Publication date: February 15th 2023
Genres: Adult, Paranormal,
“I’m not going to stay locked up in that house forever,
Corbyn,” she stated firmly.
He actually snarled at her. Like she’d seen Breton do to
Shayd her first night back. To her surprise, it did nothing but heighten the
lust still churning wildly in her gut.
“Do you have any idea the things that went through my head
when your brother called, scared to death to find you gone?” he demanded.
Okay. That snuffed the lust like a lid slamming down on a
flame. Reyna swallowed hard, but she wasn’t about to back down.
“I know how to handle myself,” she stated stubbornly. “I’m
from Chicago—”
“This isn’t the same, Reyna, and you know it,” he cut her
off viciously.
“How am I supposed to know anything?” she shot back. “No one
will talk to me. You all keep your mouths shut, expecting Serena and me to just
follow orders without question yet never give us a reason why. I’m not going to
stop, Corbyn. I haven’t answered to anyone in over seven years. I’m certainly
not going to start now. So, if you’re going to sit there and tell me that I’m
going to be treated like a damn prisoner, I will pack my things today and be
done with it.”
Corbyn tensed, his gaze boring into hers as if he wanted
nothing more than to call her bluff. But Reyna wasn’t bluffing. He gripped the
steering wheel with both hands and glowered out the windshield. His knuckles
whitened before he grabbed the gear shift and put it in first. Just as quickly,
he changed his mind and put it back into neutral, spinning on her.
“Dammit, Reyna, there’s got to be a compromise here,
somewhere.”
Crap, really?
“What kind of compromise?” she asked suspiciously.
“No sneaking out at five in the morning for starters,” he
stated heatedly, obviously needing to highlight that little tidbit first.
“I like to jog.”
He didn’t budge.
She rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Fine, I’ll wait until
after breakfast, happy?”
“No. Sneaking. Out. Period,” he reiterated. “Tell someone.
You’ll also be exchanging numbers with everyone today, and start carrying your
phone with you at all times.”
Reasonable. It’s reasonable.
There’s no need to throw a tantrum.
“Is that all?” she ground out.
“Hardly,” he answered. “Starting today, we will be taking
turns staying with you, Serena, and Justin until we feel it’s safe enough not
to.”
“And how is that not making us feel like prisoners, again?”
Reyna balked.
Forget tantrum; she was going to deck him right in that
perfectly sculpted jaw!
“It’s going to happen whether you like it or not,” he
informed her. “We can’t focus on what needs to be done if we’re worried about
the three of you. Even you pointed that out yesterday while avoiding the real
subject.”
Reyna fumed. Damn him for turning her words against her and
knowing why she’d used them.
“Sounds to me like your idea of compromising is all one-sided,”
she pointed out heatedly. “I have things to do. Can I go now?”
The automatic locks engaged as he continued staring at her.
“You’re on vacation—”
“Not anymore,” she cut him off. “My boss is expecting me
downtown this morning, and I have to go unless I want to lose my job—which I
don’t.”
“Then, Breton will take you,” Corbyn replied, his tone
strained as if he were holding back a completely different reply. “And pick you
up when you’re finished.”
Reyna’s jaw dropped as she glared holes into his profile.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Very,” he deadpanned, though his tone was somewhat calmer.
He looked at her, his eyes roaming her freely again rather
than trying to penetrate her bones.
“Won’t that leave Serena and Justin alone?”
“No,” he answered, leveling her with a stern look. “You’re
not going to win this argument, Reyna. There’s no way in hell we’re leaving
anything to chance, not with those who matter most to us. Now, get over here.”
She scoffed. As if.
“Please?” he added gently.
It took Reyna about ten seconds to reluctantly scoot across
the bench seat, leaving a good arm’s length between them because it appeared he
wasn’t going to drive anywhere until she did. If Corbyn thought she was done
with her side of their little compromising barter, though, he was in for a big
surprise.
Reyna inhaled sharply when he hooked his arm around her
waist, lifted her, and set her down across his lap. With her feet facing the
passenger door across the bench seat, her back was cradled in the crook of
Corbyn’s left arm, though he still clutched the steering wheel.
Desire unraveled in Reyna’s veins, starting in her toes and
working up to the roots of her hair. Every inch of her was once again
hyper-aware of every inch of him, and she fought hard to keep her composure
intact.
“Do you really think distance keeps you safe, falleg?”
Corbyn asked softly, tugging her ponytail out from between the back of her head
and his shoulder.
Fawk…what?
“Did you just call me fugly?” she snapped.
“Not even close,” he replied. “Answer the question, Reyna.
I’m on to your evasion tactics.”
Well, aren’t we clever?
- $25 Amazon gift card
Thank you so much for sharing this today! 😊
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