you from way over here.”
Okay, I really couldn’t smell him, but I’d much rather nip the cleanliness thing in the bud. There was absolutely nothing worse than a guy who reeked, and I was going to have to be around Dylan every single day.
“I do not stink. I shower every single day.” His answer was haughty, and he sounded somewhat offended.
Since I wasn’t about to get close enough to him to sniff for myself, I ignored his comment. “Don’t you have caretakers here?”
I could have sworn that Nicole had mentioned a couple who lived here, and managed the estate.
Dylan glowered at me. “They’re on vacation somewhere in the Caribbean. I didn’t expect to be back here so soon. Now tell me who you are and what you want, or I’ll throw your ass out of here.”
“Oh, yes. I forgot. You were staying at Hollingsworth House until your mother decided that it wasn’t appropriate behavior for you to fuck a female under her roof while she was throwing her gala. Not to mention the fact that you broke Nicole’s heart. Is that why you ran back here like a coward instead of telling Nic that you were sorry?” I plastered an innocent look on my face while I waited for his answer.
Bastard!
He had no idea how much I wanted to put my knee in his balls for making my best friend cry.
“I was in a private bedroom, for fuck’s sake. It wasn’t like I knew she was going to come and watch,” he said testily.
I folded my arms over my chest. “But you apparently had no problem if she wanted to join you and your girl-toy.”
Dylan glared at me. “She wasn’t a girl. The woman was thirty years old, and as for Nicole, I thought the more the merrier. How was I supposed to know that my brother was madly in love with her? Damian has never fallen in love with any of the women he’s shagged.”
Don’t do it, Kylie. Don’t punch the bastard in the face so hard that he can’t talk anymore.
I was usually more patient, but Nicole was my best friend, so it fried my ass to hear Dylan referring to her like she was just another fuck for Damian.
Since it wouldn’t exactly start us out on a good footing if I punched Dylan, I resorted to insults. “Seriously? I doubt you could handle one woman in the shape you’re in, much less two. And by the way, Nicole is my best friend, so if you say anything bad about her, I’ll put my knee in your balls until you sing soprano. Do we understand each other?”
Dylan’s expression turned dark. “The shape I’m in? What in the hell does that mean? I’m thirty-three years old. I’m perfectly capable of handling any number of women in one night.”
I snorted. “I noticed you didn’t say you could actually satisfy them. You probably are capable of pawing them, but not much more than that.”
The visual for that whole scenario wasn’t exactly pleasant, so I made a face and shut down the image of Dylan petting a harem of women.
He let out a low, throaty sound as he moved toward me. “You know nothing about me. I don’t really think I even care anymore who you are. I just want you to leave. I don’t even know why I’m having this unpleasant conversation with you. I don’t give a damn what you think. Go. And take that miserable excuse for a hound with you.”
I tilted my chin up as he got close enough to grab me. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Dylan started to crowd me, so I stepped back, even though I didn’t really want to back down.
Really, he wasn’t terribly skinny, and he was extremely tall. I was five foot seven, over the average height for a female, but Dylan towered over me. I didn’t like his menacing expression, either.
With my back against the wall, I put my palm out to keep him from moving any closer. “Back off.”
Dylan smirked as he took another step closer. “Could it be that you’re only brave from a distance, Red?”
God, I hated it when people made fun of my hair. “Fuck off, Lancaster.”
“Is that an invitation?” His voice became low and seductive.
I wouldn’t say I was afraid of Dylan Lancaster, but I was more uneasy with this new, provocative Dylan than I had been with the asshole.
He’s trying to throw me off-balance. The bastard is trying to make me nervous.
I met his gaze and refused