Page 18 of Prince of Tides
I grunted. It was nothing. In fact, I’d had fun with it. The things I usually fought were nameless, facelessevil. Taking Eric down a peg was way better because he was a real person, and I could see the humiliation building in him at the ease with which I’d dispatched him.
Sure, it wasn’t a fair fight. But he was an asshole, so who cared.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked. “Put in a good word with Winston? A day off, anything like that?”
I laughed. None of that would do a thing for me since I didn’t actually work for her father.
“Um, not like that,” I said, struck by sudden inspiration. “Though there’s something you could maybe do, but it’s a lot to ask.”
“What’s that?” she said, looking eager.
“Well, this is a little awkward, but could you give me a ride back to the city?” I asked with a shrug.
Chapter Eleven
Laurie
Drive him to the city? I hesitated, wondering if that was such a good idea. I didn’t really know him, and he was an employee. As much as I tried to be kind and polite to them, I also wasn’t in the habit of making friends with them or breaking the barriers.
On the other hand, there was something about him that was different. Something I justclickedwith.
I glanced past him through the French doors to the room I’d planned to share with my fiancé. Hurriedly, I pulled off the ring, remembering I still wore it. Looking at it, I almost hurled it off the balcony. But that would just make more work for one of the grounds crew, so I instead pocketed it.
“Yeah, I can do that,” I said. “I could use the drive, too.”
“It will probably do you good to get out of here for a bit,” Rip agreed.
I could only nod. He had no idea how right he was. While I’d told my father the truth, and he’d immediately backed me up as a father should, that didn’t mean it was over. Iwasgoing to hear about it, and I just wasn’t ready to face the bell ringing of “I told you sos” that would come my way.
So, yes, getting out and just driving would be a welcome distraction from the current ongoing adventures in my head.
I blinked back some tears that came unbidden as the pain of Eric’s betrayal sank home all over again.
“Are you okay?” Rip asked. “I can find my own way back. It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
I shook my head. “No, really, I want to get out of here.”
Rip didn’t look convinced.
“I’ll be fine. Come on, my car’s parked in the garage out back,” I said, reaching for the door.
Rip got there first, however, and pulled it open, gesturing for me to go through. “Ladies first,” he rumbled, flashing me a grin that hit me a lot harder than it should have.
I thought back to the wave of heat that had rolled up my hand and arm when I’d touched his chest. I’d never experienced anything quite like it. It had been so strong I couldn’t ignore it. Nor could I forget how it had spread through my body, turning me on despite the gravity of the situation.
My clit still tingled with the aftershocks, even if the rest of me had calmed since. But right then and there, I was burning with desire for the white-haired, green-eyed specimen of a man. What was more, I was fairly sure he’d felt it, too. His entire body had gone rigid thesecondmy fingers touched him.
You’re imagining things. Making it up. Don’t dwell on it.
We walked in silence through the house, and I thanked my lucky stars when we didn’t see any family members or other staff. Whether they’d been given instructions to avoid me or by sheer happenstance, I didn’t know, but I was happy about it.
“If you want to talk,” Rip said as we took the hallway to the garage, “I’m here. I can listen.”
I shook my head, though I smiled up at him, doing my best not to get lost in his eyes. Considering how dangerously easy that proved to be, I made a mental note to definitely not make much eye contact while driving.
“Thank you for the offer,” I said, snatching my keys from the rack where we hung them all up. “Truthfully, though, I really don’t want to air out my dirty laundry. It’s just … I don’t like doing that. You’ve already done way more than I could have asked, and I do appreciate that a lot.”
“Just doing what anyone would do for you,” he rumbled, an incomprehensible look flashing through his eyes, gone before I could truly decipher it.
