Shameless - Sybil Bartel Page 0,13
rested on the center console as he flew down the highway.
“Pretty sure it’d be hard to be bored around you.” Which was exactly the problem. I got into trouble when I found something that didn’t bore me.
He chuckled. “Glad you think so highly of me, but don’t overestimate me.” He checked the rearview mirrors.
I wasn’t. He was fearless, merciless, quick-thinking, a lethal shot, and more capable than anyone I’d ever met. I’d be a fool to not see that, or to ignore the fact that’d it take a hell of a dominant man to handle a woman like that Cara bitch. “Your ex is crazy.”
“Not my ex.” He glanced behind us and changed lanes.
“Yeah.” I smirked to hide the jealously that’d had time to simmer. “She didn’t think you were her ex either.”
His dark eyes cut to me. “She would’ve had to have been my woman to be my ex.” He paused for a fraction of a second, then his voice turned hard. “She wasn’t.”
Not that I didn’t want to believe every word out of his mouth, but it’d be idiotic to overlook the obvious. “Good to know women you sleep with leave their husbands and track you down hundreds of miles from home.”
“You got something to say, princess?”
Not touching that, I picked at his word choice instead. “I have a name, you know.”
“Summer Amherst,” he stated without emotion before sparing me a quick glance that was lethally serious. “I am aware.”
Suddenly depressed, I looked out the window at the kind of cold, gray day you didn’t get in Miami. “So, you are just like all the rest.”
Giving the Escalade gas, he passed a car. “No idea what you’re talking about, but I’m already offended.”
He was offended? “My whole life I’ve been Summer Amherst. Not Summer, Summer Amherst. I hate it,” I admitted.
He snorted. “Sounds real tough being rich, princess.”
I knew what I sounded like saying that shit out loud, but I still stupidly defended myself. “Until you walk in my shoes, you have no right to judge.” I didn’t have a clue what kind of background he came from, and I didn’t ask. Not that I thought he’d answer me if I did. All I knew for sure was he didn’t grow up like me. Not that I was judging him, because clearly, he’d turned out more equipped to handle life than I did.
He glanced over his shoulder, then checked the side mirrors again. “Not judging, stating opinion sarcastically.”
“Whatever, forget I said anything.”
“Done.” Shifting in his seat, he took the wheel with his right arm and rested his left on the windowsill.
Trying to gage if he was being dickish or not, I glanced at him. His expression stone, I couldn’t tell if he was making fun of me or not. And I kinda hated that. “Are you mocking me?” Already down the rabbit hole that was everything Shade, I didn’t want this infuriatingly bossy bodyguard to think less of me.
He let out a half snort, half laugh. “Princess, if I was making fun of you, you’d fucking know it.”
“And he calls her princess again.”
“Third person now?” He glanced at me as the corner of his mouth tipped up. “You sure that was rehab I picked you up at?” He winked. “For the record, that was teasing, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart.
A single word, and my stomach was an instant riot of butterflies as I pulsed uncomfortably between my legs.
Trying to play off the sudden wave of heat coursing through my veins, I unzipped the sweatshirt and forced words past my dry mouth. “Do you ever call a woman by her name, or are all those names so hard to remember that you have to resort to pet names?”
Holding the wheel with his ridiculously huge arm that was stretching the sleeve of his shirt, he gave me a sideways glance.
Then he dropped his voice to a deep, sexy rasp. “Summer.”
Oh.
My fucking God.
“Shade,” I countered, breathless, dissolving into a fucking puddle on his leather seat for the second time today.
I KNEW HER FUCKING NAME.
“Summer,” I taunted.
“Shade,” she whispered, breathless.
“Who’s using pet names now?” I challenged, fucking with her because I liked the blush on her face.
“What?” Looking shocked, then affronted, she frowned. “You said your name was Shade.”
“No,” I corrected. “I told you to call me Shade.”
“So what’s your name?”
Enjoying sparring with her too damn much, I fought a smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Nope.” Quickly looking away, she crossed her arms. “Don’t care.”
“Sure, princess, keep telling yourself that.” I glanced at her tits that