Page 54 of Twisted Collide

When I’m around, he seems a little more relaxed. Okay, maybe not now, but that night in the vineyard.

He seemed so free, and if I can bring that out in him again . . .

“Seeing as I have no choice, give me your phone number,” Dane grunts out, and it reminds me I just got lost in my thoughts and wasn’t paying attention.

I lift my head and notice my father has left. It’s now just Dane and me, standing alone. This man needs to lighten up.

“You do have a choice,” I remind him. “You can have Coach call your sister and make her come home.”

“No. That’s not a choice,” he responds. “She deserves this time. I won’t mess it up for her.”

“Where is she anyway?” I ask.

He scowls as though I just asked the most intrusive question. “That’s none of your business.”

I take a step back; it feels like I was verbally slapped.

“Excuse me.” I place my hands on my hips, squaring my shoulders and stand a little bit taller. He doesn’t get to talk to me like that. “First of all, it is my business. It seems, in case you forgot, that I was just promoted to your personal assistant. Life manager, if you will.”

“You could never be my life manager.” His tone is unnecessarily cold.

“Fine,” I huff. “Personal assistant, whatever. But seeing as that is my new position for the next month until your sister returns, itis, in fact, my business to know where she is. In case you missed the part where your coach specifically told me to call her if I needed to.”

He cocks his head to the right. “That won’t happen.”

“You don’t get to decide that, Dane. Believe it or not, I might need to reach her.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

I lift my hand. “Listen, you might not like me—”

“I don’t care enough to like or dislike you.”

Ouch.

“Okay, but not the point.” My hand rubs at my chest, needing to shield me somehow.

“What is the point? Please get to it, as I have to start practice.”

I let out a long-drawn-out sigh. This man is infuriating. I can practically see why no one but his sister wants this job. If I weren’t hell-bent on making him thaw to me, I’d probably tell my father no as well. But I don’t like that he doesn’t like me. The truth is, I hate when people don’t. I recognize that I don’t always make it easy, but that’s because my wall is up to protect me. I have enough reasons to be on guard at all times.

When the people who are supposed to love you most in the world either act like you don’t exist or that you’re their biggest nuisance, it’s easy not to trust anyone.

The fact that he feels so strongly about me in a negative way has me spinning my wheels to change his tune.

It’s definitely not a well-thought-out plan because I’m also hopelessly attracted to this man and dream of his hands touching my body every day, but I figure I can knock both things off with one task.

Make him not hate me and convince him that the vineyards shouldn’t be a one-night thing.

I’m not looking for him to fall in love with me, but he’ll make living with my father and his wife tolerable for the next few months.

Also, I’d be lying if there wasn’t some appeal to the fact thatthis man is like a son to my father, and it feels like banging him again would be sticking it to my dad.

It will get him where it hurts.

Then I can go back to my life and not have to deal with him.

After I get the experience I need to land a job, that is.

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