novelxo Twisted Collide: Chapter 21
“Thank you so much, Josie. You have no idea how helpful this will be,” the sperm donor says before turning to Dane. His face changes the moment he looks at Dane. While he was smiling when he spoke to me, his lips have sagged back down and now resemble a straight line.
He’s all business now, and by the looks of things, he’s not happy with Dane.
His whole demeanor feels off from the family dinner a week ago. There, they spoke like father and son, but now, he looks at him like he’s ready to scold him. Dane’s face is rock hard, lines forming between his brow, and man, his posture is unnaturally straight. He looks like a stubborn child ready to throw a tantrum.
The interesting thing is he doesn’t. He grinds his teeth but doesn’t speak.
“I’ll leave you two alone to hash out your schedule. Josie, you should get in touch with Molly if Dane gives you any problems—”
“There won’t be any need for that,” Dane assures.
My father nods, his face still showing little emotion, but I see a small line form in his cheek. He’s pleased with himself.
It’s obvious that Dane doesn’t want an assistant other than his sister. It’s also obvious that my father feels triumphant that he pulled this one over on him.
If he knew the history between us, he wouldn’t be smiling. However, that thought alone makes me want to smile.
Dane hates me for no reason. He chose to sleep with me, so that’s on him. He needs my help, and that makes me feel in power for the first time in a while where he’s concerned.
When I’m around, he seems a little more relaxed. Okay, maybe not now, but that night in the vineyard.
He seemed so free, and if I can bring that out in him again . . .
“Seeing as I have no choice, give me your phone number,” Dane grunts out, and it reminds me I just got lost in my thoughts and wasn’t paying attention.
I lift my head and notice my father has left. It’s now just Dane and me, standing alone. This man needs to lighten up.
“You do have a choice,” I remind him. “You can have Coach call your sister and make her come home.”
“No. That’s not a choice,” he responds. “She deserves this time. I won’t mess it up for her.”
“Where is she anyway?” I ask.
He scowls as though I just asked the most intrusive question. “That’s none of your business.”
I take a step back; it feels like I was verbally slapped.
“Excuse me.” I place my hands on my hips, squaring my shoulders and stand a little bit taller. He doesn’t get to talk to me like that. “First of all, it is my business. It seems, in case you forgot, that I was just promoted to your personal assistant. Life manager, if you will.”
“You could never be my life manager.” His tone is unnecessarily cold.
“Fine,” I huff. “Personal assistant, whatever. But seeing as that is my new position for the next month until your sister returns, it is, in fact, my business to know where she is. In case you missed the part where your coach specifically told me to call her if I needed to.”
He cocks his head to the right. “That won’t happen.”
“You don’t get to decide that, Dane. Believe it or not, I might need to reach her.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”
I lift my hand. “Listen, you might not like me—”
“I don’t care enough to like or dislike you.”
Ouch.
“Okay, but not the point.” My hand rubs at my chest, needing to shield me somehow.
“What is the point? Please get to it, as I have to start practice.”
I let out a long-drawn-out sigh. This man is infuriating. I can practically see why no one but his sister wants this job. If I weren’t hell-bent on making him thaw to me, I’d probably tell my father no as well. But I don’t like that he doesn’t like me. The truth is, I hate when people don’t. I recognize that I don’t always make it easy, but that’s because my wall is up to protect me. I have enough reasons to be on guard at all times.
When the people who are supposed to love you most in the world either act like you don’t exist or that you’re their biggest nuisance, it’s easy not to trust anyone.
The fact that he feels so strongly about me in a negative way has me spinning my wheels to change his tune.
It’s definitely not a well-thought-out plan because I’m also hopelessly attracted to this man and dream of his hands touching my body every day, but I figure I can knock both things off with one task.
Make him not hate me and convince him that the vineyards shouldn’t be a one-night thing.
I’m not looking for him to fall in love with me, but he’ll make living with my father and his wife tolerable for the next few months.
Also, I’d be lying if there wasn’t some appeal to the fact that this man is like a son to my father, and it feels like banging him again would be sticking it to my dad.
It will get him where it hurts.
Then I can go back to my life and not have to deal with him.
After I get the experience I need to land a job, that is.
Yeah, this might not be a well-thought-out plan, but it’ll have to work.
Do I sound like a petulant child? Probably. But such is life.
“I might need to contact her. I’m sure there are things on your schedule that you might not even know about.”
“She left a link to share everything relating to me. It’s well organized, and if you open it, you won’t need to reach out to her.”
“You really don’t want me to talk to her, do you?”
He inhales deeply, and I wonder if he’s going to answer me or if I’ve just pissed him off more, but then he shocks the shit out of me when he meets my gaze.
There is so much emotion in his blue eyes. The iris is practically gone, and I feel like I’m drowning in the black abyss of his soul.
“Josephine.”
“That’s a change. It’s not often that anyone calls me by my full name, especially you.”
“Would you rather I call you Hellfire?”
“Well, no, but . . .”
He shakes his head. “I know you wouldn’t, but it does suit you.”
“How do you figure? You don’t know me.”
“I’d say I know you pretty well.”
His intense stare and blatant mention of our night together makes my knees quake slightly.
“I don’t care if the sun falls and the Earth is on fire. Molly has taken care of me ever since she graduated from college. She has asked for nothing in return. She deserves a break from me. She deserves a piece of her own happiness.”
I bob my head, understanding where he’s coming from and having so much respect for his sister and all she seems to do for him.
“If it were up to me, she would stay far away and live her life, but it’s not, so this is the best I can give her.”
His words and tone have my mouth glued shut. There’s so much to unpack in one sentence, and I don’t know how to, but I know I eventually want to.
The sadness there is a beacon to me, and I just want to make him shine again. Like he did that night.
Maybe because I don’t like to see my own sadness reflected in others.
“I’ll send you the link.” Then he’s gone, leaving me more confused than when this started.