Page 2 of Ruthless Beast

“I was just wondering if you were free for dinner.”

“Hey, gorgeous man!” Dannie yells out loud. “The answer is yes. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

“David says hi,” I say as she cackles and leaves the room.

“That girl is one fraction short of a whole number,” David laughs.

“And the horse it rode in on,” I add. “Anyway, I’d love to join you for dinner. Where are we going?”

“You decide. I’ll swing by at 6 p.m. and pick you up. Okay?”

“Great. See you then.”

David’s and my parents died suddenly when I was twelve and he was twenty. For the last twelve years, my older brother has been dad, mom, brother, best friend, bodyguard, guardian, and all the other things my parents aren’t able to be for me. I’m so proud of him.

David is handsome and very clever. He’s done well for himself when it comes to finances. And the most impressive part is that he did it all while raising his little sister like a boss.

It’s 5:55 p.m. when I hear his car engine’s telltale roar outside my apartment.

“I’ll see you later, Dannie!” I call out in the direction of her bedroom.

“Have fun!” she calls back. “Give my future husband a sloppy kiss on the cheek for me!”

“Will do!”

Dannie has a serious crush on David. They have a very playful relationship where he pretends it's annoying, and she embarrasses him at every opportunity. It’s cute.

“Hiya,” I say, jumping into the passenger side of the Mustang.

“Hey, Sis. You look lovely.”

“Thanks, Davy. Let’s make some girls jealous,” I giggle.

“You're not going to pretend you’re my hot girlfriend again, are you?”

“Of course I am. It’s the least I can do to pay you back for all those times you scared the crap out of my dates.”

“Hey, thanks to my vigilance, you were never disrespected, were you?”

“Yeah, yeah. I also never had a serious boyfriend until college, thanks to you. Moving on, what’s new with you?”

“Nothing much. I work too hard to get into any trouble. How’s school?”

“You mean university. I’m twenty-four just in case you missed it,” I smirk. “School is school. I’m looking forward to getting my last assignment in. It’s almost time to dust off the old tux, Bro. Your baby sister is graduating soon.”

“I can’t believe the time has gone by so fast. I’m super proud of you, Ems.”

“Thank you, David. I couldn’t have done it without you. I love you so much, you old stinker,” I smile and slap him playfully on the knee.

“Woah! Don’t get me all misty now. You’ll ruin my reputation as a tough guy.”

“Tough guy! Oh, please. You’re a softy, Mr. Thornton. And don't let them tell you anything different.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“I’m in the mood for Mexican.”

“Then Mexican you shall have, young lady.”

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