Temper (Knights of Fury #3) - Chantal Fernando Page 0,73
before I fall asleep, not being the best road trip partner. I’m woken by Temper yelling loudly, and I practically jump out of my seat.
“What is it? What?” I ask, glancing around in a panic.
Temper, the asshole, starts losing it laughing. He takes his phone from where he’d placed it on the dashboard, right in front of me, and replays the clip, one that is not flattering to me in any shape or form. “Look at your face.” He laughs.
“You recorded that?” I ask, scowling. “I’m going to get you back, you know that, right?”
“Look how wide your eyes go,” he continues, pushing my damn buttons.
I shove the phone away from me. “Why are we stopped here?”
“I’m hungry, thought we could stop and get something to eat. But you were fast asleep and snoring.”
“So you decided to wake me up by screaming and scaring the shit out of me?” I ask, undoing my seat belt. I get out of the car and stretch my legs.
“Ah, come on, don’t be like that,” he says, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m just playing with you.”
I stick my tongue out at him. “Come on and feed me then.”
“You hangry, babe?” he teases, opening the door for me.
Rolling my eyes, I step inside, and then check out the menu.
Little does Temper know, he just started a prank war.
One he isn’t going to win.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As we start to get closer to home, my nerves kick in. I know my mom isn’t going to let me off lightly. She’s going to have a million questions, and she’ll expect that I answer them in detail. Some of the answers I know I’m not going to have...or at least I’m not going to be able to give them to her.
“You okay?” Temper asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little nervous,” I admit. “Mom isn’t going to make this easy on me, and I hate lying.” I’m a terrible liar. I usually just go quiet and not say anything instead of making something up, which is a dead giveaway.
“After what you took on two days ago, you’re scared of your mom?” he teases, squeezing my upper thigh. “We’ve got this, all right?”
“She won’t drill me when you’re there,” I say, pursing my lips. “She’ll wait until you’re gone and then ask me all the questions. I know her and how she works. It’s not going to be pleasant.”
“I can save you from a lot of things, Abbie, but your mom’s questioning, I’m afraid, is not one of them,” he says, amusement laced in his tone. “Just be as honest as you need to be. We have nothing to hide.”
I throw him a look. “Really? I’ve been kidnapped—by you—I’ve had a gun pointed at me multiple times... I could go on. These are all things I will not be honest about. I’m basically just going to play it like I was on holiday the whole time, finding myself or something like that.”
Which is partly true.
I know who I am now more than I’ve ever known before.
“Valid points,” he agrees. “Just say you had lots of adventures.”
The second we pull up at my house, my mom runs out the front. I’m barely out of the car before I’m in her arms, and she’s squeezing me tightly.
“Abbie, you’re home,” she says, smiling. She looks a little healthier than I left her, her cheeks fuller, her brown eyes sharp and filled with a mix of happiness and worry. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I promise, letting her look over me. “Mom, this is Temper; Temper, this is my mom.”
I know that they’ve interacted at Franks before, but that’s not the same as properly meeting someone.
“Nice to officially meet you, ma’am,” Temper says as he walks around to our side, offering her his hand. “I’ve heard lots about you.”
“Have you now?” Mom replies, giving him a once-over as she shakes his hand. “Why don’t you both come on in, and I’ll make some tea?”