I sigh, looking up at the block of flats, knowing I won’t be able to talk my way out of it. “I’m not out with girlfriends.”
“Where are you?” he asks, his voice calm, stern. It’s his ‘I mean business’ voice.
I suck in my bottom lip. “I’m at the Duncan Fall flats. I was going out with my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” he explodes, and I roll my eyes at his dramatics.
“Not anymore,” I rush out before he goes into one of his rants. All I bloody need is for him to give me a sex education lesson again. The first time was horrifying enough.
“Who is he?”
“That guy I said was trying to sell me a vacuum last week.”
“That weird looking kid who was flirting with you?”
“Dad,” I groan, wishing he’d drop it.
“What happened tonight, then?” he asks, his voice hard.
I smile, bouncing on the balls of my feet. “He cheated,” I cheer.
“Um, why are you happy? I’m going to rip his balls off and feed them to the pigs.”
I snort. “We don’t have pigs, Jaxon does,” I tell him, then cringe when I realise who I mentioned, so I rush on before he can go on yet another of his rants. “It’s fine. I caught him and his new neighbour going at it, but before I went in, I made the Maddox Concoction and added a few of my own things. I’ll send you the picture later. Don’t worry, I got my revenge.”
“That’s my girl,” he hoots, and I hear my mum groan.
“Thank you.” I beam, even though he can’t see me. “I just hope he doesn’t call the police and sue for damages.”
“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll never speak of it again,” Dad growls, and I hear a horn honking loudly in the background. “Fucking move! We don’t have all year; it ends tonight.”
“Max, calm down,” Mum scolds.
“Fucking old drivers.”
“She was in her twenties,” Mum snaps.
“Guys,” I call out, beginning to shiver. “Why are you coming to get me?”
“Jaxon is marrying Lily tonight,” Dad explains, shocking me to my core.
“What?” I screech. “When, how—what?”
He laughs. “I’m not happy about it, but I love her and want her to be happy. We visited Jaxon tonight, got a few things straight.”
“You mean you threatened him.”
Dad sighs, exasperated. “I’m not a violent person, Hayden.” He takes a deep breath when I snort. They nearly killed Jaxon when they overreacted. “Lily doesn’t know and we need all the help we can get.”
“All right.”
I’m all for giving Lily a happily ever after. It was my dad, uncles and cousins who hadn’t seen how in love the two were or how happy he made her.
“Oh, and I’ve done a timeline on who was in the house last week. It’s only you who could have eaten those muffins.”
“Dad!” I snap, pissed he brought it up. “You can’t prove anything. Whoever ate them—and I’m not saying I did—clearly enjoyed them. They didn’t save you one. You need to move on.”
“I’ll get you back for this if it was you. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that it was you who ate the last of the pigs in blankets at Christmas.”
“Dad, just hurry up. The new year starts in a few hours and it seems we have a wedding to plan.”
“Kids. I told your mum, if we didn’t wrap it—”
“Dad!” I screech, before ending the call.
*** *** ***
I discretely wipe away the tear that slips free. No fucking way am I showing these fuckers the wedding got to me. They’d never let me live it down. I could blame it on all the alcohol I’d consumed, but I’d be lying.
Seeing Lily find her happy, warms me. She’s always been a kind soul, and just like the rest of our family, I treated her like she was made of glass. I regret that. Because maybe we held her back from finding her freedom. She’s the strongest of us all. And Jaxon made us see that.
“You know what they say about weddings,” Reid Hayes drawls, stepping in front of me and blocking my view.
This should be good.
I cock my eyebrow at him. “If it was a funeral, I’d say, you’re next, because if you spout some cheesy line at me right now, it will be your funeral next.”
He grins, flashing those pearly whites. “I think they only say ‘you’re next’ to couples at weddings. But if you want to get busy—”
“The fact you said ‘busy’ puts me off,” I interrupt, not even turning to look at him. Instead, I take in Faith’s home and huge land. It’s a beautiful four-bedroom house. A little outdated, but with the work they’re putting into it, it will have the upgrades it needs to look perfect.
If it wasn’t for the work they had put into her new practice for stray animals, it would already have been completed. I’m kind of jealous she has it. She’s worked her arse off to get where she is. That said, I’m really glad I’m not the one who has to mow the grass every two weeks.
Everyone is still partying away, even though Lily and Jaxon left. I thought for sure once the ceremony was over, the Hayes family would have gone home, but their mum, mine, and Aunt Teagan are having an animated conversation near the gazebo, laughing and joking.
Reid interrupts my musings. I had forgotten he was even here. “You’ll give in eventually. You can’t resist my charm.”
I size him up, slowly scanning his body, taking in his ripped jeans and black jacket that has been left open to reveal his black T-shirt, his abs tensing under the tight material. His body is lean yet muscular, his tanned skin covered in tattoos. But it’s his eyes that draw you in. His smoky, dark green eyes hold intelligence, and no matter his mood, they always show his easy-going, light personality. They shine bright and are pure sex.
It’s hypnotising.
I flick my top lip with the tip of my tongue, drawing his attention to my mouth. “You couldn’t handle me, Hayes.”
He smirks, raising his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. The touch is gentle, smooth, and I can’t help but look more closely at him, giving him a second thought. “Something tells me you’re too scared. You’re worried you can’t handle me.”
With a flick of my hair, a flutter of my lashes, I step closer, straightening my back so my breasts jut out, brushing up against him. “Really? Or are you just hoping I don’t say yes, so you don’t make a fool of yourself?” I ask, keeping my voice low, seductive.
He gulps, gripping my sides, just under my boobs. His thumbs stroke lightly under the soft globes of my breasts. It feels good. Erotic. And I wish he’d go a little higher. “Why don’t we find out,” he rasps.
Through my peripheral vision, I make sure no one is looking. Seeing the coast is clear, I press closer, leaving no room between us.
My lashes flutter at the feel of his hardness against my stomach. He’s big. He wasn’t just bragging.
I have to bite my bottom lip to stop the moan from slipping free.
I tilt my head up, watching him for a moment, wondering if this is something I can really do. It’s Reid Hayes, a guy who has driven me insane and made me lose my temper on more than one occasion. I’m surprised I haven’t killed him yet.