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“God, Soren. Just stop,” she says.

“Or maybe you want to call me a bully again.”

Her brows crash together into a dark arch. “When you put it that way?—”

“You may have needed a break, but let me make this clear right now,” I interrupt. I balance my elbows on the table top. “This isn’t going to be the vacation of your dreams. Not in this place. So go. Go anywhere else. Just go.”

She tosses her head defiantly. “I’m not going anywhere.” Despite her insistence, her lower lip trembles.

Aiden and I both zero in on the movement and my gut reaction pisses me off. “Gilli?—”

“Maybe you're the one who should leave.”

My eyes are back to bulging as bitter laughter escapes. Oh yes, steel goddamn balls on this girl. She always had a mouth on her, from what I remember, but she’s honed it into a weapon.

Made all the more potent by her soft-spoken vowels.

She squares her shoulders. “I’m going to grab my stuff. I’ll take another room.”

Without waiting for either of us to answer, she turns on her heel and strides toward my room. She erupts out the door a second later with a bag dangling from the crook of her elbow. Her chest rising and falling rapidly, she casts one last look at us before heading across the living room toward the last empty guestroom.

The door slams and I still can’t breathe.

I feel her. The softness of her truly delicious ass nestled up against my cock, the way it would have been so easy to keep her there. Who knew I’d be so weak-willed?

Who knew I’d have such a hard time controlling myself?

I shake my head, blinking to clear away the bullshit. Ineed to find a woman immediately if this is the kind of reaction I have to a female I can barely tolerate.

“What the fuck is up with that?” Aiden asks once we’re alone.

I lift my eyes to meet his. “With what?” I chug the rest of my beer, needing the buzz.

“Your attitude. I haven’t seen you this pissed since college. And then it was justified. This time? Not so much. You went unleashed Hulk on me. Is there a reason?”

“She was being kind of shitty.”

“You were shitty right back.” Aiden furrows his brow at me. “Why is she here?”

“You heard her. She needed a break,” I reply sarcastically.

He rolls his eyes. “We both know it’s a total lie.”

I drop my voice low before saying, “Of course it’s a lie. There’s more going on than she’s admitting. You saw her face.”

“I know the look of someone on the run.”

Unfortunately for Aiden, he does. But people grow. People change and evolve. As much as I want to know Gilli’s story, I’m hesitant to push her because a much larger part of medoesn’twant to know.

“You think she’s gonna go?” he asks.

I shrug, defeated. No, this is one situation I’m going to assume won’t work in my favor.

Aiden grabs my empty bottle but makes no move to replace it. “I’m sure you’ll get used to her.”

The one thing I won’t get used to is him placating me, but he does it often enough for it to be second nature.

“Actually, you know what I’m thinking? And this probably makes me the worst person in the world…” A sudden burst of adrenaline brings a smile to my face. “This is the perfect opportunity to rankle her. To deeply get under her skin.”