“No.” I grunt and make my way to the kitchen for a much-needed glass of wine. “Try again.”
She laughs, watching as I fill my wine glass to the rim and tilt it back. “Jensen does have that ability when it comes to women, it seems.”
“Tell me about it.” I take a huge gulp, followed by another. “I don’t think I can rent from him, Veronica. He’s driving me mad.”
“Then don’t.” She smiles when I turn to face her. “Buy from him. You said you have money saved up.”
My eyes must widen to the size of saucers, because she laughs and reaches for my glass to refill it. “Is that an option?”
She nods and hands the glass back to me. “He gave us the option when we first moved in, but it just wasn’t the right time for us. We plan to change that soon though. I believe all he requires is that you rent from him for six months before giving you the option to buy.”
I smile and bring the glass to my lips. “Six months is doable. It’ll be a struggle to not want to kill him every month, but I think I can handle it.”
“Good.” She pours herself a glass, before taking a sip. “Looks like Douglas can screw off. Surely, buying your own place will be enough to show him you’re moving on. This is a great idea and it’s even greater because the house you’re buying is right next door to moi.”
“Exactly.” I make my way to the front door and step outside to look at the property next door. “And maybe it’s possible to make a few changes to his renovation plans before he gets too far. What do you think?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. Hell no. Not a good idea. He doesn’t like anyone questioning his designs. Even if he does plan to sell in six months, it’s his property right now, and he takes a lot of pride in designing each one.”
“Yeah…” I turn away from the house next door and smile at my friend. “But it will be mine.”
I’m not afraid to fight for what I want, and I plan to show him just that.
CAMI WILL NEVER ADMIT IT, but she was relieved when I showed up at the school and put a face to the voice for Douglas. I saw the way her shoulders lowered as if a weight had been lifted when all hope of him getting a second chance drained from Douglas’ face.
I bet she spent the entire school day avoiding him, afraid of looking him the eyes in fear of giving into his bullshit apologies and promises of never hurting her again.
Me being there was the distraction she needed to get away without thinking too much and getting lost in her own confusion. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but I did her a favor she’ll be thanking me for later.
As soon as I turn the corner, I notice Cami sitting in front of the house waiting on me. I made it my purpose to show up at the house late, just because I knew it would get under Cami’s skin. For some reason, the idea of her wanting to strangle me makes my dick happy, and that’s something to look forward to.
When she looks at me with ice-cold eyes like she wants to rip me apart limb by limb, I imagine her doing that very thing with my clothes, taking her frustration out on me in the bedroom. The sexy, dirty-mouthed teacher. So many tempting fantasies…
I love that she makes no attempt to conceal her hatred for me, unlike everyone else in this town.
“You’re late,” she seethes from the porch step, surrounded by papers she’s most likely grading. “I’ve been waiting for over an hour. What makes you think I don’t have things to do on a Monday evening? I don’t have time to sit around and wait for you to show up.”
Ignoring her question, I walk past her and unlock the door to let myself inside. I’m afraid that if we argue right now I won’t be able to stop myself from slamming her against the house to show her who’s in charge here.
She has no idea how much it turns me on that she can take my controlling and overbearing personality and dish it right back. I’ve been on edge since seeing her at the school with Douglas, so one wrong word from her mouth is going to either have me fucking her or continuing with the show she missed the other night.
It takes her a few minutes to gather her papers before she joins me in the house and slams the stack down onto the kitchen island. “Seriously? You can’t even apologize for making me wait? My time is valuable just like yours.”
I set my helmet down and grab a beer, twisting the cap off before I make eye contact with her. “Why should I apologize? Did you fucking apologize for making me wait the other day?”
“Well… no, but—”
“Exactly, Teach. So, don’t expect an apology when you aren’t willing to give them out yourself.”
Her face reddens with anger, and from the way her cute little nose flares out, it’s clear she’s holding back. “There are a few things I’d like to discuss before I sign the contract. Can we just get to it, so I can get some work done?”
I flex my jaw and lean against the island. I’m not sure whether it angers me or I find it cute that she thinks she’s the one in control here. “There’s nothing to discuss. You sign the contract and that’s it. End of story.”
She takes a step closer and swallows, as if she’s nervous. I can see why considering what happened the last time we were in this kitchen.
“I’ve changed my mind,” she spits out as if it was a struggle to say. “There’s one big change I want. Huge, actually.”
I lick my lips and grip my beer, watching her watch me as I bring it to my lips and take a swig. “Is that right?”
“Yes.” She nods and swallows again, her eyes bouncing from my lips to my eyes. “I want to rent-to-own. Veronica said you gave them the option and I want it too. It’s the perfect time in my life to settle down and do something for myself.”
I shake my head, because truthfully, I wasn’t planning to sell any more properties. I like owning shit. The money is good. I like for things to be mine. She’s about to learn that real quick if she keeps pushing me. “No. That option is no longer available.” I take another quick swig, watching for her reaction. “And I’ve changed my mind too.”
