Page 119 of Bad Attitude
“Hurts quite a lot, thank you for asking.” His eyes widen as I step closer, running up my legs to my too-short coat, that now seems like the worst possible wardrobe choice. “Did you… come in a cab?”
“No, I rode,” I say sarcastically.
He shakes his head like that wasn’t what he meant. “Did…people…see you like… that?”
Or in other words, how many men have checked me out.
I just put him on the ground, and Declan’s being all possessive.
“The driver kept checking his mirror until I scaredhim off.”
Declan clenches his jaw, anger flicking across his expression. Not at me, I don’t think. At the nameless driver? Shit… he’s not just being possessive, he’s beingprotective. When I’ve just punched him in the leg.
Now I feel even worse.
“I’m sorry I hit you,” I say, my anger fading, and only my guilt left.
“Whydidyou?” He pushes himself up onto his good leg, hopping for balance, wincing as he does.
“Because…”I turn up wearing nothing but a goddamn raincoat to find you with another woman and I thought you were sleeping with her.“…you grabbed my arm.”
He stares at me. “You punched my leg because Igrabbed your arm?”
“Uh…” When he puts it like that, it sounds even worse. “…sorry.”
“You really are a hellcat, Hellcat.”
Except that wasn’t the reason at all, and the actual reason was nothing but a mistake. I’ve hurt him—maybe badly—and for no reason. Shame, embarrassment and guilt fight for their share within me.
Declan tries to put his weight on his leg and hisses through his teeth. His apartment is ten paces away if he could walk, but it doesn’t look like he can.
“Do you… uh… need a hand?”
He shakes his head. “First you deck me then you offerto help me?”
I thought I couldn’t feel worse, but I was wrong. “I said sorry,” I mutter.
He tries to take a pace, pulling up short with a hiss of breath. “My fucking leg. Seriously.”
“I should… just leave.” I’ve completely screwed this up. I wanted tosurprisehim, not… put him in the hospital. The mood’s destroyed, and it’s all my fault. I take a pace back, turning.
And his hand closes on the belt of my raincoat. “You’re not going anywhere, Hellcat.”
I freeze, unable to move, because if he tugs that thing open, I’ll be naked. And I can’t hit him again. He pulls it far enough for the sides to start to slip, and I grab at the material. “Fine, I’ll stay,” I say hastily.
His lips twitch in amusement, and he starts half-limping, half-hopping in the direction of his door, one hand on the wall for support, the other keeping its grip on my belt. Like I’m a flight risk and he doesn’t trust me not to leave.
He’s not wrong there.
“I love your choice of evening wear, by the way.”
The blush that comes on is totally out of my control, and utterlystupid. Ichoseto be naked beneath a too-short rain-coat, and now I’m embarrassed by it? What happened to the calm, controlled, empowered woman thatstruttedalong his hallway and knocked on this door?
Oh yeah. She thought he was seeing someone else then punched him in the gunshot wound he got while protecting her.
“It was a mistake,” I mutter. “I’m going to see youback into your apartment, then go home and forget this all happened.”
“No, you’re going to help me back into my apartment before I let go of this belt, and then I’m going to close the door, lock it, and offer to take your coat.”
