House Rules (6 page)

I set the timer on my phone. No way would I budge on this. The sooner he was gone, the sooner I’d be able to shower, change, and start the process of forgetting this week ever happened.

With twelve seconds to spare, he emerged from the room, a duffel bag in hand. “I—”

“Don’t bother letting another word leave your lips. I never want to see you around here again.”

The corners of his mouth turned down. He stalked forward and wrapped his hand around my upper arm. “You listen to me. I’m only leaving right now to give you time to cool the fuck down. This isn’t over.
We
aren’t over.”

For the first time since meeting him, I worried about what Ray might do. “Let me go.” I try to yank my arm from his grip.

“No.” His head bent to kiss me, but I wasn’t letting the bastard touch me again. With my free hand, I reached into my purse that still hung from my shoulder and pulled out the pepper spray I always carried. I stomped on his foot once again, forcing him back and hit the button.

He screamed. The mist hit the side of his face, touching the corner of his eye. He grabbed his face and hunched over at the waist, the duffel bag forgotten on the floor.

“You fucking cunt.” His words were slightly muffled by his hands.

“I said, get the hell out of my apartment.”

He snarled, but picked up his bag with one hand and staggered through the door. Of course the sleazy asshole went running. I followed quickly, throwing the deadbolt across because he had a key and could come back at any time.

I grabbed my phone and called a locksmith to come and change the locks. I only had to worry about him coming back that night, and although I had a feeling he’d spend the night whining about his eye and drinking away the pain, it was a relief to know the locks would be changed by the time I got back from class tomorrow.

I sunk to the couch, the familiar softness the comfort I’d been looking for from the moment I’d opened my eyes this morning; something to settle my already frayed nerves. Without Ray’s share of the rent and utilities, I’d have to save even more money to make sure I had enough to pay the rent at the end of the month. But eating out less and making coffee at home would be worth it to have the little twerp gone. Besides, a roommate could help with all of that. There had to be someone on campus looking for a place. I could put notices up in the student union tomorrow.

I rested my head on the back of the couch and without any prompting or thought, my mind drifted back to the night before, my nipples tightening at the mere thought of the way Miller’s tongue had flicked against them, and how well his body molded to mine.

“Damn it.” I sat up and gave my head a brief shake, which only made it throb harder.

It wasn’t like I’d ever see him again. The sooner I got him out of my head, the better.

Forcing myself up, I trudged down the hall to the bathroom. No matter what the rest of the day might bring, I needed a shower.

Once the water warmed I climbed in, watching as the room slowly filled with steam. That didn’t stop me from standing there, my head under the water, doing nothing to clean my body because images of the night before danced across my eyelids. Of its own volition, my hand sank down my stomach to slip a finger between my folds. One flick of my fingertip and I couldn’t stop the soft moan that pushed past my lips.

But it wasn’t enough. Not now. I needed something . . . more. Using slow, rhythmic circles, I pushed my body further and further, until something snapped inside and the sweet feeling of release overcame me. Panting, I leaned against the shower wall, my mind wonderfully blank.

Hopefully, that was enough to start to help me forget about Miller Hawes.

CHAPTER 5

Miller

Something was off. Like I was reaching for a dream but just couldn’t get my mind to put it together.

Last night was the only time I’d ever let a woman stay in my bed. Most of the night I had dreams about her naked; of the two of us rolling around the sheets in the morning. Every inch of her curvy frame screamed for a good fucking—something I’d given her last night. This morning I wanted slow. I needed to take my time, savor every inch of her.

Stretching, I reached out for Tess but all my hand encountered were cold, empty sheets.

What the fuck?

My eyes snapped open to scan the room. Had she gone to use the bathroom or get a drink of water? There was no sign of her anywhere in the room. I jumped from the bed and ran downstairs, all without bothering to get dressed.

Everything was gone. Her dress, her purse, even the shoes she’d kicked off her feet while we’d sat on the couch talking. She’d snuck out of my bed in the middle of the night. What the hell was wrong with this woman?

