Paxton’s fork clanked to the glass plate in front of him, his glare matching his attitude. “Can you help me in the kitchen for a second?”
The cloth napkin dropped to the table and Paxton got up, chair scraping the floor and daggers shooting through my injured brain. Oh, boy… He was pissed. I followed him away from the girls, knowing I was in for something. I just didn’t know what. Maybe a tongue lashing. Maybe a fingering punishment. Who knows?
He stood over the sink, staring out at the endless ocean. “You’re not going,” he said without turning around.
“Going where?”
“Anywhere. To watch the girls today. You can stay home and try to remember your place.”
“Why? That’s stupid. I want to go. I want to watch them play.”
Paxton turned to me that time. Two steps and he was in my face. “And I want you to remember who the fuck you are. You can’t seem to do that no matter how many times you’re told.”
“I don’t even know what you’re so pissed off about. Jesus Christ, lighten up. How can I remember who the fuck I am if this head injury keeps blocking my memories?”
Silence. A red face. And rage.
“Go to your bathroom. Now.”
His tone was subtle. Composed. Calm. That wasn’t the part that scared me. It was the look in his cold-green eyes that caused my own voice to tremble.
“W-why?”
“I’m going to remind you how Pierce women talk to their husbands.”
“There’s more of us? More of you? Shit. Sorry. That’s not what I meant to say. Let’s just go eat breakfast and forget this. It’s nothing. I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I just don’t see what the big deal is. Why can’t I call her Phi?”
“Because that’s not her name. Would you like to see her birth certificate?”
Actually, I did want to see it, but I knew that wasn’t the answer he wanted from me. “Whatever. Can we just finish breakfast and go?”
“I just said—you’re not going.”
“Don’t be like that. I said I was sorry. I need out of this house, too, you know.”
“Then turn around and go to your bathroom. I’m about to teach you another rule around here.”
“What?”
“Go. I’ll be there in a second.”
This was the stupid part. The part that totally baffled me. The first thing I noticed when I walked away mustering up as much deviancy as I could, was the rhythm. The impulsive throb right between my legs. It was like my body knew what lay ahead, reacting as if it had been accustomed to the routine. My brain…Not so much. I had that anxious, adrenaline rush where I could hear my heartbeat in my head. Quick, rapid beats, matching the pulsating between my legs. The palms of my hands dampened and my entire body trembled with apprehension.
And anticipation.
“How’s it going? You guys okay?” I asked as I passed the girls.
“Rowan got more eggs.”
“Well, you got more bacon,” Rowan tattled right back.
“It’s fine. Eat until your tummies are full. I’ll be right back.”
Sticky, strawberry jelly took precedence over me. Rowan started it, and Phi followed suit, forgetting I existed. I continued on my way to my bathroom, afraid yet excited. From the feel of the commotion going on between my legs, I was certain my body knew what was coming. Even if my mind didn’t.
Chapter Eight
I don’t know what went through my mind while I waited, butt resting on the countertop. I knew from the rising pain in the back of my knee and my ankle that I needed the crutches. Being stubborn only prolonged my recovery. Instead of thinking about Paxton opening that door, I thought about crutches. My mind tried hard to block it out, but without really knowing, I had a gut feeling what was about to happen.
The worst case of paranoid-freaking-out hit me when the doorknob turned. My heart pounded like crazy, and blood rushed rapidly through my veins. For a second, I thought I might be having a heart attack.
“Did you miss this? Can’t wait any longer? Is that what this is about?” Paxton asked in a quiet tone, eyes narrowed while he strolled toward me. Toward me and my pounding heart, my dry mouth, and my overactive sex drive. Jesus. I truly was a glorified whore.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
He quieted me with a warning look, one that I could easily detect in his green eyes. “I think you know exactly what I am talking about. I think you’re being defiant because you know. You know because this is all an act. Most of it.”
Of course I didn’t speak. Not that I could have, had I tried. Paxton did things to me. Things I couldn’t explain. My body reacted to him like—like danger. A thrill seeker. That’s how I felt around him. Like jumping out of a plane. The ecstasy of it overpowering the danger.
Breathe…
Breathe…
Breathe.