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“And who does she want you marrying?” he demands, that gruff voice of his turning harsher.
I swallow, turn to my back, and sit up, pulling my knees up to wrap my arms around them. “My sister is married to Ronnie Fisher. She picked Ronnie’s best friend for me, Cordell Barker.”
“Cordell Barker,” Beast mutters at the same time I give the name.
I swing my head toward him, feeling my eyes nearly bugging out. “How did you know that name?”
Beast slowly sits up and scoots to sit with his back to the headboard, arms crossed over that beefy chest of his that I’ve admired for so long. “I know that name because Cordell Barker is my cousin.”
I don’t think shock could cover exactly what those words do to me.
“You . . . you’re . . . wait,” sitting up on my knees, I turn to face him, “you’re Cordell Barker’s cousin? How’s that possible?”
“Cordell’s mother is my father’s sister. She married Cordell Senior.”
Whoa.
This is unreal. How in the world is this possible? Wait!
“I don’t get how you’re . . . well, related to him. For that matter, I work for your brother, and I didn’t even know it.” I still can’t believe that one.
“Everett and I are brothers, yes. However, I’m no longer a part of that world. I left it a long time ago, and I refuse to go back to it. I won’t be a part of that world.”
“Why?” I ask before I can stop myself. “Are you not a part of your family’s life at all?” It’s the one reason I still go to family things. To see my dad, at least. And my brother.
“No,” Beast clips out harshly. “I turned my back on all of them a long time ago, and I have nothing to do with them.”
“But it seemed your brother wanted to have something to do with you when he dropped me off.” Even in my shock, I saw this.
“Everett can want all he wants, but I’m not going back to that family.” Beast narrows his eyes, and my stomach tightens nervously. “And what the fuck are you doing working for the annoying bastard? You fuck him?”
Blinking, I find myself speechless. I open my mouth, but words fail to come out. It takes me a few seconds, precious seconds at that, to find the words. “You have a lot of nerve to ask me that, Beast. For the record, I haven’t and wouldn’t; however, that’s none of your business. I will tell you this, though, your brother is a good guy to work for. Professional and kind. Yes, he’s a playboy, but he doesn’t cross that line with me. He was kind enough to give me a ride to the garage today to keep me from spending money on an Uber ride.”
“Why didn’t you just call one of the brothers to come get you?” he asks.
“Because I’m not helpless. I can make my own way.” I huff and shake my head.
“Right, and that’s why you traded your old car, which was shit, for something that’s a hell of a lot shittier.” Grunting, heleans forward, grabs my waist, and pulls me over him. In this position, I have no other choice but to straddle his lap.
“What are you doing?” I ask, pressing my hands against his chest.
“Holding you where I want you,” he remarks, gliding his hands over my waist. “Now, answer the question about why you’re working for my brother.”
“Because I didn’t want to go back to the bar, and there weren’t really any slots available at any of the other places’ businesses. Unless I wanted to go to the strip club, and that wasn’t happening. I can’t dance worth a lick, and I’m not big on being around a bunch of horndogs.” I don’t bother mentioning that I didn’t want to be around a bunch of strange men, not after what I went through. “I feel safe working where I am now. There’s security there, and no one comes in unless they have clearance. And they walk me out in the evenings.”
“Right,” Beast remarks, nodding, his hands stilling in place on my waist. “And this house? You wiped out your savings for it, didn’t you.”
How did he know that?
“That’s what I figured.” Shaking his head, he lets out a heavy breath. “You are one stubborn woman, you know that. It’s a fuckin’ turn on, at the same time, a headache.”
“Well, lucky you, you don’t have to worry about me being either for you. Now, can you let me go then leave?” I snap, feeling as though he’d insulted me for wanting to do something for myself. I mean, I saved for so long to be able to have this. To not have to worry about a large payment when it comes to my mortgage. I wanted a small one so that I could start saving for a new car. If I keep saving for the remainder of the year, I’ll have enough for a good down payment that will also allow me to have a decent car payment. I don’t want to be paying out the ass and worrying about my bills.
“Butterfinger, I’m not leaving, but we can finish this discussion later. It’s getting late, and we both have work tomorrow. After the day I had working on your car and dealing with other shit, I’m exhausted.”
“You’re not staying here,” I blurt out and try to get off his lap.
“Yeah, I am. Then tomorrow, I’ll take you to work. While I’m there, I’ll be meeting with my brother to find out exactly what he’s playing at.”
