Page 12 of 2204 Hunter Lane
I walked around the side of the car to meet him, fishing for my wallet in my back pocket. “How much do I owe you?”
He looked up at me in confusion, furrowing his brows. “Huh?”
“The car,” I took out two twenties and a couple of ones. “I don’t have a lot right now but I can drive to the bank to get the rest of it and –”
“I’m goin’ to stop you right there.” He said, placing a hand out in front of him.
I swallowed back my words as he took a step towards me, his tall frame towering over mine with intimidation.
“This isn’t tit for tat. I’m doin’ my family a favour cause they felt like they needed to help you. The second I take your money, it means I owe you a service. And I can assure you, sweetheart, your service is the last thing I owe.”
His cold words sliced me in half, freezing me in place as he went about organizing his tools as if I was a ghost he couldn’t see.
In the marketing industry, you meet a lot of players whose sole purpose is to rise to the top. My parents were the harshest, most critical people I’d ever known. My brother introduced me to some of the most foul personalities on Wall Street and yet, I’d never met someone as rude as the man standing before me.
I must’ve stood with a gaping mouth for five minutes before I finally took in a breath. “What the fuck is your problem?”
He paid me no mind as he grumbled in response. “Don’t got one.”
I crossed my arms in frustration, watching him completely disregard my presence as he wiped away oil residue from wrenches and screwdrivers and whatever the hell else.
Before I could open my mouth, he waved a dismissive hand at me and stole a glance. “Darlin’, I had a long night and I’m really not in the mood. So if you’re going to argue with someone, head down the road, pop onto fourth street, and beef with a homeless woman named Dolly. She loves to start fights. Even better at keepin’ up with ‘em.”
It was then that I noticed a small, plum bruise on the side of his neck. As my vision focused on it, I realized it wasn’t a bruise at all. It was a freakin’ hickey.Ha-ha, long night indeed. Asshole.
“I’m sure jeopardizing society as a drunk driver constitutes as a long night, but that’s entirely your own reckless behaviour and you have no right to take it out on me. You don’t even fucking know me.”
He dropped a tool down onto the table and let out a sarcastic laugh, throwing a look of daggers my way.
“Don’t I, though?” He inched forward, his chest rising with each heavy breath. “Let me take a wild guess. Big city rich girl, fell for the wrong guy, doesn’t know how to deal with her problems cause mommy and daddy aren’t around to solve them no more.”
I -“Stop.” My heart hammered in my chest, leaving me breathless with anger.
“Now how the hell you ended up in Nebraska is beyond me, but truthfully, I could give less of a fuck.” He closed his distance, clenching his jaw as his eyes scanned my face.
“I fixed your car. Now run along Bambi, back to the land of rainbows and happy endings.”
My fingernails dug so deep into my palm I winced in pain. But it was good. I needed a distraction from my anger. I needed to feel something that wasn’t the predatory urge to rip his head off and feed it to alligators.
The gall on this man. I couldn’t grasp how someone so disrespectful lived in the same space as Payton. She was so kind and nurturing and Dex, as scary as he was, just seemed like a protective father. No bad blood there, just doing his duties.
But this grade A asshole was a walking, talking, piece of shit. And I was not about to let him win. I’d dealt with so many horrible men in the past, and I was done tolerating it.
Screw that. If Hunter wanted me to go so bad, he was in for a rude awakening. Because I heard Payton was in desperate need of a creative eye to help her with her business, and I think I knew just the person.
Like I said, what is left to lose?
Chapter Six
Hunter
After Bambi stomped off into the house, I felt like I could finally fucking breathe.
Christ, that girl had only been around for twelve hours and she already gave me the biggest damn migraine of the 21stcentury.
Yeah, I was being a dick. A mega one at that. But I was right in saying that she owed me nothing, and I owed her even less.
I wasn’t raised in no sugar cookie land, surrounded by wealth and opportunity like her. Where you could walk up and down the sidewalk of a Hollywood town and get scouted by some cad movie producer. Nah, that wasn’t my life and I’m fucking glad for it.
