Page 9 of Perfect

“We’veestablishedfuck all,” he shouted, making me wince.

I exhaled noisily, feeling thoroughly offended, “I’m a hard worker actually.”

Connor pursed his lips and relaxed his death grip on the steering wheel. His long fingers caused my tummy to do that flip-flop thing again. My eyes took note of the scars there. Did all farmers have marks like that on their hands?

A car suddenly overtook us aggressively and Connor cursed sharply, swerving the wheel, and flipping the driver off in the other car. I sank lower into my seat. This was probably the worst car journey I hadeverexperienced.

Connor shook his head and for a second, I thought he would apologise for his reaction to the other driver, but he just cleared his throat and said, “What did you say?”

The boy needed his ears cleaned, I repeated with a tacked-on sentence I hadn’t said earlier, “I’m a hard worker. And I don’t need a free ride.”

“Oh, Iknowyou’re hard work, flower,” he assured me confidently, twisting my words. He was such a smug bastard and so arrogant. I longed to wipe that sexy sneer off his face. And calling me a flower? I felt more like a wilting weed.

Why the hell was I attracted to him when he was being such a dick? I twisted my fingers together in my lap to stop myself from strangling him. I shouldn’t give two shits really but my mouth just kept on moving.

“Don’t you think you’re being a tad judgemental? You should shine the light in your own corner when you’re talking about free rides. Isn’t it my father’s money that bought the farmandthe house you and your mother are living in? It appears I’m not the only one that’s sponging,” I bated nastily and instantly regretted it. Dad told me that Rachel had been forced to leave her husband with nothing and that he wasn’t a nice man.

Connor didn’t appreciate my comeback and his replycutinto me. With a roll of his eyes, he muttered a curse before blasting.

“You’re such a delusional child. I work twelve to fourteen-hour days at the farm. I pay my way;alwayshave done. We weren’t all born into the perfect privileged lifeand anyway, that’s a completely different fucking conversation,” he practically snarled.

Boy, he liked the word fuck.

“You’re so hateful. It’s a good thing you’re driving otherwise I’d slap you,” I threatened, my tone severely lacking any real strength. I’d never hit anyone in myentire life, but then again, I’d never met someone who had managed to generate this level of frustration within me.

“You could try,” he chuckled, flicking me a pitying look.

“Stop being a bastard to me?” I yelled.

The car swerved slightly as intense hostility poured into the cab. Connor’s hands tightened further on the steering wheel.

“I suggest you refrain from the name-calling. You certainly wouldn’t like some of the ones I have for you,” he practically snarled. I’d upset him but it didn’t make me feel better, if anything warning bells started to sound in my head. Had I gone too far?

Shuffling back into my seat, I pointed out in a quiet voice. “Well, you are. You’ve been nothing but a brute to me from day one.”

Connor exhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring.

“You haven’t seenanythingyet sunshine. I suggest you stop baiting me before I stop the car and show you just how much of a brute I can be.”

I felt a flare of heat thrum through my sex and pushed my legs closer together. The thought of Connor putting his hands on me, even in anger appeared to be turning me on. I was losing it, I had to be.

“You don’t scare me,” I croaked.

There was a three-beat silence.

“Such big words. How brave you are considering you’re probably the same weight as one of my legs.”

Reluctantly, my eyes skimmed over his powerful thighs and briefly took in the bulge in his jeans between his legs. OMG, was he hard or just naturally stacked? I almost swallowed my tongue at the seedy direction of my thoughts.

I clamped my lips together before I gave in to the instinct to push him further. I appeared to have opened up a wound with my bastard comment. A thick tense silence now sat between us and I bit my lip, warding off the ‘you started it’ comment that was dying to push itself out there.

I concentrated on my phone again, I needed to do something with my hands. I was breathtakingly aware of that muscled frame so close to my own. He really was a walking-talking temptation; although maybe strike the talking bit.

Connor continued to focus forward, watching the road before saying, “New phone. Latest model?”

“So?” I admitted bravely.

He really was a sod; the guy missednothing.Yes, it was the latest modelandthe most expensive, but I needed the one that would be the most reliable. That is what I had told myself at the time anyway. Plus, it was me, all my friendsexpectedme to have the best of everything.

---