Page 79 of Reckless Harmony

“Calm down. That isn’t what I meant.”

“Calm down?” She didn’t think it was possible to be angrier, but here they were. “You did not just tell me to calm down.”

He took a step back, holding up his hands in a placating manner while giving her a ‘what the fuck’ look that only enraged her further. “Rayna, come on. What is your problem?”

“My problem is that you’re assuming I’ll fuck you tonight.”

“Of course I am,” he said, giving her a bewildered look. “I paid three grand for our date tonight, Rayna.”

“No, you donated three grand to a fundraiser,” she snapped.

“Tomato, tomahto,” he said dismissively. “Look, why are we fighting? You’re attracted to me, and I paid three thousand dollars to your little rescue. You owe me, Rayna.”

“Do you even hear the shit coming out of your mouth?” she asked.

He sighed in exasperation. “You can’t honestly believe that I would pay three grand just for dinner and ice skating with you.”

“I did because I’m not an asshole.”

His lips thinned. “I should have known better than to expect you to be a lady when you plunge toilets for a goddamn living.”

“Go fuck yourself,” she said before opening her car door and sliding inside.

“Are you kidding me right now?” he said. “You owe me, Rayna.”

“I don’t owe you shit, asshole.” She slammed her door, started the car, and flipped Jasper the bird before driving away.

CHAPTER 27

Stark sat back in his office chair and glanced at his office doorway before reaching for his cell phone. He opened the pet camera app and scanned the screen. He’d installed a pet camera in his bedroom last week, and he smiled when he saw Molly nursing her kittens on the bed.

“That’s a good girl, sweetie,” he murmured and watched for a few more minutes before closing the app.

He glanced at the time. It was a few minutes after noon, and he debated whether to try to work or grab a bite at Nan’s Diner. His growling stomach and inability to concentrate all morning decided for him.

He wanted to blame his hunger on his focus issues, but he knew damn well that wasn’t the problem. He’d spent all weekend vacillating between lusting after Rayna and jealousy that she’d gone on her date with his cousin instead of staying with him.

He’d paced his house like a lovesick teenager all of Friday night, looking out the den window every hour to see if Rayna had returned home. By eleven, he’d finally admitted to himself that Rayna wasn’t ending her date early to come home to him. He’d gone to bed, lying sleepless in the dark with Molly and her kittens and pretending he wasn’t waiting to hear the sound of Rayna’s car.

He’d fallen asleep still waiting.

He’d hoped that work today would help him forget just how fucking amazing it was to have Rayna come all over his fingers, but no such luck. He didn’t know how it was possible, but his lust for her was even more intense despite how many times he’d masturbated this weekend. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this obsessed with a woman.

You’ve never been this obsessed over a woman. You need to let it go. It was a one-time thing, and besides, you know as well as I do that Jasper would have gotten her into his bed Friday night. He might be as big of an asshole as you are, but he hides it a fuck of a lot better than you do.

Irritation overtook the lust, and he abruptly stood, yanking on his jacket and heading out of his office. Stark slowed as he approached Lucas’s office, debating whether or not to ask him to have lunch with him. For a change, he didn’t want to eat lunch alone. Maybe his mother was right. Maybe he needed to start showing people the real Isaac Stark.

He stopped just before Lucas’s open door as Lucas’s voice drifted into the hallway. “What do you mean he asked for the donation back?”

“He emailed the rescue this morning and demanded his money back.” Emma’s voice was quiet, and Stark moved closer to the door, straining to hear.

“All three thousand?” Lucas asked.

“Yes.”

“But why?”

Emma sighed. “Friday night, when you came to my house after your night out with Connor and Nix, and Rayna was there? That was the night of her date with Jasper. They went for dinner, and after dinner, he didn’t want to go ice skating, so she suggested coffee at Grind My Beans. He suggested she go to his hotel room with him instead.”

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