“Of course, you can’t.”
There it was again. His damn judgment. I was done.
“You know you don’t know anything about me,” I began.
“I don’t and I’m not really interested in finding out more. Let’s just get through this. I’ll make steak. It should be up to your standards.”
I almost gave a snarky response because I had pride. But my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten in hours. I nodded and he opened the refrigerator. I glanced around because I hadn’t exactly noticed powerlines. Then again, I’d only seen the front of the cabin and rather quickly.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask but didn’t really want one of his judging answers.
With nothing else to do, I parked myself in front of the hearth with my legs bent and tucked close to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.
I thought about my grandmother and reached for my purse, which I’d taken out of my bag and set next to me. I grabbed my phone, only to realize when the screen lit up I had no signal.
“Yeah,” a deep voice rumbled.
I glanced over my shoulder to see the ruggedly good-looking man lording over me.
“About that.” He paused as if for dramatic effect. “Service is spotty.”
I couldn’t help the snarky “Of course, it is,” that left my mouth before I could stop it, throwing his words back at him.
“Sorry, Your Highness. We aren’t in Kansas anymore.”
Was he seriously making a Wizard of Oz reference? My grandmother loved that movie with Judy Garland. But I was more surprised a guy like him would even know the film or even the book.
“We didn’t exactly come from Kansas,” I snarkily replied. “Though Kansas would be quite the improvement.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked and I had to turn around to fight a grin. One point for me in this battle of wills.
“You’re free to leave and find better accommodations,” he said.
“Although you think I am, I’m not stupid. It’s getting dark and I would have no idea where to go. But trust me, if I did, I wouldn’t be here.”
Though I didn’t know why, the only thing I’d had against him was his apparent hatred of me. With nowhere to go, I marched closer to the fire to warm my hands. When I turned back to see him, his back was to me where he worked in the kitchen. Suddenly, a delicious smell filled the air as the sizzling sound of grilling meat added to it.
Silently, I cursed my mom for sending me to boarding school with those rich girls. Cooking was not a class that had been offered. In the back of my head, his judgment of my ineptness chipped away at the armor that hid my insecurities.
The hole that formed allowed that hurt of Tripp’s rejection of me to sting the back of my eyes with unshed tears. I’d been so happy when he asked me out and treated me like a lady, unlike all the jealous women’s claims that had come before me. I thought a few months meant maybe he wanted more. He had, just not with me. I’d made so many mistakes when trying to cling onto the remnants of what we had. I’d embarrassed myself in front of him, our coworkers, and the woman he’d fallen in love with.
I wiped at nonexistent tears as my grip on the phone tightened as I wished I could talk to my grandmother. She had a way of making me feel worthy of anything, including her love. She told me that Tripp was a fool for not seeing what a catch I was. She’d made me believe it.
With that, I got angry with myself. I was done mourning the loss of a man that was never mine.
“Dinner is served,” he announced.
I exhaled and got to my feet, prepared to be gracious to get through the night. Hopefully in the morning, the weather would be clear, and I could get to New York and my gran. I would be free of this man and all the reminders he brought with him.
“Looks good,” I said with a smile plastered to my face like I was a mad clown.
At least that was how it felt.
“Tastes good too,” he said while shoving a cut of meat into his mouth.
Get ahold of yourself, Jolene, I told myself. He wasn’t the last man on earth as he’d claimed, thank goodness. He was gorgeous, but an asshole and I had to remember that.
My knife slid like butter through the expensive cut of meat. Better yet, it tasted like heaven. If my eyes were closed, I could imagine that I was in a fancy restaurant.
“Better than sex?” he asked, shattering my fantasy.
I opened my eyes to glare at the man.
He shrugged. “Your eyes were closed, and you were moaning.”
Talk about jaw-opening words, I thought as mine hung open. Had I really been moaning?
“I wasn’t moaning,” I said, to wipe the smirk off his face.
“You were. Probably just means you haven’t had sex with the right man. Not that I don’t make a mean steak.”
I closed my eyes again, trying to gather strength. The gall of this man was testing the bounds of my good manners. Gran would totally approve of me slapping him.
“You have no idea about my sex life, and will never know.”
His dark chuckle caused a visceral reaction. I got to my feet. “Thank you for a lovely dinner, but I’m not very hungry,” I said, almost convincing myself of the lie as my stomach protested.
I hadn’t gotten a taste of the golden mashed potatoes and asparagus I had no idea how he’d cooked in such a short time. Maybe they were leftovers? I really didn’t know and didn’t want to care.
With as much respect as I could muster, I asked as pleasantly as I could, “Is it possible I could wash up?”
He glanced up at me mid-movement with his fork stuck in my steak in the process of transferring to his plate.
His shoulders lifted in what was becoming an automatic shrug. “No point of wasting food.” When I said nothing, he added, “You can. With the weather as it is, we are on reserve, and what water will be available will be freezing cold. You can use the metal buckets to bring water out to warm by the fire.”
