Page 26 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

“I’ve been told, ‘To assume is to make an ass out of you and me,’ to which I reply, ‘I don’t have to assume. I know you’re an ass.’ ”

—Miss Know It All

GABE WASN’T SURPRISED that Caroline was parked in the lone parking spot when he got home; he’d been counting on it. It gave him the perfect opening to discuss a few roommate conditions.

However, when he walked into the apartment and found it fully furnished and decorated, he stopped dead in his tracks. The living room had a gray sectional against one wall, separating the carpeted area from the tile of the dining room. Across from it was a cherry wood entertainment center, with his flat screen smack in the middle of it. He had brought his belongings over from his storage unit yesterday, but now, there was no sign that he even lived here. The walls held several gray paintings with splashes of red and yellow. Finally, a modern silver clock was hung above the end table.

The dining room was complete with a dark wood table and six chairs surrounding it. A gray table runner with black and red birds printed on it ran up the middle, the look finished by a black ceramic bowl filled with red apples. From there, the decorations spread into the kitchen.

The words “woman’s touch” flashed through his mind, and he clenched his fists. This was supposed to be their apartment, at least for now, and it looked like Martha Stewart had waved her magic wand and sprinkled the place with décor dust. There wasn’t one item, besides his TV, that said a man lived here.

Gabe marched down the hall, fully intent on giving Caroline hell for not consulting him, until he heard the shower going.

Don’t do it.

Against his better judgment, he pushed the bathroom door open, his fury boiling over at the flower-covered shower curtain and the shaggy pink rug in front of the tub.

“What the hell is this shit?”

His angry shout got the result he was looking for. Caroline grabbed the curtain and pulled it back just enough so that she could look at him with outrage.

“Get out of here, asshole!”

“I’m not going anywhere until you explain where you get off putting your shit everywhere without asking.”

“You are fucking insane! This is my apartment, was my apartment first, and it’s not like you had anything but a TV, your bed, and a funky old chair.”

“That doesn’t mean you can come in here and froufrou up the place without talking to me first.”

“Like I said, it was my apartment first, and since this is only temporary, you won’t have to go out and buy anything until you find somewhere else to live.”

He should have tried counting to ten or taking a walk, but the way she stood there, hiding behind the curtain, with only her smug little face visible . . . well, he lost his temper.

“You. Out,” Gabe said, pointing his finger at her.

He heard her loud sigh as she ducked back behind the curtain and shut the water off. Tough shit if she was annoyed. They were going to have it out—now. He wasn’t going to be her whipping boy, taking whatever she dished out. If she wanted to stay, she was going to have to learn to share.

The pink towel that had been hanging over the shower bar disappeared, and Gabe couldn’t stop his brain from imagining all the lush curves she was probably drying with it.

Little droplets of water clinging to her nipples . . .

What was it about this infuriating woman that reduced him to a twelve-year-old at the pool?

If certain parts of his body realized what a pain in the ass she was, he wouldn’t be having issues with the hard-on currently pressing against the front of his jeans.

When the curtain pushed back again, it revealed Caroline wrapped in the pink towel, her legs smooth and tan as she stepped out of the tub. Her dark hair hung around her shoulders, drops of water falling from the ends as she stood on the rug.

The pink, frilly chick rug.

Before he could say anything, she stepped up to him and pushed against his chest with one hand. “You cannot kick me out, and if you don’t hightail it out of this bathroom, I’ll show you how fast I can castrate a man with just some dental floss and a Bic razor.”

“Don’t threaten me, princess,” Gabe said, catching her hand against his chest.

“Oh, it’s not a threat. Believe me,” she said, her voice hushed and raw. “Barge in on me uninvited, and you’ll be peeing out of a straw.”

He had to give her credit. He was at least twice her height and weight, but she stood toe-to-toe with him without even a tremble.

“Maybe you should lock the door next time.”

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