Her mouth drops open in disbelief, before her perfect, plump lips turn into a scowl. “You’re not going to rent to me at all now? Why? Because I want the option to buy from you? That’s bullshit.”
“I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth.” I push away from the island and walk over to stand in front of her, holding my bottle to my side. “Help me fix the place up and then I’ll let you sign the contract. It’s simple as that.”
She narrows her eyes at me and stands tall. “Is that even legal? You can’t just force someone to do something for you in order for them to qualify as one of your renters.”
She’s right. Legally, I can’t. But I know if she wants the place bad enough she will.
“I can do whatever the fuck I want to, Cami. You know why?” I move in close, wanting her to hear every fucking word as clearly as possible. “Because I own this property, along with a shit ton more, so you won’t be finding another place anytime soon without going through me. Now, let’s get to work, because school is out for the day and we both know you’re done grading those papers. You only brought them as a distraction to use as an excuse to get away from me.”
I back away, keeping my gaze locked on her shock-filled face, before turning away to grab a second beer from the fridge.
“Are you serious? You want me to help you with labor before signing the contract first?” she questions tensely. “Wow. I didn’t think it was possible for you to become an even bigger asshole, but you’ve proven me wrong. You want my help. Fine. You’ll get it.” She takes off down the hall and stops to reach for the gallon of paint that’s sitting in front of the bathroom.
I have that there, because I chose that color specifically for the fucking bathroom, and I’m pretty sure she’s smart enough to figure that out. “What are you doing with that?”
“Painting. What else do you do with paint?” she responds calmly, before disappearing into the guest room.
“The fuck you are.” I drop my tools and rush to my feet. By the t
ime I make it to her, she already has the paint poured into the extra tray and is just about to wet the roller brush.
I cross my arms and watch her roll it in the thick Wolf Gray paint, curious to see if she’s actually brave enough to go through with it. “Did you miss me painting this room the other day when you were spying on me through the window like some perverted, sex-deprived housewife?”
“Nope.” She stands up and rolls the brush up the center of the wall. “And I wasn’t spying, jackass. I refuse to have this discussion again, because clearly you don’t listen to the words that come out of my mouth no matter how distinctly I annunciate them.”
I grab her arm and stop her from rolling it back up. “Go paint the bathroom.” My voice is firm, and usually that’s enough to scare the shit out of anyone else.
Not Cami Reynolds.
She looks up at me, her angry breath hitting my neck. “Why would I paint the bathroom? Do I need to make it any clearer than I already have that I’m painting this room? The one we’re standing in right now.”
Aggravation takes over and I grab the brush from her and toss it across the room, not giving a shit about the mess it’s going to make. She doesn’t have a chance to say anything before I press her against the wall—right where she just painted—and block her in with my hard body. “This is my fucking house, Cami. I make all the decisions. Don’t push me. This room is staying white.”
“White is not even a color! It’s too plain.” She stares me right in the face as she speaks, her green eyes harsh and unwavering. “If you want me to help, then maybe you should let me choose which color I want my guest room since I’ll be the one living here. Oh, and by the way, you owe me a new dress.”
My breathing picks up as I match her hard stare. No one challenges me, and I’ve discovered since I met Cami that I fucking love a good challenge. “You’ll only be the one living here if I let you sign the contract. Let’s not forget that small but very important detail.”
She pushes my chest to put some space between us. “You’re so infuriating, but I’m sure you’re used to hearing that.”
“More times than I can count.” I back away from Cami to grab the paint roller. There’s gray paint splattered all over the carpet, so I make a mental note to add replacing the carpet to the growing list of things she’s going to help me with before signing the contract.
If she would’ve listened to me to begin with this mess never would’ve happened. “You really don’t care, do you?” she questions when I hand her the roller.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but yeah, most likely not.”
I get ready to walk away, but stop at the sound of her voice. “I’ve never met someone that enjoys being hated as much as you. Leads me to believe there’s a reason behind it.”
Her words gut me. “Just paint,” I say stiffly. “Gray will work.”
I knew she was right the moment the paint roller hit the white wall, but I don’t give anything up without a fight. It’s too easy, and I don’t like easy. Never have.
Especially when it comes to women, and every single one of them in this town seem to be just that when it comes to me. Again. Not Cami Reynolds.
“Wait,” she says when I go to walk away. “This room is huge. You’re not going to help me?” She doesn’t wait for me to respond before she grabs a brush and hands it to me. “You can do the trim since you have way more experience than I do.”
I look down at the brush in my hand and let out a silent laugh. This woman really is something else. “I’ll be back. Start without me.”
She watches me shove the brush into my back pocket. I can feel her eyes boring into the back of my neck as I exit the room. The look on her face is sour as hell, but I have a feeling that will change any second.
When I come back a minute later with a glass of wine in my hand, she tries to hold back a smile as she reaches for it. “You had wine just sitting around?”
“Nope. I picked it up today between jobs.” I keep my attention on the wall, focusing on not screwing up around the trim. “I figured you’d need it.”
