Page 435 of Hell Hath No Fury
His forehead creases in confusion.
“The fuck are you talking about? I’m only saying that you better not have done anything that she didn’t want. I couldn’t give two shits about either Richfield sister. No matter how much my grandmother insists that I should court Sierra.”
My shoulders instantly relax at his admission.
“Oh, so that’s why Vera set you up with Sierra. She wants to shackle you to Asheville by getting you hitched with the baby Richfield of the family.”
“That’s not happening. I’m leaving this place the minute I graduate.”
“So you’ve said. Repeatedly.” I pretend to yawn. “You could do worse than Sierra.”
“If that’s true, then by that logic, you could do worse than Colleen.” He cocks a taunting brow.
“You might just be right about that.” I grin, eyeing the inside of the country club, my wandering eyes hoping to get a glimpse of her.
“I have no clue what that means,” he mutters frustratedly. “So, do I owe you a car or what?”
Just as he asks, my eyes land on the girl herself, dancing with some douche five years her senior.
“Come by my house tomorrow to grab the keys. The Impala is all yours. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a little dance I have to put a stop to.”
I leave a confused Price where he stands and rush inside, my feet leading me right to the middle of the dance floor. Colleen sees me before her dancing partner does, making me have to tap on his shoulder.
“Hamilton.” I smile at the fucker who thinks he can put his hands on my girl. “How about you let me cut in and take over for you? We all know dancing is a young man’s game.”
Crawford Hamilton stares at me with daggers in his eyes, but it’s Colleen that comes to his rescue.
“It’s quite alright, Crawford. I’m sure Sierra wouldn’t mind a dance,” she smiles at him a little too sweetly for my liking, her gaze going to our table where her sister is now sitting alone at.
Crawford’s eyes sparkle enthusiastically, showing that he would love nothing more than to dance with the girl Northside has claimed to be its prized jewel.
Idiots, the lot of them.
Colleen is the true prize.
Crawford takes his leave but not before he kisses Colleen’s knuckles. The minute he turns around, I chuckle at how she disgustedly wipes his slobber on the side of her dress. Without missing a beat, I grab her hand and slither my arm around her back, placing my hand right at her lower back.
“If you’re going to replace me this soon, I would have thought you’d pick someone our age. Isn’t Crawford too old for you?” I question, my thumb caressing her naked skin.
“Are you saying you can be replaced?” she counters instead of answering my question.
“I’m humble enough to believe that I could be, but just cocky enough to know it will always be a downgrade.”
“You really are something else, aren’t you?” she scoffs.
“You have no idea, princess. I’m a one-track-mind kind of guy.”
“And we all know what goes on in that mind of yours, don’t we?”
I chuckle.
“I was going to say don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, but you already have.” I then lean in, my lips inches away from her ear. “And we both know you more than liked it. You loved it.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she retorts, but she’s unable to hide the shiver that runs down her spine.
Unable to stop myself, I plant a kiss to the sliver of skin behind her ear before I meet her eyes.
“I'll catch you, Colleen,” I vow. “I’ve had you once. I’ll have you again.”
“I'll love to watch you try. All you’ll get from me is this dance, and then I’m done with you,” she croaks out, her melodic voice trembling the same desire bursting through my veins.
“One dance? Ah, sweetheart, we haven't even started dancing yet. This is just the beginning.”
It’s more than the beginning.
It’sourbeginning.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
THE END
