I swat away my tears and stomp up the stairs to my bedroom. Screw Max DiMarco. I am so over him treating me like a goddamn child. Like he knows what’s best for me? Asshole!
So he doesn’t think I have what it takes, huh? I stand in front of my mirror and pull out my hair tie, shaking my long hair loose. He thinks I’m just a spoiled little princess, then that’s exactly what he’ll get from now on. He can go to hell with his overprotective bullshit and his “I can’t be one of your choices, baby girl” crap.
When I’m showered and changed an hour later, I head back downstairs, hoping to go straight out and avoid Max completely, but just my luck, he walks down the hallway right as I come down the stairs.
“Joey.” He glances over my outfit—no doubt thinking that my jeans are too tight or my top is too revealing. Good thing I don’t care what he thinks anymore.
“I’m going out. I don’t have time,” I say as I breeze past him.
He catches my wrist, pulling me toward him. Goosebumps prickle along my forearm at his touch, and I wrench away before he can notice. “Take your hand off me.”
“I didn’t mean …” He frowns as he goes on staring at me like he wants to say something more but can’t. Or won’t.
“I don’t give a shit what you meant, Max. I am a part of this family, and I am not a fucking child. Now I’m going out with my friends, people who treat me like an equal and not some pathetic little girl who can’t think for herself, so get the hell out of my way.”
His eyes darken. “Don’t, Joey.”
I step closer until we’re barely an inch apart. His breathing grows heavier and the thick muscles in his neck tense. He might push my limits, but I test his too. Every single one of them.
“Or what, Max?” I whisper, running a painted nail over the buttons of his shirt.
“I am fucking warning you, baby girl,” he says with a growl from deep in his throat, and I swear my pussy purrs in response. Traitor.
“I don’t take warnings from men who have absolutely no power over me.” I take a step back and smile sweetly at Lorenzo as he walks toward us. My brother just saved my ass from a pissed-off Max who looks like he’s seconds away from imploding. Serves him right.
“You out again, kid?” Lorenzo asks, stepping up behind Max.
Tilting my head to the side, I grin. “Well, this is what us young, fun people do, Loz.”
The vein in Max’s neck grows thicker.
“Huh,” Lorenzo grunts. “Henry and Ash going with you?”
“Of course. I’ll be back by dinnertime. It’s just a lunch thing.”
“Be good,” he says with as much of a smile as my oldest brother ever seems to be able to muster.
“Me?” I look between him and Max, fluttering my eyelashes and feigning innocence.
“Yes, you, Joey,” Lorenzo adds before he turns and disappears down the hallway.
No way. I mouth the words so he doesn’t hear, but Max sees, and that vein in his neck damn near bursts. He inches forward, his expression mutinous—
“You coming, Max?” Lorenzo interrupts whatever Max was going to say or do.
“Buh-bye now,” I whisper sweetly, then I turn around and head outside where Ash and Henry are waiting.
Mo’s polished off at least a whole bottle of champagne by herself and now sits beside me, complaining about how she hasn’t seen Mystery Guy for five weeks.
“You should forget about him. He sounds like an asshole,” I tell her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“No.” She shakes her head and gives her empty glass a longing look. Leaning closer, she whispers in my ear, “He’s my ticket out of here, Jo.”
“There are loads of guys who would kill to date you.”
“But I only want him,” she whines. “He has it all.”
I frown at her. I’ve never ever seen her this torn up over a guy.
“He’s so freaking rich,” she sniffs.
Ah, now I get it.
Toby takes a seat on the other side of me. “You think we should get her home?”
“Hmm, maybe. She seems pretty wasted,” I whisper.
He looks at my full champagne glass on the table. “You hardly drank anything at all.”
“I prefer hard liquor.” I cast an anxious glance at Mo, who’s now draped over me, babbling about men being too difficult to understand.
“Seems a shame that your afternoon out’s been ruined,” he adds, also looking at Mo.
“No, it hasn’t. I had a good time,” I say truthfully. A bunch of us from high school got together today, and it was nice to catch up. I haven’t seen most of them in years, and I much prefer being clearheaded when I’m out with people I don’t know all that well, so not drinking isn’t a big deal.
He arches one eyebrow. “I think you deserve a better time than the one you’ve had though.”
I figure he’s talking about me having to look after Mo, but I genuinely don’t mind. She’s my best friend. “No, really. I’ve had a great time.”
He runs a hand through his hair and huffs a laugh. “Jeez, Joey. You’re not making this easy.”
“What?”
He takes a deep breath. “I’m trying to ask if you want to go somewhere else. With me?”
I blink at him.
“Like a date?” he adds.
“Oh.”
“Only if you’re free. I’m sure you’re busy.” His cheeks turn pink. It’s kind of adorable.
I am free. Free and single. Toby Fiore is a good guy. He treats me like a grown-up—like an equal. I think he’s even a little intimidated by me, which is a nice change from the usual possessive, overbearing alpha-holes I’m surrounded by.
“Yeah, I’m free.”
His face breaks into the cutest, biggest smile ever. “Cool. You wanna go for a drink? Or some food? You choose.”
“How about a movie?” I suggest. I rarely get to go to the movie theater, but I love it.
“Perfect.”
“Let me take Mo home and make sure she’s okay, and then we can go, yeah?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“I just have to call my brothers and let them know.”
I don’t miss the fleeting look of pure terror that flickers over Toby’s face, but he recovers quickly and is soon smiling again.
“They’ll be cool,” I assure him. “And Ash and Henry will have to tag along too. Sorry.”
“I know.” He understands this life and the rules that come with it. Brushing a stray curl from my forehead, he leans closer. “But I hope that one day your brothers might trust me to look after you myself.”
Aw, bless. He really is adorable. Like that would ever happen.
