Page 2 of Hostile Cravings
As truthful as I knew his words were because Angie was like me, hard to contain when it came to sex, I didn’t like what he’d said. Even if I hated her, I’d been dealing with her family long enough to be protective of her. I could insult her, but not this jackass.
He lifted his chin, his bravado high. “You got a problem with that, Raines?”
Grabbing him by the collar, I threw him against the wall. He tried to recover, but I was on him too fast.
“Apologize to her quickly before my fist meets your face and I have to explain to your father how disrespectful you were to my wife.”
Every time I said the word wife, it was like a punch in my gut.
“I don’t need to apologize for anything, not when I’m speaking the truth. She fucks anything.”
“I won’t fuck you, asshole,” she snapped.
I laughed. “See, she does have some standards.”
“She’s a whore?—”
My punch hit him quick, and he slid to floor, holding his nose which had cracked under the pressure of my fist.
“Call her a whore again and I’ll wreck the rest of your face up so bad your old man won’t recognize you.”
I snatched Angie’s hand and dragged her from the deck. My fury was raging through me. I’d lost my temper with Joey and it would cause even more friction than this sham marriage would. Angie whined behind me, and I jerked her closer, ignoring heruntil we reached her room where I threw the door open and pushed her in.
“You can’t treat me like this, Tyson,” she complained, rubbing her wrist.
“I’ll treat you any way I want. Have you really been screwing your random hook-ups at the clubs knowing we were doing this?”
She huffed, crossing her tan arms. “Doing this? You mean tying me down to your ugly ass for some indefinite time? Cutting me off for who knows how long? And don’t think your dick is getting anywhere near me.”
I grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the dresser, hearing her breath hitch.
“Trust me, my dick doesn’t want to be anywhere near you. You couldn’t handle me even if you tempted me. I’m not one of your pretty boys. I’m cut different and when I fuck, it’s hard and dirty.” I squeezed her neck, noting how her lips parted. There was something in her eyes, a mix of vile hatred and lust, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. “We’re both cut off from what we like. Trust me, I’m not keen on giving up my women just to keep that asshole from touching you. But I will, just like you will. And if I find another man’s hands on you while we do this, I’ll cut them off and make you sleep next to them until this is over.”
I released her and walked away, running my hands through my hair before I reached down and picked up the ring box she’d dropped when I grabbed her.
“I hate you, Tyson,” she snarled.
“Feeling’s mutual, Anj.” Pulling the rings out, I walked back to her and snatched her hand. “But your father and brother think you need my protection. And now you’re stuck with me.” I shoved the band and the engagement ring Casey had picked out for me onto Angie’s finger. “Till death do us part.”
“You don’t have to be so rough,” she complained once they were on.
“I like it rough, baby, so be thankful this is fake, or you’d be too sore in the morning to walk.”
I turned from her, intent on leaving the room.
“I don’t mind it rough,” she mumbled.
Shaking my head, I glanced over at her. She looked a little wounded, like I’d hurt her feelings, but she quickly covered it, the bitch I knew returning.
“I doubt you know what rough is, little viper. You’re still too young and those men you let touch you aren’t like me. Pack your things. You’re coming home with me, regardless of what either of us wants.”
I left her there, thinking about how true my words were. She was young, younger even than Casey. At twenty-five, she was eleven years my junior. Her immaturity showed in everything she did, from her clubbing to her conceited need to have the attention on her all the time. Running my hand through my hair, I wondered how I was going to make this work without killing her. There was a high probability I would, and that was a risk, almost as much of a risk as trying to pull off the idea that I was in love with a woman I despised.
Chapter Two
ANGIE
Damn my brother for agreeing with my father. This idea of theirs was the worst. Tyson Raines. Even his name turned my stomach. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and stomped over to my closet, muttering curses at the bastard. The thought of having to live with him, to pretend we were something other than two people who hated each other, was enough to make me vomit.
