Part 4 (2/2)
Don't go getting delusional on me, Tat.
Her smile widened.
Annoyed, he turned back to Dacoda. Although dressed in a sedate dark suit that fell below her knees and a pink silk top that was neither tight nor revealing, she nonetheless managed to appear wanton yet shy-an intriguing combination.
He smiled. ”My pleasure.”
A flicker of hope sparked in her gaze. He suppressed a groan. He would need to choose his words wisely or risk giving her false hope. Tat would have his head if he inadvertently hurt her.
Tat spoke. ”I know you two have a long drive ahead of you, so I won't keep you.” She kissed Dacoda's cheek. ”Drei will do you proud.” She then embraced him. Treat her gently and please, Drei, consider giving her a f.u.c.k or two.
I'm saving all my pa.s.sion for Veelee.
If you pa.s.s up a chance for an interlude with Coda because of Veelee, you're more of a fool than that bony blonde makes you seem.
Leave her out of this.
I'd like to leave her out of your life period!
I feel the same way about that fickle b.a.s.t.a.r.d with the tattooed c.o.c.k.
She turned and walked away, the tension in her body revealing her agitation.
He stared after her. Maybe that exchange would finally teach her not to keep starting s.h.i.+t she couldn't finish.
”Andrei?”
He focused his attention on Dacoda. ”Yes?”
”I'm ready.”
”Great.” Fifteen minutes later, they were seated in his SUV with a six- to seven-hour drive ahead of them. Six to seven long, boring hours. d.a.m.n him for allowing Tat to manipulate him!
”If you like, I can share the driving,” she offered.
He cast a quick, disbelieving look in her direction. ”No one drives any of my vehicles but me,” he told her.
”I just thought I'd offer in case you wanted a break at some point.” She ran her palm along the custom-made dashboard. ”I can't say I blame you for not allowing anyone else to drive. This is a powerful vehicle.”
He softened at the admiration in her voice. A woman who could recognize and appreciate his custom-outfitted SUV couldn't be all bad. ”Yes, it is.” He hesitated and then talked about just how powerful the engine was. To his surprise, she asked knowledgeable questions about such things as the torque and revolutions.
After a while, they lapsed into silence. He turned on the CD player and soft jazz filled the dark interior.
Just as he was beginning to feel comfortable in the silence, she spoke. ”How did she get you to agree to come?”
d.a.m.n. Women. You couldn't please them. He had allowed himself to be talked into doing her a favor. So instead of being grateful, she wanted to give him the d.a.m.n third degree. ”How did who get me to agree to what?”
”Come on. I know accompanying me was Tat's idea. And I'm fairly certain she had to twist your arm to get you to agree.”
Her voice held no trace of self-pity and he abandoned his half-formed intent of being brutally honest. ”What makes you think I had to be persuaded to accompany you? I admit I wasn't crazy about the idea-but that was before I met you.”
A short silence followed his words. ”Please don't do that.”
He frowned. Now what? ”Don't do what?”
”Pretend. While I appreciate your coming with me, I'm not going to pretend I believe this is anything but what it is.”
So she was going to be a pain in the a.s.s, after all, and throw his attempt to be chivalrous in his face? G.o.d save him from women who viewed so-called honesty as a virtue. And women wondered why chivalry was dead? h.e.l.l, they'd killed it with their incessant insistence on being viewed as equals-as if that were really possible between a man and his woman. ”And what is that?”
”Tat twisted your arm because she felt sorry for me.”
”The h.e.l.l she did. If there's one thing Tat does not feel for you, it's sorry. She respects and admires you. Does she feel you're getting a raw deal? Yes, but that does not equate to feeling sorry for you. I came because there's not much she can ask me to do that I won't. Let's leave it at that.”
”You're angry.”
”No, I'm p.i.s.sed off. Trust me when I tell you there's a big difference between the two.”
”I didn't mean to annoy you.”
Now she sounded like tears were imminent. If she pulled that s.h.i.+t on him, he was turning around and taking her back. He had no tolerance for women who resorted to tears to get their way.
”What's it like?” The question, asked in a perfectly steady voice, surprised him. So she wasn't a weeper after all.
”What's what like?”
”Being a vampire. When Tat first told me what she was, I didn't believe her.”
Her voice held a note of awe instead of the fear he had grown so accustomed to hearing. Recalling some of the good and bad times, he shrugged. ”I wouldn't have it any other way.”
”And yet Tat told me of a time when you and she...tried very hard to pretend you were human.”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. Why had Tat felt the need to discuss him with this nosey woman? There was no way in h.e.l.l he was going to put up with her probing questions. He was getting off at the next exit and turning around. ”While she was telling you all my d.a.m.ned business did she also mention my c.o.c.k size?”
She drew in a quick breath, but when she spoke her voice was cool and steady. ”Please take me home.”
”What?”
”I want to go back. Please. Take me home.”
Since that was exactly what he'd planned to do, his displeasure at her words annoyed him. Why the h.e.l.l couldn't she do or say what he expected her to? ”Don't be ridiculous,” he said coolly. ”We're going to go to your reunion, and you're going to enjoy yourself-whether you want to or not!”
She retreated into a cold silence. Keeping his gaze on the dark road ahead, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. It would be a cold day in h.e.l.l before he did Tat another favor.
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