“You left me no choice, love,” I explain, stalking closer with determined strides.
Every one of my steps forward is matched a step backward, until her back hits the same door she slammed in my face, again. Setting my hands on it’s cool surface, I cock my head aside and wait for her stare to meet my own. When it does, I note she gulps, too, though her expression is unreadable.
“You really had me going, you know? I’ll give you that much,” I admit.
“I told you I wasn’t hungry. Why should I have to sit beside you if I’m not going to eat?”
“Who said anything about sitting beside me? You can sit wherever you’d like.”
My response is met with a crack of silence, her mouth ajar, unsure of how to respond. “That’s besides the point. The point is I’m not—”
“Hungry. I know, I heard you the first time.” I roll my eyes for added effect. “However, I’m calling bullshit on that. It’s been well over twenty-four hours since I brought you here. Who knows how long it’s been since you’ve actually eaten prior to that.”
“Why do you care?” Her hands slam into my chest. “I said I’m not hungry and that’s—”
“And again, you’ve left me choice. Up you go.” I’m hoisting her over my shoulder and stalking out the door into the hallway before she so much as processes it.
“What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?” she screeches, pummeling my back with her tiny fists as I continue on down the corridor to the dining room, her legs flailing in front of me.
It’s comical to say the least and I can’t help but chuckle. If she thinks she’s wiggling free from my hold, she’s highly mistaken. I could do this all day.
“Put me down, goddammit!” The high-pitched shrill of her voice echoes around us.
“I will, when we get to the dining room.”
“Are you insane? You said the table is full. That’s humiliating!”
“Wouldn’t be humiliating if you’d just followed me out as you led me to believe, but since you want to play bratty, childish games, I’ll have to treat you like a child.” I swat her pert little ass in warning.
Another squeak, followed by a stymied groan. “I’m not a child, Callan! Put me down!”
“Then stop acting like one, Tinksley. I’m only trying to help you and you keep—”
“Help me? You’re trying to help me after you turned me into a—”
“I’m well aware of what I did. You can stop repeating it now.” I turn the last corner before the dining room. Thank God no one is wandering the halls at this moment.
“Why? Does it make you uncomfortable to hear the truth aloud?”
I shake my head. “Not in the slightest.”
“Then why—”
“Hush, we’re here. I highly doubt you want everyone to hear you sassing me, like a child.”
“I’m not a goddamn child!” she roars, tossing another fist into my back.
“Then hush!” I set her onto her feet just outside the room and usher her in first, my hand firm at the small of her back.
She moves willingly, but barely, taking the smallest steps known to mankind, which I’m sure is simply to press my buttons. Could also be that every single eye in the room is on us, or perhaps just that her mind is still in a whirl after being carried here like a wailing two-year-old. Obviously, I know she’s not a child, but if she wants to be a brat throughout this process, I’ll gladly demonstrate how I handle said bratiness.
Looks like I won’t have to do much more for now, though. I almost laugh aloud when I note the only two chairs available are right beside one another, meaning she’ll have to sit next to me regardless. She has no one to blame for that coincidence but herself. Had she come with Violet, she could’ve taken her pick.
Thankfully, she doesn’t protest when I pull out the seat for her. Instead, she thanks me with a simple tip of her head and drops into the velvety, crimson cushion. Soon as I’ve pushed her back toward the mahogany table, I take my own seat at the head and unfold my napkin with a flick of my wrist. “My apologies for making you all wait. Please do start eating.”
Hums of appreciation resound as everyone begins to dig into their steaming, loaded plates. Large breakfast gatherings like this aren’t typically the norm, but I wanted to formally introduce the brood to Tinksley without the pressure an elegant dinner