I ground out between clenched teeth. Apparently I used such harsh tones that Kat’s face registered shock and Mother… Mother just drew back and gave me that look. That Lucas is crazy look. I’d seen that a lot in the past six years, too.
Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the room, directly headed to the front door. I didn’t give a damn if Kat was behind me. I heard the word “drinking” behind me, as if Kat was making my drunken excuses.
Which pissed me off even more.
Fuck it. I might even chance a DUI if it was the only way to get my ass out of here. I was already yelling at one of the poor valets—a new guy I didn’t know—to bring my car around.
Kat was at my shoulder a moment later. “Let me drive.”
“Sure,” I muttered. “What will you do for an encore, wreck my car?”
The valet glanced from one of us to the other when his boss, Armando, the family’s regular driver, walked up. “Madam would like me to drive you both home safely. Jerry can follow behind us with your car, Mister Lucas.”
Kat’s eyes widened and then she shot a glance at me. I avoided her eyes and rubbed my forehead. It was, after all, the most sensible suggestion. “Yeah, all right. That’s fine.”
Shortly thereafter, we were seen off by my parents at the front curb. Father was still scowling from earlier and Mother had on the brave face, her mouth only trembling a little. And me, in all my buzzed euphoria didn’t give a rats ass that I was the endless source of frustration, hand-wringing and sorrow for my parents. Just by choosing to pursue the life I wanted instead of the one they’d planned out for me.
We exchanged short goodbyes in which Kat, apparently had earned a quick hug from my mother and a curt ‘welcome to the family’ from Father for her troubles.
My jaw tightened, witnessing this. Well she wouldn’t be enjoying her revenge quite so much once we were stuck in Napa, unable to escape the cursed ‘Family Reunion.’
We settled into the back seat of the town car and she gave a long sigh. “Holy shit. I need a drink.”
So did I. And as far as I knew, Father never stocked the car with booze. This wasn’t a party limo, after all. And the last word I’d use to describe this ride home would be a party, pleasantly buzzed or not.
Chapter 10
Katya
Something was obviously bothering him. Like really bothering him. He sat in the back of that town car, elbows on his knees, forehead in palms, fingers threading through his dark hair, never looking up. Either he was about to puke or was going through some serious family-induced turmoil. Possibly both.
But things were bothering me too—him, for example, and his behavior this entire evening. I wanted to yell at him and fought hard to hold back, curbing my own burning irritation.
It took a minute to figure out which was the right button, before I pressed it to raise the divider between us and the driver. No need for him to know all the juicy details of our non-marriage. I’d never been in a car like this before but I’d seen enough movies to know it could be done. Then I cleared my throat and turned to him.
Lucas’s hands, where they supported his head, were strong and laced with bulging veins and a light dusting of dark hair. For some reason, I found them fascinating, my eyes wandering to them even as I spoke in stern tones to their owner.
“So not like you’ve cared to ask my opinion, but my entire summation of this evening can be put into three little letters. WTF.”
He massaged his temples with his thumbs, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. Still, he said nothing.
“And on a scale of one to ten, your husband rating tonight is damn low.”
“Great. You and Claire can form the ‘Lucas is a shitty husband’ club when this is all through. You can arm wrestle for the positions of president and vice-president. Tell me something I don’t know.”
I folded my arms tightly against my chest. “Yeah, so when were you planning on telling me about that little tidbit? After I’d failed the immigration interview for not knowing a thing about your previous marriage?”
His head jerked up, and he peered at me through narrowed eyes. There was something there at the back of them. Some deep hurt I couldn’t