Chapter 8

On Friday morning, I hurried around town, trying to get to the hardware store. They were the only supplier around here for the cleaning products Brittany and I liked to use, and I hadn’t noticed that we’d run out of floor cleaner—until I’d started looking for it halfway through our first house of the morning.

Having to bail in the middle of a job wasn’t pleasant, and if I didn’t haul ass, Brittany was going to wind up doing the lion’s share of the work by herself. Darn it. I should’ve done inventory yesterday instead of spending the afternoon on the lake.

On the other hand, we’d had a blast tubing with Scott and it’d been worth a tiny touch of stress this morning. Hurrying across the sidewalk, I yelped when a huge blue pick-up truck barreled out of nowhere and nearly ran me over.

Leaping back, I glared hotly up at them, cursing under my breath. “Freaking tourists never paying attention to the crosswalk!”

My heart was racing and my cheeks were flushed. My hand flew to my chest and my lips parted. Wow. That was a close call!

A scowl tightened my features. My eyes adjusted to the glint of sunlight off the windshield and I finally managed to get a good look at my would-be murderer. When our eyes locked, recognition rippled through me and I groaned. My heart skipped before it started thudding against my ribs at the sight of those intense green eyes burning into mine.

“Seriously?” I muttered. How do I keep running into this guy, and why is it always on such bad terms?

Captain Intimidation scowled right back at me, another cutting glare coming my way as he opened his window and stuck his head out. “Watch where you’re going!”

I scoffed. My eyes widened and my fingers curled into fists at my side. The nerve of this guy.

“It’s a crosswalk, dude!” I yelled right back at him, not afraid to get loud when I had to. “I don’t know where you’re from, but you’re the one who should’ve been watching out. You could’ve turned me into roadkill.”

I planted my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes as I lifted my chin. The man was impossible. First, he’d refused to accept my apology graciously the other day, and now, it seemed he was allergic to offering one of his own.

Most people would’ve just said they were sorry and gone on their merry ways, but not this guy. As if he hadn’t even heard the part where I’d told him it was a crosswalk, those strong features of his remained impassive and he didn’t say anything at all.

I rolled my eyes, so over his silent, haughty arrogance. I didn’t even care that this was only our second encounter. He was already getting to me, him and his superior attitude and that cutting glare that said he thought he was better than me.

To be honest, he probably was better than me—financially, anyway—but I definitely won in the humanity and politeness category.

This time, he’d been in the wrong, and yet, there wasn’t even a hint of remorse on his handsome face. Being hotter than the surface of the sun didn’t give him the right to ignore the rules of the road. If I had been someone else, perhaps even a child, this could’ve ended in disaster.

Bet he wouldn’t have been so fucking arrogant about it then.

Standing my ground, I met those gorgeous green eyes and stared into them intently. “I’m not moving until you apologize.”

In my periphery, I suddenly noticed that there was a passenger in the truck and I almost did a double-take when I realized it was a kid. A kid who inched forward and rolled his eyes at Captain Intimidation. He muttered something, but I obviously couldn’t hear what it was.

The man shook his head, then broke eye contact with me for a moment as he unbuckled himself and opened his door. The kid sighed, the rising and falling of his chest a dead giveaway. I stole a closer look at him, noticing the similarities between the two and coming to the conclusion that the kid had to be his son.

They had the same dark hair. The same attractive, downturned eye shape. The same straight-as-an-arrow nose and high cheekbones. Add a bit of scruff to the kid’s jaw and a few years to his face, and I’d have thought they were twins.

If they weren’t father and son, then they had to be related some other way but they clearly came from a family who had been blessed by the gene fairy. The kid was going to be a stunner when he got older, but right now, he looked exactly like what he was—a disgruntled, irritated child who wished he could be anywhere else in the world.

