. “Well? I don’t have all day.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” she stammers, her gaze falling behind me toward the door, hating that I’m standing right between her and her escape. “I was just…I was just—”
“You were what? Snooping around my stuff? Getting off at going through my things without permission?”
“No!” she yells, shaking her head in denial.
“Liar. That’s exactly what you were doing!” I shout, my feet suddenly moving closer to her.
“I wasn’t. I was just…” she tries to explain, walking a step back with each step I take toward her.
“You were just what, Sky? If you’re going to lie to me, at least make it a good one.”
“I…um… I…” she stutters, looking around the room for a plausible excuse.
But all her would-be lies die on the tip of her tongue when her ass hits my desk and I’m standing just a hair's breadth away from her.
“You look scared, Sky.” I smirk. “Do I scare you?”
“Please,” she scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest to put a barrier between us.
“Bullshit. You are. You’re fucking terrified.”
She widens those big silver eyes of hers, piercing me with all the contempt she holds for me.
Like I fucking care.
“In what world could you ever scare me?” she bites back, pissed, no longer looking guilty for what she’s done. I guess facing my wolfish grin does that to her. Not that I mind. I prefer her like this. It will only make breaking her that much sweeter if she puts up a fight.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I muse, running a finger down her cheek. “I think in the same world where I catch you in my room and when no one is around to help you.”
She slaps my hand away, squaring her shoulders and inching her face closer to mine, completely unintimidated.