For years, women had thrown themselves at my feet, begging for one night, hoping I’d let them stay through into the morning. Finally, I let a woman sleep in my bed, and she snuck out before I even woke up.

Whether it was anger, frustration, or something else I didn’t want to recognize, I ran back up the stairs to look for my phone. Maybe she’d left me a message.

But there was nothing, not even one missed call. I almost threw my phone across the room. That was the moment I realized I was acting like a moody adolescent. That shit had to stop. Tess, no matter how intriguing, was just another girl.

I dropped the phone on the counter and jumped in the shower, hoping to wash away all of the bullshit with a little soap and some hot water.

Once I finished drying off, I walked out to the bedroom to grab some clothes. I saw the flashing screen from the phone. Hoping to see a message from Tess, I snatched the phone up and unlocked the screen.

Dad: Breakfast?

Me: Sure. One hour?

Dad: Good.

I tossed the keys at my favorite valet the moment I stepped out of the car at my dad’s place. For some reason, he’d asked both Ashton and I to stop by on our way into work that morning. A meeting in his home office usually meant he wanted to talk business. The kind we only discussed where we knew there could be no way for anyone else to hear our conversation.

“Thanks, Garrett. I won’t be long.”

“No problem, Mr. Hawes. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

At least it gave me something else to focus on besides the sexy as fuck brunette who snuck out of my bed. The thought of it alone pissed me off. Not a great way to go into a meeting with Dad.

I nodded and went up to my parents’ place. The elevator ride gave me a chance to get my shit together before anyone noticed my mood, otherwise they would have a million questions, especially Mom. A whizz in the kitchen, it wasn’t a surprise to find her already making breakfast.

“Hey, Mom.” I stepped into the room and placed a kiss on her cheek.

She smiled. “Dad said you and your brother were coming, so I figured I’d make you something to eat. I know your brother will get a decent meal, but I worry about you.”

I laughed. She wasn’t kidding about that. My brother inherited all my mother’s culinary talents. Me on the other hand, not so much. “Thanks. It smells delicious.”

“Dad’s in his office. Go see what he wants and when you guys are done everything will be ready.”

“Ashton here yet?”

“He got here about ten minutes ago.”

“Then I better get in there. I’ll be back.” I winked and turned in the direction of my dad’s office.

Ashton sat on the couch, a steaming cup of coffee already in his hands. He gave me a smirk. “About time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Long night. Besides, I’m on time.” I took the seat next to him.

“Long night? How many did you fuck last night?” A mischievous smiled lifted the corners of his mouth. He knew exactly who I’d taken home last night, so what was he up to? And why did it matter to him if I slept with her?

Bastard. He had a sexy piece of ass in his bed every night, one he didn’t have to worry about kicking out before he went to bed. Annoyance that my bed was empty this morning flashed through me. “Very funny, asshole. You don’t have to kick your piece of ass out of your bed at night.”

His shoulders tensed. “Don’t fucking talk about Elena like that.”

Direct hit. Ashton always seemed to forget that I planned on getting the last word, no matter what he said. It had been that way since we were kids. You’d think he’d have learned not to bite by now.

“Knock it off, you two. I have more important shit to talk about than dealing with your juvenile pissing contest.”

Dad sat across from both of us and, duly chastised, we directed our attention to whatever he’d asked us to come over for.

“I know it’s early and you both have a ton of shit to do today, but your mother and I’ve been talking and have made some decisions.”

Ashton and I looked at each other then back at Dad. “What kind of decisions?” I asked.

We knew that Mom or Dad never did anything without the other’s say so, but something about this conversation felt different. The way he sat up straight in the chair instead of hunched over his desk, the slight twitch of his leg. Dad had never been nervous a day in his life.

He drew in a breath. “Mom and I have decided it’s time for me to start to step away from the business.”

“What?” The disbelief was clear in my voice. I thought it would be years before I ever heard those words leave my father’s mouth.

Ashton’s face fell. “You want us to take over even more?”

