CHAPTER 9
REID
What the hel is it with this girl? No matter what I do, I can’t catch a break from her nonstop condemnation.
Truth? That Gabriel e chick is hot, so in the interest of not being bored off my nut, I don’t mind her flirting with me. I’d also be wil ing to bet she’s no virgin. But virgin or not, she should be hooking up with some guy her own age, if that’s what she wants, not some guy who’s wel past eighteen.
And since I’m not a complete idiot, I don’t need to be told that.
When I said that thing about taking her off the property, I was just pointing out the big fat hole in Dorcas’s reasoning.
Exhibit A: Gabriel e Diego is jailbait anywhere, not just “on this property.” (Side effect of having a crack attorney for my paternal role model: if you’re going to argue a point with me, don’t leave gaps in your logic.)
I’m so pissed my hands are shaking. Usual y this type of response fol ows a chat with my dad, after which I retreat to the basement to pound the shit out of a hundred pound heavy bag. We’ve got an entire gym setup down there; my trainer meets me several times a week when I’m not on location. Or performing compulsory community service.
The back yard is thickly populated, and of course this is where Gabriel e was banished. Judging by the look on her face, she assumes I fol owed her outside. When she glances at me with a provocative smile, a boredom-exterminating scheme pops into my head. One that wil drive Dorcas batshit crazy for the next three weeks.
Community service just got considerably more interesting.
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Dori
I’l give him ten minutes to throw his temper tantrum before I bring him back inside. He needs to understand that messing around with Gabriel e is unacceptable. I would march outside and say it just like that, but he’s evidently taking anything I say as a dare, which is the last thing I want.
Final y, I settle on apologizing to him for the better person comment—I stil can’t believe I said that—and discussing my anxiety concerning Gabriel e with Roberta, privately. Hopeful y she can keep an eye on the situation.
Without me involved, he won’t feel goaded to do something everyone would regret.
The back yard is teeming with volunteers because we got a shipment of trees and shrubs yesterday, which should be transplanted from containers to ground promptly. It doesn’t take long to locate Reid, because every woman in the yard and most of the men are watching him. Much as I’d like to, I can’t blame them. The sight of him is simply compel ing.
While digging a hole for one of the three 30-gal on live oaks that wil line the back fence and provide shade for the yard, he’s stripped off his t-shirt. Hard lines of definition ripple across his back and shoulders as he as he plunges the shovel into the ground, heaving mounds of earth out and piling it to the side. His jeans ride low on his hips, showing off his enviable movie-star abs. Muscles flexing and contracting, it’s clear that what he’s doing is strenuous, yet he doesn’t slow or tire when other volunteers take wheezing breaks for water.
Looks like I’l be finishing the cabinets myself.
Before I turn to go back inside, I spot Gabriel e standing a few feet from Reid. After tossing one contemptuous look my way, she flips her glossy black hair over her shoulder and turns back to watch him. Though she’s only two years younger than me, it feels like a lifetime of difference.
Testing her sexuality, she thinks she’s caught a beautiful fish, when in reality, she’s netted a shark. As soon as she gets too close, he could snap through the fragile filaments and consume her.
I want to trust Reid not to be what I fear he is, but I know better. There’s not a trustworthy bone in that impeccably muscled body.