Page 8 of Perfect

“If you say so,” he muttered, suddenly passive-aggressive. My stepbrother’s changeable behaviour was giving me whiplash but his scent still wrapped around my senses.

A cocktail of emotions swirled inside me, so I glanced through the side window at the passing countryside, wondering whether to challenge him.

I decided to bite the bullet. It was now or never. I was unsure about the adult way of going about it, but the air needed clearing. We were destined to have it out, whateveritwas, of course.

“Have I done something to offend you?”

"Nope," came his quick-fire response.

“So, if I haven't done anything to upset you, why are you so mean to me?” I could almost feel the grooves my frown was making on my forehead.

His dark eyes moved to mine fleetingly. “I’m not being mean to you; this is me; this is who I am—with people of a certain type, that is.”

He then smiled, not the type of smile that could go onto a dental poster or anything, more of a slight twitch of his mouth, but it was there.

My eyebrows shot sky-high as I gave his side profile a withering look.

“You have met me—like—once, and you think you know mytype?”

I snorted in disbelief. It certainly wasn’t a ladylike sound, but I was past caring.

Connor’s face continued to wear that weird smile.

“I, ‘like’ saw you coming, princess. And please don’t take that as a compliment.”

My eyes flickered with annoyance as he mimicked my ‘like’, but I ignored it.

“I wouldn’t dream of taking anythingyousaid as a compliment, and what the hell doesthatmean? You’re going to have to help me out because I don’t think we speak the same language. You have totally lost me.”

He hadn’t of course. Connor Barratt had made up his mind about me and whatever label he’d decided on, it wasn’t nice. No doubt it had something to do with the radio silence between my dad and me over the last few months, but it took two people to communicate and my father hadn’t exactly been that forthcoming either.

There was a beat of silence and I pulled out my iPhone as a distraction.

“I wasn’t speaking in fucking riddles. My point was that it’s amazing how quickly the tide turns when you want something.”

At first, I hadn’t a clue as to what he was referring to but then I thought about the iPhone in my hand. Daddy did order it to be sent by special delivery when I dropped my old one down the toilet. A twinge of guilt seeped into my conscience. I had fibbed to my father by saying I didn’t have enough of my allowance money left to replace it. But surely this boy wouldn’t know about that?

Sighing, I quickly re-pocketed the offending item with shaky hands.

“And what is it that I want Connor, since you know me so well; apparently.”

Connor continued his line of attack. “Unlimited access to daddy’s credit card I imagine.”

I swallowed, suddenly struggling to find my voice. The way he said ‘daddy’ was annoying. I never called my dad that now, not out loud anyway. Not after my friends at school had started to wind me up about it. Saying how it made me sound like a brat. Something I mostcertainlywasn’t.

Remaining silent, I stuck my chin in the air. Where did he get the nerve to speak to me like that? Connor Barratt was blatantly a judgemental rat and had already made up his mind about me.

“I don’tneedmoney for this trip, so why would I need his credit card? I am here purely to spend time with my father and relax. End of. How would I go shopping when there aren’t any shops?”

Connor snorted, “It’s the North, notfuckingspace. We still have shops and shit.”

I snickered, “Not the type I like to shop at.” What thehellwas I saying? Pretty much everything to reinforce his entitled little princess opinion of me it appeared. I so wasn’t myself. It’s like his comments were pushing me into playing that role.

“A rough farm boy like me could only imagine. And if you think you’re just going to sit on your arse all day, you can think again. Relax my arse. There are no free rides in farming. It’s not a place for useless people.”

His comment needled me. He spoke to me as if I was a fat lazy lump.

I exhaled sharply. “How can you say that? We’ve just established that you don’t know me,” I pointed out tightly.

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