AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Like that.
My back went stiff and a cloud of red covered my vision. “The kind of man who knows me well enough to know I don’t belong to any damn body. Permission doesn’t need to be granted from anyone but me,” I clipped, my tone hard. “Or have you forgotten the kind of daughter you raised?”
“Now, punk, I didn’t mean—”
I cut him off. “Oh, I know what you meant, all right. And you really put your foot in it this time. You know me better than to think I’d ever settle for a man who had such archaic views as to act like women were some sort of property. Gage didn’t ask your permission because he damn well knows better. Besides, it’s not yours to give.”
My voice rose higher and higher the more heated I got. My father knew good and well my feelings on that bullshit ritual. He hadn’t said what he did because he believed it. He was butt-hurt that his daughter had gotten engaged without his knowledge and he was lashing out.
“I’m sorry, pumpkin,” he ground out. Greg Klein also wasn’t the kind of man to be wrong often—at least not with anyone but his wife—so apologizing was a blow to his ego. “I was out of line.”
“Damn straight you were. And so you know, I’m telling Mom what you said. It serves you right.”
“Ah, Christ,” he grumbled, and I could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing my mother was going to rip my father a new one for that. I was bummed I wouldn’t be there to witness it.
“Now, are you done being mad at me so I can tell you I really miss you guys and I hope I’ll see you at the party?”
And just like that, my dad’s voice lost all disappointment and went soft as he said, “Missed you too, punk. And of course we’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it.”
I smiled brightly. “Good. Now tell me all about the cruise. But skip past the hanky-panky parts. There are some things a child shouldn’t know about her parents.”
* * *
I walkedinto the bedroom I shared with Gage later that evening, feeling so damn tired my bones practically ached.
Gage sat in his reading chair by the fireplace crackling with bright orange flames, reading another one of his books, but I was too exhausted to enjoy the view of a sexy man in sexy glasses, sexily reading a thriller.
Instead, I moved straight to the bed and faceplanted in the center of it.
“Long day?” Gage asked, humor dripping from his words.
I let out a groan and twisted my neck so my face pointed in his direction. “Got a call from my dad.”
He snapped his book shut at that and placed it on the little side table. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“So... I take it that didn’t go well?”
As difficult as it was, I managed to move my arms and push up on my elbows to see him better. “It started a little rough, but ended okay, I guess.” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down in thought. “They’ll be here for the engagement party.”
Gage pushed out of the chair and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside me. My eyes slid closed as he reached out to brush my hair to the side, his fingertips sliding gently over the exposed skin of my neck.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
I let out an appreciative groan as his hands moved to my shoulders and began working the knots that had taken up residence there. “Oh, that’s nice,” I said on a breath as I let my head fall back down to the bed. “And it could be a good thing. Or it could mean he’s planning a sneaky, painful way to make you suffer.”
His hand stopped moving, making my poor, tired muscles cry out. “Uh, babe, do I need to worry?”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down as I gave his question some thought. “I don’t think so?”
I felt his frame jerk back and turned to look over my shoulder. “You don’tthink so?”
“He’s really protective of me. He’s never liked any of my boyfriends.”
He let out a grunt and went back to massaging. “That doesn’t really say much, Bits. I mean, Darrin was a fucking moron. Even before that dumbass cheated on you.”
I faked a scowl and shot it at him. “Are you saying I pick shitty boyfriends?”
