Page 7 of Grumpy Darling

He was lying half asleep on his bed when I arrived, so I picked up a pillow and thumped him with it. He didn’t even flinch, easily plucking the soft, fluffy weapon from my hands. “Hello to you too,” he said with a yawn.

I had let myself in through the back door of the house. My bags were still in the car, but only because I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to bring them inside. Despite my mom’s plans for me while she was away, I was considering finding another family to take me in.

I folded my arms across my chest, but my stern expression only seemed to amuse him as he calmly added the pillow to the one under his head. “I know I’m an ass, but why am I an ass today?”

His brown hair was a mess, and he was dressed in his usual gray sweats, but I could only imagine how the girls at school would react if they were standing where I was: in a Darling Devil’s bedroom while he lay on the bed all sleepy and tousled. I didn’t dare think about how they might react if they knew I was living with him for the next two weeks.

Reed might be the poster boy for the Ransom Devils, but the girls were all drawn to Gray’s quiet magnetism. I frequently heard them talking about how gorgeous he was. How dark, mysterious, and dangerous he was too. Thankfully, most were too scared to approach him, or he’d probably get mobbed every day. I wasn’t deterred by his good looks or his devilish reputation. Especially not when I had a bone to pick with him.

“The muffins I made yesterday were terrible and you didn’t tell me!”

Grayson refused to make eye contact as he replied. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about how I walked around town all day, oblivious to the fact I was handing out toxic muffins.”

I grabbed a pen off his desk and threw it at him to emphasize my point. Even though he wasn’t looking at me, he somehow managed to snatch it from the air. That only made me more annoyed at him.

“I knew they might not be the best, but I didn’t think they were deadly. How could you not tell me? I thought we were always honest with each other.”

“They weren’t deadly.”

“Weren’t they?”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“Well, the cute little mouse we found in my kitchen today definitely isn’t!”

He looked like he was struggling not to laugh, but he managed to keep a straight face as he continued. “Your cooking did not kill a mouse. It must have died of natural causes.”

“It was surrounded by muffin crumbs.”

“Well, has someone conducted an autopsy?”

“This isn’t funny, Gray.”

“I’d never joke about mouseslaughter . . .”

My eyes narrowed on him.

“Maybe I should go stay with Bonnie,” I said, pretending I was deep in thought. “I know her baby sister screams all night long. But I think that might be less painful than this.”

“Stay with Bonnie?” Gray lifted himself slightly up from his relaxed position on the bed. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear the news? Both my parents have abandoned me for work trips and dumped me on your family until they get back.”

“You’re staying here?”

“I’m supposed to be, yeah.”

“For how long?”

“Two weeks.”

“Two weeks?”

If I wasn’t so committed to being mad at him, I might have laughed. He looked like he was going to self-combust at the prospect. I knew I could be a lot to handle, but surely the idea of me living here wasn’tthatbad.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning to steal your bed or finish your Cheerios. Your mom said I can room with Cammie.”

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