Page 87 of Unleashed

Trying the front door, it opens. It’d be weird for me to knock at my own supposed home. I smell Simone’s sugary-sweet perfume as if she was just here. God, I hope so.

Dr. Garrison stands in the dining room doorway, watching me with his hands on his hips. I’m glad to say that Simone looks nothing like the creep. Regrettably, she has Finn Wilder’s nose, lips, and penchant for doing stupid shit. So, she’s practically the female version of the dickwad. Talk about fucking with my head.

I say nothing to him because I don’t know which story Simone is using. Maybe she’ll tell him the truth. But even after everything tonight, I don’t want to stay with Amos.

As I remove my shoes, I notice Simone’s gold heels next to the closet. My night just got a thousand times more interesting.

Dr. Garrison’s judgmental stare weighs heavier on me than my damn car. “Simone said you drove a friend home. What’s her name?”

My eyebrows tug together as I head toward the staircase. “Harvey.”

I start up the stairs while he clears his throat. “Maybe you should leave my daughter alone.”

Stopping, and since I’m already pissed off, I sigh and glare at him. “You’re being real right now? In case you missed it, your daughter is my wife.” I struggle with calling her that still.

He motions to a chair. “Let’s chat.”

I laugh, since this is all bullshit. Hanging onto the banister, I jerk my thumb toward the second floor. “Rain check. I have other things I want to do. Preferably naked, but either way...” His face caves in, and I can’t stop the smirk on my face. But as I turn away from him, my frustration and irritation with Simone rage in my mind, making my hands shake and the blood rush into my ears.

Daddy Garrison mutters shit, but I reach upstairs and swing to the left to Simone’s room. Since numbnuts is downstairs listening, it’d be out of the norm for me to knock on this door. So I don’t. But when I open it, the room is dark, and the hall entryway light downstairs dusts the doorway. She’s probably in bed. So that she doesn’t squawk, I skip turning on the light as I shut the door. Inside, moonlight sprays the walls, and when my eyes adjust, I notice her empty bed.

I reach the vicinity of the light switch, but someone shoves my arm and knocks me off balance. I fall against the door, and a crazy blonde is in my face. Her hair glows like a halo, but she’s no goddamn angel. She digs her claws into my chest, and I grab her arms to pull her off me, but not really.

She whisper-seethes, “Did you get enough of that hussy?”

Even though I’m furious, I laugh. “That’s what my grandmother called my cousin Selma, who ran a brothel.”

Simone shoves me into the door as I lift from it, making the door rattle against my back. “I’m so fucking sick of you messing with me, Rodwell. You had to come back to Richmond. You had to screw up everything.”

I clench my jaw as my anger builds. “In case you forgot, I’m helping you. Still. But you’re too busy acting like a fucking brat. Grow the hell up.”

Simone’s eyes are road flares in the dark. “How I forget how much you drive me up the damn wall.”

“Get bent. You’re mad because I had a date.”

She lies, “No. I’m mad because you groped me and ran off to wave another pussy in my face. A date. That’s hysterical. You called your fuck buddy.”

“Gee whiz. This coming from my last buddy. I remember you claiming to be a hell of a lot more to me than that. FYI: We would’ve included you and made it a threesome if you had asked nicely.” Simone grits her teeth and turns her head from me, but I grab her chin. Her hands fly up to mine, trying to pry me off, but I win. I lick her palm, and she screeches. I let her hands fall but grab her wrists, and with my ass against the door, I lean closer. “How about when you opened your damn mouth about my past? In front of Hadley and Rhonda. Care to explain before I rip out your tongue and feed it to Amos’s French bitch?”

Simone fidgets with a frown before clearing her throat and looking at mine. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.” She seems apologetic. What a novelty.

“Uh-huh. Sure. You’re dying to tell Hadley.”

Simone shakes her head and glances at my face for two seconds before looking at my chest. “Why haven’t you told her? She’s...your best friend.” Simone’s voice falters, and her gaze drops to the floor as she mumbles, “Besides your mom, you probably love Hadley more than any other woman.”

“I guess you wouldn’t know.”

Simone whines and tries to yank her wrists from my hands, but my grip is rock solid, like other parts of me. She seethes, “Let go of me, Rod. Your new fuck buddy wouldn’t appreciate your hands on your ex.”

I shrug. “She’s pretty risqué. I bet she’d be into me fucking her in front of you. I know you’d love to watch me emptying my balls into another woman. Right? Maybe you’d deserve that after all you’ve done to me.” Why the hell did I say that? Christ, I’m digging myself deeper.

Simone jerks her hands, but she’s still unsuccessful, and we breathe hard over each other. I’m stuck between smothering her with a pillow and kissing her until we forget both of our hated names.

Downstairs, I hear her dad skulking around, and outside, car doors slam with people talking in the parking lot. Simone stares at my face until tears light up her eyes. Her voice cracks, whispering, “You’re being so mean to me. All over again.” Shit. Most of me don’t want a part two of making Simone cry, but then there’s a desperate, dark part that doesn’t give a fuck and wants it more than my next breath.

So that she doesn’t suck me into her game, I laugh. There’s no way she’d cry over losing Greg Rodwell. Her sorry attempt to be genuine edges toward pathetic. “Because I’m fucking done with you running your damn mouth and calling the shots in this warped game.”

Simone twists to avoid looking at me, but I feel her fury, which pales compared to mine. “You’re here, aren’t you? You commandeered the ship.” I see her roll her eyes at the wall, and I yank her closer to me.

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