Page 9 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

Did she finally come to her senses and escape from under her old man’s thumb, or did something else send her running back here?

“It’s not like I had much of a choice.” I gritted my teeth and stepped into the kitchen. I needed a drink.

I thought maybe she would take pity on me and leave, but then I heard her footsteps come up from behind. “This isn’t easy for me either, you know.”

I grabbed my beer and slammed the door. I spun around to face her. My kitchen suddenly felt small. Her presence took up way more space than it should have.

“We need to set some boundaries.”

“Okay.” She leaned against the counter in her big, fancy white dress. I wasn’t even sure how she fit that thing throughthe door. Her hair was messy, her makeup was smudged, but she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

No matter how much I tried to fight it, my traitorous body reacted to her. I tightened my jaw and reminded myself why she was there.

I popped the cap off my beer. “We’re not going to rehash the past. What’s done is done. My bedroom and my office are off-limits. You can stick to the guestroom and the common areas. Don’t expect me to hang out and keep you company. You can stay tonight, but you will have to find someplace else to go tomorrow.”

Her lips were pursed in anger. She was annoyed. “I get it, Brooks. You’re still pissed at me. You have every right to be, but let’s skip the part where you keep trying to intimidate me with your rules.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Intimidate you? I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and mistake my kindness for anything more than basic human decency. That’s all this is.”

She pinned me with a look that could set off car alarms. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here to pick up where we left off.”

Her sass was pushing my buttons.

“Good, because that won’t be happening.”

“Agreed. So, are you done trying to scare me away?”

My lips flattened as she continued staring at me. “That depends. Do you agree to the rules?”

She folded her arms and tapped her fancy heels against my floor. “Yes, Brooks. I’ll stay out of your room, keep to myself, and pretend we are strangers. But don’t think for one minute that I’m going to walk on eggshells around you. You can act tough and demanding all you want, but I’m not afraid of you.”

I took a sip of my beer. “I’m not asking you to tiptoe around me. I’m asking you to follow a few simple rules, so we don’t end up killing each other.”

She gave me a slow, deliberate stare like she was sizing me up. “I don’t want to fight with you. So, I’ll agree to your stupid rules. I’ll stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine. Anything else, Your Highness?”

I cocked my head to the side. “Yeah, try not to breathe too loud, either.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She gave me a mock salute. “Are you done acting cold-hearted now? Are we finished?”

“I think that’s all for tonight.” I took a sip of my beer and stared at her like she was my enemy.

I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I didn’t mean to treat her like a pest, but I was mad at myself. I was pissed that I still cared after all this time. Annoyed that I even let her walk through my door in the first place.

I wanted her gone.

“Great.” She pushed herself off the counter. “Any chance you’ll feel generous enough and let me borrow something to sleep in?” She gestured down at her dress.

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Didn’t think of packing an overnight bag before bolting from the church?”

She shifted from one foot to the other as if she couldn’t wait to get away from me. “Very funny.”

I pushed off the counter and headed toward my bedroom. I opened my closet and rummaged through my clothes. Nothing was going to fit her, so I grabbed the first thing I could find.

I walked back into the kitchen. She was sitting on the floor. White lace was everywhere. Diesel was sprawled out on her lap.It was quite the sight.

“This is all I could find, so you better not complain,” I said, tossing the clothes on the counter.

She stood up, walked over, and picked up the flannel and sweatpants. “Thank you.”

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