Page 26 of Expecting an Argument
“Yes, yes, I am both disgusting and privileged.” I turned to the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I just got back from a run and I need to shower off with pure mountain snow melt and baby seal tears.”
“Is this how you’re punishing me for getting pregnant?” She was just getting louder and louder. “To lock me in your house and rub your money in my face? Do you have a humiliation fetish?”
Hormones. It’s the hormones, Beau. Don’t take the bait.
I walked toward the hallway. She could scream at a closed door if she wanted to.
“Or are you controlling me and everything I put in my body because of some deep-seated daddy issues?”
A stake of ice speared me in the spine and I stopped before I could reach the doorknob. I chewed on the inside of my cheek before turning back around with a smirk.
Olivia glared up at me like she was about to grab me by the sweatshirt and drag me into a dark alley to fight, but she was inmyhouse. She didn’t fully understand the dangerous territory she had just walked into, but I was about to give her a taste of something even more bitter than her own medicine.
I casually shoved my hands into the pockets of my joggers. “Fine, I’ll admit it. I do enjoy humiliating you.”
I slowly walked over to her, her cheeks reddening as her chin tilted higher to glare up at me with each step I took.
“After all the shit you gave me back in high school, I greatly enjoy seeing you now,” I said. “No job, no car, no friends who can help you in your time of need. Oh, you acted like you were crowned queen of the universe when you got that stupid gold valedictorian medal, but now…”
I looked down at the swell of her belly and then met her furious brown eyes. “…now your greatest accomplishment is trapping a rich man with a pregnancy. I hope you’re proud ofyourself.”
She held her glare, but her face paled. Maybe she needed to vomit. Whatever it was, I didn’t care. I turned on my heel and started to walk out.
“Oh, and by the way,” I said over my shoulder. “You’ll be getting a new credit card soon. It benefits my babies to not grow inside a mother who only wears sweatpants, so buy yourself some new clothes. Hell, maybe buy some books so you don’t completely atrophy your brain while you lounge around my house for the next few months.”
Her bicep trembled once—she was fighting the urge to slap me.
That’s it, Adams. Learn some damn self-control.
I pushed a little more to see what I could get away with. “The credit limit is higher than any bonus those demons at your old law firm ever gave you, so shop until your dark little heart is content.”
She shook her head once. “I’m not spending adimeof your money.”
I flashed her a purposefully patronizing smile. “Oh, you will. Everyone does when given the opportunity.” I carelessly waved my hand in the direction of the door. “The fridges, the freezers, and the butler’s pantry are completely stocked—gorge yourself until you puke, for all I care. I’m going to lunch with my mother today, so I won’t be monitoring your every bite. Don’t be alarmed if you see a red corvette out front, that’s just Margot. She cleans.”
She scoffed. “Of course you can’t pick up after yourself. I’ll ask her to blink twice if she needs help.”
I shrugged. “Go ahead. She only speaks French.”
Olivia’s clenched jaw and tight fists softened. A feline smile crawled up her cheeks and she cocked her head. “My, a man who gives out credit cards like Halloween candy and pays hislittle French maid enough to afford a corvette. I’m so lucky Itrappeda man like you.”
The poison-tipped sass was gratingly juvenile—but also a clear concession.
I won again, Adams.
My fingers wrapped around the doorknob as I looked back at her. “The corvette was my dad’s, actually. I gave it to her.” I smirked and shook my head. “Happy men don’t own corvettes, even if they are rare vintage models.”
Olivia picked up her cup and held it in both hands like a child. She looked back at me with big eyes and a fake-ass smile. “I’ll be sure to drink my water while you’re away, master.”
I clenched my jaw. If she weren’t the mother of my children, I would have grabbed her by the hair and put her sassy mouth to better use.
“Aren’t you a good girl,” I teased, and then I shut the door as softly as possible so I didn’t slam it into splinters.
I let out a long, shaking breath as I stood in the hallway. Olivia Adams was an even bigger pain in the ass than I remembered. Petulant. Ungrateful. Blind to her circumstances.
But she was the mother of my children.Mother of my children.
And I would wear condoms lined with sandpaper for the rest of my fucking life before dooming myself like this ever again.