The smirk he sported was a slapable offense, but I contained my rage. He expected me to say something like I didn’t know how or ask for his help. He was wrong this time. I could do this. I wasn’t the princess he thought me to be. Okay, maybe I was in ways. But I would prove him wrong.
I ignored the fierce growls rumbling from my stomach as I made my way back to the bathroom with its glorious clawfoot tub. It’s so deep, I knew I could sink into it. But then I glanced at the buckets tucked in the corner and guessed it would take numerous trips with both buckets to fill it. Likely by the time I filled it once and warmed the next round, the water left in the tub would cool.
I bit back a frustrated scream and resolved to enjoy what I could with two buckets of water. I wasn’t exactly a workout guru. Lifting two buckets would have my veins bulging through my skin. But I was determined to walk through the living room like I was carrying air.
Apparently, I didn’t do a good job as a chuckle escaped the damnable man as I passed him lounging on the sofa with his feet propped up.
“Let me help,” he said, his voice full of amusement.
“No, I’ve got this,” I managed to say with only a few wavering words as I set the buckets down near the fire.
“As you wish, Highness.”
What to do next? The way he was sprawled across the sofa didn’t leave me much room to join him from the glance I had. I refused to look his way. Instead, I thought about which toiletries I needed from my bag.
“Do you need a guided tour?” he asked, while I floundered at what to do next.
“No.” Though I’d been firm, I hadn’t exactly yelled the word.
As he cleared his throat, ready for another barb, I spun on my heels and left the room on the hunt for my things as his laughter spilled out.
On my way, I peeked into an open door and noticed my bag on a bed in a small bedroom. He must have moved it from the bathroom at some point. I went inside and paced, needing calm.
Was this a game to him? Had he lied about heating the water? I bet I�
�d be the butt of every joke he told going forward.
Two could play that game. I left the room and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. Then I stripped. I may not have been the beauty of the year, but my body was banging if all the hoots and hollers I got walking to the beach just yesterday was any indication.
He would bite his tongue when I walked into the living room, towel secured around me when I retrieved the water. Let him choke on his words as he wished he hadn’t been such a dickhead to me. Not that I would have slept with him. But the idea that his tune would change once I walked into the room fueled my steps.
Though his back was to me, he heard me coming and said, “Do you need any—”
His words choked off as I stepped into view. The towel wasn’t big. It barely covered my lady parts, but that was the point, wasn’t it? Then stupidly, I thought about what I was doing. I didn’t know this man and I was alone with him. Teasing probably wasn’t the smartest move. My steps faltered when I noticed the buckets weren’t where I left them.
They now hung from what looked like a large skewer not quite in the hearth, but close enough for the flames to lick the bottom edge on one side.
“Let me help you with that.”
A rustle of fabric and then he was behind me, heat engulfing me from both sides. I crossed my arms just under my chest as big hands moved into view as he lifted the skewer off the bars that held it up. I made the mistake of following the line from his hands to his powerful arms that flexed with ripped muscles. Damn, the man was sex on a stick.
Then he was standing there with the buckets of water, making no move to carry them for me. Fine. I reminded myself he was no gentleman. I uncrossed my arms before reaching out to take the buckets. For a second, I felt the towel give, then hold. A sigh escaped me as I once again held the heavy water. Who knew it would be like holding a barbell a heavy weightlifter would use?
The struggle was real, but I did my damnedest not to show it.
As I rounded the corner, I again felt the towel giving way. I raised one arm without regard to the heaviness of the bucket to save myself from my stupidity and giving the asshat one second of a show. Water sloshed across the front of me, leaving me wet and mortified, but I managed to save the towel from falling.
“Let me help.” His honeyed voice was like a caress as he came into view. But he wasn’t there to unburden me from the leaded buckets. His hand moved up to the towel as he began to retuck it, his fingers sliding against my wet skin.
I couldn’t tell if the heat in my cheeks was from embarrassment or the mortifying rage that bubbled beneath my skin. I’d had a choice between telling him to keep his hands to himself or letting him see me naked.
“Thanks,” I spat with all the vehemence I could manage given the curses I wanted to hurl at him.
“You’re welcome,” he said, one side of his mouth curled into a knowing smile.
As I walked away, dripping with water, pleading with whatever was holy that I wouldn’t slip, the arrogant bastard couldn’t stop himself from saying one more thing.
“I imagine you paid a lot of money for that body and would want it seen.”
I might have tasted blood as I bit my tongue, killing him with silence. He didn’t deserve anything I had to say.
Six
Grant
I’d nearly swallowed my tongue when Jolene walked into the room practically naked except for a towel until I caught myself. Never again. I’d played this game before and I wouldn’t again. Beautiful women like herself were used to getting what they wanted, dragging a man around by some invisible leash.
Sophia had done that. I’d treated her with kindness and respect while she led me on with promises of what her daddy and his associates could do for me. That hadn’t mattered at first. She was gorgeous. Her financial status hadn’t mattered to me until she used it like a collar to treat me like a pet.
When I finally realized what she was doing and stopped being Mr. Nice Guy, her tune changed. Next thing I knew, I had an interview and soon after a job. Dad thought it was cheating, but I’d earned it. My pilot skills were undisputed. I needed an in, and I used the advantage offered to me after I’d cut her loose. Good riddance and never again.
