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“My mama always told me to stay away from girls like you. She said you would corrupt me and that I was too sweet to be in the clutches of city vixens. She’s still down in Georgia, where I was raised.”
Sweet would not be a word I would use to describe this man.
I mimicked his words and regarded her for a moment. “So why are you talking to me then, Mr. Southern boy? Your mom wouldn’t be happy, now, would she?”
He sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth, his blue-grey eyes shining against the fluorescent lights of the diner. “What mama doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
I inched my hand toward him, loving this back-and-forth we were doing. It had been such a long time since I had flirted with anyone for real. I forgot how fun it was. After having to endure hours with that ogre of a man, the man before me was a welcome breath of fresh air.
“Careful what you wish for, handsome.” Flirting with him was fun. “Once I get my hands on you, you may become addicted.”
“I was a goner the moment you walked in here, darlin’.”
Somehow, our faces had moved closer together, and now that I was much closer, I could see that his eyes held a lot more than the initial blue grey I had first observed. There were small specs of gold mixed in there.
“So, what do you say, pretty lady? You want me to show you around town?”
“Unfortunately, she can’t. She has prior engagements to attend to.” A chill ran down my spine at the sound of his voice. “The only place she will be going is to my lake house for my nephew’s birthday.”
Maybe I was a little sleep-deprived, but I could have sworn I heard a tinge of jealousy in his tone. No, that couldn’t be. Why would this man who found me ‘annoying and reckless’ be jealous of me?
The Southern boy looked at me before his eyes cut to Daniel, who stood right behind me. He was so close that I could feel the vibrations of anger rolling off him in waves.
He had no right to be mad or try to play the overprotective brother role after the way he had been behaving the past few weeks. Not to mention the club.
I looked over my shoulder at him. I saw the clear and evident fury in his eyes directed at the guy behind the counter, which added to my anger, “Go away, Daniel.”
His eyes snapped in my direction. “Outside, Selena.”
What—was he really…?
“You don’t tell me what to do, Daniel. I’m over here talking to…” I didn’t even know this guy's name.
“Alfred,” lumberjack said.
“Alf—wait? Really?” My eyes searched his face, thinking that maybe he was joking if there wasn’t a hint of humor on his face. “Umm, okay. I’m over here talking toAlfred, so you can go back to the table.”
“I’ll either carry you or you walk by yourself. The choice is yours.”
I turned to face him fully, my anger simmering once more. “You can’t be serious.”
He didn’t say anything; he just kept his face still as stone. I knew better than not to take Daniel seriously when he said something. The man rarely smiled, let alone joked. He meant everything he said. If he said he was going to carry me out of here, he would do it.
Not only had he soured this trip for me, but he had also managed to cock block me with his mood swings.
I held his hard gaze for a moment. I wanted to hold steady, but I also knew this man. So, I did what only I could in such a situation. I lifted my middle finger in the air and stormed out of the dinner. I heard his footsteps follow behind me, but I didn’t care.
I knew that Sebastian was coming, but I would meet him up the road if I had to. I wanted to be nowhere near Daniel at the moment. But just as luck would have it, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop.
I turned my head so fast that I was lucky I didn’t get whiplash. “You are un-fucking believable.”
“And you are fucking reckless,” was all he said before dropping my hand.
“What is your issue?” I stared him down, my arms crossing over my chest. “First, you tell me to shut the hell up, and the next, you are playing protective dad. I can’t keep up with this hot and cold behavior of yours. Make up your damn mind and draw a fucking line.”
I was tired of always having to tiptoe around his moods. I was dealing with a lot already, and the last thing I needed was him messing with my mind.
“Why must you always be so stubborn? You were hell-bent on proving a point to me that you nearly killed yourself in the process.” The storm in his eyes roared, taking me slightly aback. I wasn’t used to this kind of reaction from him. Normally, he was the picture of calm and controlled. “Why must you always be so reckless? Why must you always throw caution to the wind and not think!”