Meanwhile, his father had climbed out of the truck and was coming around the hood of it. The man moved in a smooth, almost graceful way, one stride flowing seamlessly into the next. He didn’t look at the ground once. Didn’t seem worried that he’d trip or step in a hole. Like he expected the universe to literally pave the way ahead of him, making it as smooth as glass without a single obstacle in his way.

I nearly snorted out loud at the thought. At least that means he’s not only an arrogant ass to me. He even expects the damn stars to align for him in his everyday life.

“Move,” he said, his voice once again a quiet command that made the hairs on my arms threaten to rise.

I didn’t know if it was because of attraction or annoyance, though. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t moving. I didn’t obey the orders of men—no matter how hot they were.

By now, the incident—and the truck currently blocking a lane of Main Street—had attracted a bit of an audience. Most of them, I recognized as locals and they were chuckling, knowing me for these kinds of antics.

They knew I wouldn’t back down. I was quick to apologize if I was in the wrong and I expected the same from other people.

Even big-city bastards who thought they owned the whole world and everyone in it.

It also didn’t matter that I was so intrigued by this guy and where he was staying. Right was right and wrong was wrong.

Slowly crossing my arms over my chest, I shrugged and met his gaze without wavering. “I’m not moving until you say those two little words. I’m. Sorry.”

He ran his fingers through his thick dark hair, exasperation flaring to life behind those eyes as he scoffed at me. I frowned, cocking my head as I studied him and realized that he wasn’t about to back down either.

“Why is it so hard to just say it?” I asked. “You’re the one who messed up. Not me. It’s easy. Quick. We could’ve been done here already, so just say it and then we can both move on with our days.”

His teeth were clenched, the column of his elegant throat moving as he swallowed something. Probably a string of curse words.

“Maybe you could just forgive me and take the stick out of your ass,” he suggested, those eyes never leaving mine. “You did run into a road, after all. Crosswalk or not, it’s advisable to look left and right before you cross, no?”

I laughed with my head tipped back and my hands on my hips. “Fat chance, buddy. I didn’t do anything wrong, yet you chose to yell at me. Apologize and I’ll move. Simple as that.”

As he held my gaze, he paused for a beat, his eyes moving from one of mine to the other before a smirk ghosted across his lips. “Shouldn’t we just call it even? You were in my way the other day and now you’re in my way again.”

I didn’t budge.

Our stare-off continued, drawing even more of an audience, but I didn’t care about any of that. Standing up for what was right was important to me. It always had been, and there were far too many people in this world who thought the rules didn’t apply to them.

While I wasn’t some kind of keyboard warrior or self-righteous serial killer in the making, I did make a point of taking a stand when it was necessary. Like now. It could be a kid next time, and then what?

Finally, his son stuck his head out of his own window. “Just say you’re sorry already, Dad!”

Glancing at the boy, I smiled. “Thank you.” I looked back at Captain Intimidation. “Why does your kid have better manners than you do?”

His nostrils flared and he sucked in a deep breath, but he kept his cool. Sliding his sunglasses back over his eyes from the top of his head, he ground out, “I’m sorry.”

Giving me a curt nod, he stomped back to the truck and got in, slamming the door behind him. I stepped aside, giving a little curtsy. He accelerated through the crosswalk and flew down the road. The onlookers laughed, giving me a round of applause. Some of them even whooped.

I smiled, allowing myself a moment to indulge them and be goofy before I hurried to go grab that floor cleaner. Brittany was going to be furious that it had taken me so long, but I knew she would understand once I told her what had happened.

I shopped, raced to the cash register, and paid before hightailing it back across town. The whole time, I thought over the encounter and shook my head. Scott had been right about that guy. He really was an asshole. As much as he had intrigued me after our first meeting, perhaps it was better that I took my brother’s advice.

Don’t go getting any ideas.I nodded to myself as I walked back into the house we were cleaning. I wouldn’t get any ideas. He was just a tourist, passing through like all the others. From now on, I wasn’t even going to think about him anymore.