Page 15 of Tormented Bastard
Between the bill of his ballcap and the darkening of the sky overhead, it was hard to tell what his eyes were saying. Damn it. I could always read them—it was how I knew his moods. In Chase’s case, his eyes really were the window to his soul.
Even when his soul was empty.
“I…” He rubbed the back of his neck. Lifted his cap and wiped his brow before replacing it on his head. “You don’t have a place to stay tonight?”
“Oh, I have a place to stay. In Tallahassee. You know, back on the mainland I can’t get to.”
“Did you check the inns here?”
“Are you serious right now? Of course I did! How do you think I found out about your fortress out here? Odette, remember?”
I blew out a breath and tried to rein in my temper. As much as I wanted to blame him for my being stuck here, I could only lay part of it on him. If he’d let me tell him what I needed from him to begin with, I’d be gone. But if I hadn’t been so arrogant as to think getting on a plane with a tropical storm headed to my destination was a great idea or if that pop tart in California had been just the least bit responsible or if…
God, thewhat ifgame sucked.
“I checked both places, and they’re closed due to the storm.” My gaze wandered over to the large SUV I rented. It looked pretty sturdy, and surely it had seats that folded down.
“No way, Eden. There’s no way you can stay in a vehicle. With the wind and rain? You’re crazy.”
Had I said that aloud? It was disconcerting how well he knew me.
My hands landed on my hips, and I brought my chin up. “I can take care of myself. And unless you have a better solution, that’s what I’ll be doing.”
Before I could blink, Chase closed the gap between us and stood so close to me, our chests brushed. “You are not sleeping in your car. You’ll stay with me. End of story.”
I fell back a step, my jaw dropping. “With you? Ha, not a chance, buddy.”
He rolled his eyes, his frown deepening. “Look, I’m not happy about this either. But it’s the easiest and smartest thing to do. You’re already here. And when was the last time you went through a storm like this one? Besides, my house is big enough, we can have our own separate corners.”
“Why can’t I stay in the guest house?” I hitched my thumb toward it.
Chase sighed as though I were a wayward child. “Because it isn’t stocked for anyone to be there right now. My house manager is in North Carolina visiting family, and I didn’t have her prep it for guests.” One side of his mouth quirked up. “Not to mention, when the power goes out—and it will—you’ll be in the dark since I haven’t gotten around to getting a generator for it.”
I bit my lip and looked out past the house at the dark purple clouds gathering on the horizon. The storm mimicked the irrational rage pulsing through my veins. Not only did I not have a paddle for shit’s creek, I didn’t even have a boat.
At my prolonged silence, Chase tilted his head. “I’m surprised at you, Mitchell. You’d rather sleep in a car than in a huge house with me? You’d at least have all the creature comforts you’re used to in that fancy penthouse of yours. Besides, you’d have all kinds of time trying to get me to change my mind about being your speaker.”
“I don’t live in a fancy penthouse,” I muttered under my breath. God, he infuriated me—thinking he knew me when he had no clue as to who I was anymore.
Well, that and the fact that he still scrambled my brain cells and set my hormones to raging.
I growled and paced away from him. I had to get away from his heat and everything about him that spoke to my baser needs. Needs that I’d been neglecting just like everything else that wasn’t business related. Thank God for vibrators, but they couldn’t replace the weight of a man on me.
My shoulders sagged, and I lowered my chin to my chest. Damn it all to hell, he was right. There was no way I could stay in my car. It was not only stupid, but it would be uncomfortable. Only a fool would turn down the offer of a bed in a house that looked like it could fend off a category five hurricane without breaking a sweat. I’m sure Chase had outfitted it with everything one would need to hide out for days on an island. Including Internet which I desperately needed.
I crossed my arms and turned to face him. “Fine. I’ll stay here. But only if you put me in the guest room farthest from you. I don’t trust you.”
He smirked. “Lucky for you, I don’t trust you either. I know how you feel about all this.” He gestured to his chest.
Warmth spread through my core and radiated up until my cheeks burned. “Don’t flatter yourself, Hanover.” I paused, not sure how to proceed without being awkward. “Thank you.”
Chase shrugged a broad shoulder. “It’s not really a big deal to me, Eden. You’re the one making it out to be more than it is.”
Just when I thought he was being a stand-up guy, he goes and says shit like that. Chase, one. Eden’s ego, zero.
“Right,” I said, nodding. “Well, I need to get a few things. Is there a drug store or something in town?”
He started packing up his materials. “There’s a small pharmacy in town, but it doesn’t carry the fancy products I’m sure you’re used to.”
