CHAPTER 15
THERESA

Holy hell, my head hurt. It was pounding against my skull as my eyes forced themselves open. I looked over at the clock and saw it was almost lunchtime.

I’d slept that long.

A furious pounding came at the door, and I groaned. Who in the world was trying to knock down my damn door? I knew it wasn’t Ike. Ike would’ve used his key to storm in here and up to the room. And Grant wouldn’t have the balls to knock on my door like that. He didn’t have a reason to be pissed. He was the one who had turned me down.

But Hollis?

Shit. It was probably Hollis.

I slid out of bed and grabbed my robe, tying it off around my waist. I smoothed my hair back from my face. The pounding was relentless and only added to the anger I was feeling inside. The thing was practically shaking on its hinges when I opened the door in his face.

“What?” I asked.

He held out a set of keys and dropped them into my hand.

“I got your fucking car back home. Grant said I needed to bring it by,” he said.

“Want a tip?” I asked.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? What were you thinking last night?” Hollis asked me, anger and worry plain on his face.

“I was thinking ‘gee! I’m having such a good time! Why are these assholes ruining it for me?’”

“You could’ve been raped.”

“Save the spiel. Grant gave it to me last night,” I said.

“And he’s fucking right. What the hell was wrong with you two? How irresponsible are you and Jane going to be all the time?”

“All the time? Irresponsible? For your information, Hollis, I’ve fallen in line with everything everyone has ever expected from me. From Dad wanting me to go to college and major in Business to help him out all the way down to playing the perfect little sister so you don’t have to feel the need to police my every fucking second of existence. And do you know what that makes the two of you?”

“What?” Hollis seethed.

“Just like Ike,” I said.

“Don’t you dare go there. We’re looking out for you.”

“And I’m a big fucking girl, Hollis. And if I want to put on a tight dress and throw back drinks and bring a guy home to fuck into oblivion, then that’s my call. Not yours.”

“Was that your intent?” Hollis asked. “Was that Jane’s intent, too?”

“Not my fault you didn’t screw her when you had the chance. She’s moved on and you should, too. You don’t get to come here, bang down my door, irritate my hangover, tout about how I’m irresponsible when all you do is work, drink, and fuck. Why is that so inappropriate for me but not for you?”

“Because you’re my little sister, damn it! I want better for you.”

“Then listen to me, big brother, because I’m only saying it one last time. I’m a fucking adult. And you, and Dad, and Ike, and Grant? None of you has a say in what I do. Not anymore. Your coaching and manipulation and constant whining when I step out of line made me a hunched-over secretary at Dad’s business, but I don’t want that life. I haven’t for a long time. And if you don’t want to fall in line with my self-discovery, then get the hell out of my way.”

Hollis’ eyes were wide, and his nostrils were flaring. I slammed the door in his face and locked the deadbolt. He slammed his fists against the barrier between us and I jumped as my splitting headache grew into an unadulterated migraine. I felt sick to my stomach. I walked over to the window and watched as he got into the police cruiser his partner was driving.

Of course, Grant would tell my damn brother to bring my fucking car home. Which meant he probably told Hollis I was too drunk or some shit to even get myself in bed. Who the hell did he think he was? He had no right talking to my brother about any of this shit. I was shaking with anger as I stormed back down the hall and stripped off my clothes.

I needed a damn shower.

I cleaned myself up and popped some migraine medication before I got dressed in a comfy pair of jeans and a shirt with my hair piled up behind my head. Grant wasn’t going to descend into town, fuck me, then fuck up my life. Of all the people in my life, I had thought that he would be better than that. That he would be the one to see me for who I really was.

I was an adult, and he would treat me like one.

I grabbed my car keys and drove myself out to Hollis’ house. If Grant were still in town, then it would just be him at the house, which was a good thing, because the two of us needed to fucking talk. I skidded into the driveway and stormed up to the front door and furiously knocked on it until the door opened.

And of course, Grant was standing there in nothing but a pair of fucking shorts.

“Of course, you’re practically naked,” I said. “Do you ever wear clothes?”

Before he could come up with some clever answer, I jumped right into it. “Why are you still here?” I asked.

“I’m not following.”

“Why the hell are you still in town when you’ve got a business to supposedly run?”

His eyes connected with mine and I couldn’t read what was dancing behind them.

“Because at this moment, it seems like your only purpose is to make my life harder,” I said.

“How am I making your life harder?” Grant asked.

“You come into town, and you fuck me senseless, then you push me away when I know you wanted me as much as I wanted you. You claim to be my protector when all you’re doing is ruining my fun and when a moment happens between the two of us you reject me. You already have. Twice. Is that your goal?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a goddamn minute. I rejected you? You were the one who called that night a mistake, not me, remember? And as far as last night, you were drunk and there’s no way in hell I would take advantage of you in that state. I thought you knew me better than that,” Grant said, his voice rising slightly.

“I apologized for calling it a mistake!” I practically screamed at him. “It wasn’t a mistake, okay? And as for last night, I knew exactly what I was doing! I asked you to stay and you turned around and left without even saying a word. I don’t need a goddamn protector, Grant!”

“Yes, you fucking do!” he yelled in return. “If I hadn’t have stepped in when I did at the bar, you would be singing a different fucking tune this morning, little girl.”

“I am not a little girl!” I screamed. “If you don’t want me, just admit it instead of acting like some fucking saint for protecting me.”

I poked his chest with my finger to sink my point in deep, and his eyes fell to the connection. I was seeing red. Dripping with an anger I couldn't abate. I was shaking. Seething on my brother’s front porch as Grant’s eyes slowly crawled back up to mine. There was a darkness in them that caused me to falter and chipped away at the strength in my bones. I felt my resolve melting with each passing second as his eyes continued to take me in and he stepped out onto the porch.

His muscles glistened in the sunlight, and my eyes fell to his chest and the tattoos that covered the bulging muscles. Damn it, why did he have to look so good? I felt my anger being slowly replaced by desire. A slow flame licked in my belly, and my nerves were on high alert.

I felt his hand grasp my chin, and he jerked my gaze up to his. I gasped as our eyes connected and I saw an animalistic fire behind them. My insides sparked at his touch and my pussy flooded with warmth.

“Is that what you think?” Grant asked.

“What?”

“You think I don’t want you? Because I didn’t have my way with you while you were drunk?”

I couldn't back down.

Not now.

“Yes,” I said. “That’s exactly what I think.”

His fingers tightened around my chin, and he took a step back. His other hand reached out for my arm, pulling my body into the house. He spun me around, and I tripped over myself as the front door slammed closed. His arm slipped around my waist, and he pulled my lips to his, crashing us together as my hands clung to him, wrapped around his back and dug into his rippling muscles as his tongue shoved its way in.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Oh, yes.