Page 104 of Unleashed

Chapter 14

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“CHEERIOS? THAT’S ALL?” I check every cabinet but only find one kind of cereal in Simone’s kitchen. I scratch my bare stomach as I grab the box and set it on the counter. A gray-haired man appears behind me as I turn to get a bowl. I swear I jump out of my skin and feel bad for teasing Hadley and my mother when I sneak up on them. “Christ! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Dr. Garrison clears his throat as he assesses my morning look. “Where are your clothes, Mr. Rodwell?”

“Good morning to you.” I find a bowl and frown at him since he’s judging me. “On the floor in our bedroom.” I look down at my boxers. “I’m decent. What’s the problem?” Not that I enjoy being shirtless in front of Simone’s dad. But it’s not like he’ll beat me in a beauty pageant.

“Oh, nothing at all. You’re only parading half-naked in front of your wife’s father.”

I nod. “That’s right. You’re my FIL.” I shrug. I didn’t think of that. “Huh.”

“Your what?”

I narrow my eyes and speak like I do to Patrice. “Father-in-law. Okay? It’s not a secret code. Dang.” Dr. Garrison’s frown deepens, and I turn to open the fridge, amused. It doesn’t take much, though. Skim milk? Jesus, Harry, and Jonas. Watery milk. My favorite. Is Simone on a health kick? She has nothing good to eat here. She and Vaughn had better food in Durham. He obviously doesn’t care about his looks.

“Well, you’ll have to pardon me, as I’m out of sorts this morning.” Hell. He talks like Vaughn but is twice as annoying. Awesome. I need to find something to do to avoid him. One snooty garden gnome is one too many for me.

I pour cereal and milk and glare at the bowlful of floating assholes mooning me. “Why is that? Is the sun too bright in your room? Are the birds chirping too loud?” Small talk sucks.

I pick a spoon from the dish rack as he folds his arms across his chest, reminding me of most of my grade school teachers. “No, but I had to endure hours of listening to you having intercourse with my daughter.” Damn it.

I laugh, and I can’t even help it. “Oh. Uh, we were only talking.”

“No, you most certainly were not.”

I crunch into a spoonful and nod as I consider my reply. “Well, it was her first time doing anal. It was bound to get loud.”

His face reddens, but this guy isn’t welcome here more than me. I have some leeway. “Excuse me, Mr. Rodwell, but do not talk to me that way. I expect some decorum.” This dickhead is skating on thin ice because I’m about to dump my bowl of assholes over his cigarette-ash gray hair.

I snort. “You came to the wrong place, then.”

“My daughter wasn’t raised to be as uncivilized.”

“I guess you don’t know my wife.”

“How did she pick you out of anyone else to marry? This makes little sense to me. You’re not her type.”

“How would you know? We have a lot in common.”

“Like?”

“We’re both firecrackers. We love to laugh. We’re children of doctors.”

“Really? What field of medicine are your parents?”

“Psychologists.”

“Not psychiatrists?”

“That matters?”

“Psychologists have doctorates. Not medical degrees.”

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