She’s silent long enough to take a huge, and probably much needed—because of me—gulp of the red wine. “You’re completely right. I hope you grabbed a big bottle. Actually, scratch that. A huge one. Because of you my phone has been blowing up all evening.”
“Is little Douglas jealous you’re fucking another man?”
“I’m not,” she says quickly.
“No.” I turn away to wet the brush, my eyes landing on hers. “But you will be.”
WE’VE BEEN PAINTING FOR NEARLY thirty minutes now and his response still has my insides heated with desire for a man I don’t even like. In fact, being around him is nothing short of painful. The two glasses of wine I’ve had doesn’t help that situation much either. They seem to have gone straight to my vagina.
He’s been looking at me as if he knows this. As if he’s confident we’ll indeed be sleeping together before we’re done fixing this place up.
I don’t think so, jerk.
I can’t take the silence anymore; not if we’re going to be alone together, because the more his trap stays shut the more physically attractive he becomes. He needs to talk to remind me not to do anything stupid.
“Why do you want me here when it seems what you really want is to be alone?” I ask, breaking the silence. “Do you want me to be miserable with you? Because if so, it’s working.”
He smirks but doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he dips his brush into the paint and gets right back to work as if I don’t even exist.
“Okay, you know what? Don’t answer that. I already know the answer.” I stop painting to take a drink of my wine and look around the room. Any distraction from my current thoughts is needed at the moment. “This is much better. I can already picture my white desk and futon in here. All I need are a few bookshelves and it’ll be perfect. I can kick back with a glass of wine or two and grade some papers before relaxing with a book to finish the night off. How long before it’ll be ready again?”
“Three weeks,” he mutters, as if annoyed that I’m talking.
The excitement of having my own place is finally kicking in now that I can imagine myself being here. I’m not going to let Jensen’s permanent sour mood ruin it for me either.
“I’m thinking maybe an ice blue for the master bedroom. I could go and pick out the paint and some bedroom furniture tomorrow after work. Maybe Veronica can help me paint so you can work on other things and we can get done quicker.”
“No.”
I look across the room to see Jensen staring at me, his jaw tight. “Why not? It’d be much better than the two of us having to work in the same room. Clearly, we can’t stand each other, so why suffer if we don’t have to?”
“Because I said so. Now, can we go back to working in silence?”
No. I think I’m in the mood to talk. Or maybe I just don’t want to give him the satisfaction of getting what he wants. He’s used to that, and if I’m going to be stuck here helping then he’s going to be stuck listening to me talk. Maybe it will make him change his mind about Veronica helping out.
“Did you grow up here in Highland? My parents lived here a bit when I was a kid, but we moved a lot due to my father’s job. I came back when I turned twenty but ended up finding a nice affordable apartment in Jamestown.”
“Yes,” he says stiffly. “No more questions.”
“I need more wine.” I grab my empty glass and walk to the kitchen to get away from Jensen for a minute or two, or five. I don’t know. I just need to not see or smell him right now. He’s incredibly gorgeous and his scent has my mouth watering. Or maybe it’s the wine. I don’t know.
A few moments later, Jensen joins me in the kitchen to grab a fresh beer from the fridge. With his icy blue eyes on me, he unscrews the top and brings the bottle to his mouth.
Why is he so sexy with a beer between his lips?
“What’s the deal with you not being able
to have a decent conversation?” I pour myself another glass of wine and look up, waiting for his answer. “Is it that painful to get to know someone?”
“I work in silence. I always have, and that’s not going to change just because I have a partner that can’t stop talking.” He tilts his beer back again, and just like before, I find myself staring at his sexy mouth. “Besides, if I have to listen to your sassy mouth for one more second I’m going to put mine in places that’ll make you scream. So you should probably stop fucking talking.”
“Ha! You’re delusional to think I’d let you.” I slam my wine glass down and narrow my eyes at him. “I’m only here because you’re forcing me to be, not because I want to. I don’t like your mouth when it’s in the same room, nor do I want it on or anywhere near me. Get that through your arrogant head.”
He watches me grab my glass and down the rest of my wine before he comes at me and grabs it from my hand.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he sets the glass aside. “I’m going to need that back unless you expect me to drink straight from the bottle.”
He tilts his head and grips my waist, lifting me onto the counter just like the last time we were alone. My heart speeds up with excitement I didn’t expect to feel. Not again.
“What you’ve been wanting me to do since the last time I had you in this fucking position. And don’t try to deny it, because your body was proof that you wanted me to taste you.”
“You don’t know shit about my—”
His hand skims up my leg and I make the mistake of letting out a quiet moan of pleasure. He uses that as an invitation, because he has my panties on the ground and my legs spread wide open for his viewing before I can stop him.
“No more talking.” He lets out a deep growl, before moving his tongue along my bare thigh. My head is screaming for me to push him away, but my body is buzzing with need, and it’s winning at the moment.
Once he reaches my pussy, he bites down right beside it, causing me to squirm and grab onto his hair for support.
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