Dad’s attention turned to Ashton at the sound of frustration in his voice. “For you, no. I expect that you’ll continue to collect debts from our loans. It’s what you’re good at. This has more to do with Miller.”

His eyes moved to mine. “Over the next few months, we’re going to work on getting you fully invested into everything going on at the dealership. I know you understand how everything works, but we need to get you invested directly with all of our clients . . . so we don’t have a repeat of before.”

Ice settled in my stomach. Dad’s nerves made more sense now. After everything I’d done for the business, he was still afraid I’d fuck the whole thing up and end up in jail. “That’s bullshit, Dad,” I snapped. “I’ve never done anything to put us in jeopardy.”

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “Jesus Christ, Miller. Don’t be so fuckin’ naive. Your ass was safe only because you’d made enough contacts and had favors to call in to deal with your problem.”

“My problem? How the fuck was I supposed to know that crazy bitch planned on outing us?”

“If you’d do your goddamn homework when you meet someone, you wouldn’t have to worry about that shit.”

“I always check people out before I deal with them.”

“Maybe in business. But outside of that you’re too busy sticking your dick into any pussy that’s willing to open up and let you in.”

“Is that what you think happened? That I let the bitch into our lives because I was too lazy to check her out? Or was it that I didn’t care enough to bother?” My voice rose with each word and I shot up from my seat, anger sizzling through my veins. “’Cause I can say for damn sure I checked her out. She wasn’t some chick I planned on fucking for a few nights and never calling again.”

There it was. The reason I swore off relationships. I had no intention of letting a woman who could endanger everything I’d worked so hard for into my bed.

Ashton sighed and I looked down to see his head in his hands, his eyes never leaving the ground. “Dad, you can’t blame him for what she did. Miller’s not an idiot, he’d never do anything to jeopardize all you’ve built. Once he realized he’d made a mess, he took care of it.”

“I didn’t fucking make a mess,” I shouted, hoping like hell Mom stuck to ignoring anything she heard from the office. “When I figured out what she was doing I handled it, and made sure to send a very clear message to anyone thinking of trying that shit again.”

Dad slammed his hands down onto the desk, pulling himself up so his eyes were level with mine. “Exactly, and if you’d shut your mouth for a fuckin’ second you’d hear what I’m trying to tell you. Holy hell, Miller. You sure as shit know how to try my patience.” He ran a hand through his hair and pointed to the couch behind me. “Now sit your ass down and listen.”

My hands clenched into fists and I bit my tongue so hard I nearly drew blood as I slowly lowered myself down.

“Are you done with your shit so I can finish what I want to say?”

I gave him a slight nod. Dad hadn’t lost his temper yet. There was no use pushing him even further and starting a fight I’d lose in the end anyway. With my luck, he’d change his mind about turning everything over to me. That didn’t mean my blood pressure had returned to a normal level. I sat in silence, brooding, waiting for him to get to the point.

“Now that you’re done being a jackass, I want the rest of my clients to get to know you so they understand what’ll happen if they try and fuck with you. It needs to be made clear what happened to Hilary. You’re a fuckin’ Hawes, and they need to remember that when I’m not around.”

The tension leaked from my shoulders. Dad’s words went a long way to soothing my ego. Mom always said I needed to control my temper. I loved a good joke and laugh, but the moment someone questioned me it was like all rational thought fled and the only thing I could focus on was making sure that person understood how wrong they were.

“Don’t worry, they’ll remember it very well,” I said, leaving no room for doubt.

Dad came around the front of his desk and leaned against it. “I have no doubt they will.”

How could they not? If the people my father dealt with knew anything about the way I ran my own business then they’d know that I do not fuck around when it comes to people taking things from me.

After a few moments of silence, Dad stood and walked over to his office door. “You boys hungry? Smells like your mom made enough food to feed a small army.”

Ashton chuckled. “No different than usual, I see.”

Dad and I joined in the laughter. Now that the tension had fled the room, we were able to joke and laugh with one another. “I don’t know about the chef over there, but a home-cooked breakfast sounds way better than the Starbucks muffin I’d planned to grab on my way into the dealership.”