So when Jolene sauntered in flaunting herself like I should beg, I’d snapped and said something I shouldn’t have. The flicker of hurt I caught from her profile before she slammed the bathroom door made me feel like a grade A ass.
Before I could try to apologize, my two-way radio beeped.
“Are you there, boy?” the crackling voice said.
I moved further in the room so I wouldn’t be overheard. But then music floated out of the bathroom and I guessed she played it from her phone.
“I’m here,” I answered.
“How is she?”
A pissed off hellcat, I imagined but said, “She’s alive. I cooked her dinner and she’s taking a bath.”
I didn’t mention that I’d made her carry the water herself. I sighed and closed my eyes, knowing that I probably fucked this up. She was likely going to give a not so nice review of her trip to the man that was paying her way.
It made me cringe thinking about how some man old enough to be her father deserved a body like that beneath him every night.
“Good. You treat her right. I need the business.”
“I know,” I said, knowing it was far too late to make things right.
“Storm’s not going to let up for another day or two. You be good up there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stay safe, I thought as the connection ended. I hadn’t been able to ask the old man if he was okay. If he’d lost power. I shuddered at the thought. He might treat me like the nine-year-old boy I’d been, but he was all I had.
I swallowed down my resentment of Sophia. Jolene reminded me of her in ways I didn’t want to think about. She wasn’t Sophia, and I needed to remember that. I sighed and went to the fridge, setting the radio on the counter. I took the plate of food she hadn’t eaten and set it on the wood-burning stovetop to warm, leaving foil covering it.
As I made a pallet, I acknowledged the real reason why I hated the rich. My parents.
My father walked away from prominence and wealth to live his dream and marry my mother. My mother left him for her dream, wealth and prominence. For the longest time, I’d hated him for her leaving. Time and maturity made me hate her for choosing money over me. All of which left me wondering how I’d allowed myself to get involved with Sophia in the first place. Then again, she’d seemed different. Boy, how wrong I’d been.
When I was done, I knocked on the bathroom door.
After no answer, I said, “Look, we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. I shouldn’t have said what I said. What you do is your business.” Not mine, I said to myself.
“That’s an understatement,” she spat.
I nearly chewed my molars to dust as I managed to say, “It gets cold at night, especially with a storm like this. I made a pallet for you by the fire.”
“Wow, you have a heart,” she said with no mistake of her contempt of me.
I almost walked away, knowing I deserved it. “Oh, I left your plate warming on the stove in case you get hungry. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”
“Trust me, I won’t need anything else. But thanks.”
She sounded as if she could barely speak that last bit and I did us both a favor and walked away.
My father was going to skewer me when he realized what a dick I’d been, even though she hadn’t exactly been a princess either. Knowing him, he might use this against me to find a way to get me to stay in the business instead of finally flying on my own.
I was in my room when the door opened. From my vantage point, I had an unobstructed view of the striking woman as she exited the bathroom with her hair piled on top of her head.
She wore my thermals. Even though they swallowed her, they didn’t hide the slope of curves from her breasts to her ass. In an instant, I was hard. I blamed it on th
e lack of female attention I’d had in the last several months. I’d been allergic to women since Sophia. She’d left a bad taste in my mouth. I’d been solely focused on my career.
“You can keep your sexist comments to yourself,” she said, after noticing my eyes on her.
“Sexist? I’m pro-sex.” I couldn’t help the cheeky grin I gave her.
“You’re a pig,” she snapped.
“I consider myself more of a Thoroughbred.” I gave her a wink to spur on her anger. Damn, if she wasn’t cute when she’s pissed off.
“More like a jackass.”
I shrugged. “They’re both pretty hung.”
“Does everything you say have to be about sex?”
“Only when we’re talking about the facts.”
“Ugh,” she groaned and stormed off.
Truth be told, I’d been here licking my wounds. I’d given Dad all my time, knowing that was coming to an end. Living atop a mountain wasn’t exactly a hot spot for women. Dating women at the bottom of it wasn’t an option either.
Clinestown was a small town by anyone’s standards. Everyone knew each other’s business and a casual relationship wasn’t possible. Knowing that I’d be moving somewhere else as a base once I’d earned my captain’s stripes kept me away. Last thing my father needed was to also deal with any fallout from me hooking up with a single girl from high school still looking for a husband.
As I moved to the door, I closed it instead of going through it. She may be hot, but I didn’t intend on getting burned. She was some rich man’s candy and totally off-limits. In a week’s time, I’d be in New York sitting in the co-pilot’s chair. I could celebrate that win at a bar in the city. There were bound to be plenty of single women around to celebrate with me.
I lay back on my bed and folded my hands behind my head with a smile on my face. Funny enough, it wasn’t because of the promise of hooking up with a random woman.
No. My dream was finally coming true. I would be at the helm of a big metal bird in the sky. I also knew it wouldn’t take me long to earn my pilot’s stripes.
Arrogant Savior: A Hero Club Novel Page 3