Page 29 of Daddy’s Fortitude

“I’m going to feed the cats,” she snapped.

He somehow managed to get around her, stepping into her path.

Aimee glared up at him. “What are you doing?”

“I think I should ask that. What do you think you’re doing?”

“I told you, I’ve got to go feed the cats.”

“I know that means something to you, but it means nothing to me. Come on, get in my truck.”

She stepped up close to him and stuck her finger in his chest. Damn, that was hard. Did the man not have any fat on him?

She stared up at him, noticing that he had a slight cut on the side of his eyebrow. Without thought, she drew the arm of her hoodie down over her hand and reached up to wipe the scrape.

He flinched back, and she immediately felt like an idiot. What was she doing touching him like that? And with her hoodie? That wasn’t exactly hygienic, was it?

“Sorry, you have a cut. I didn’t mean to do that. I wasn’t thinking. Are you hurt? I mean, other than that cut, did they hurt you? Maybe we should go to the hospital.”

“Not hurt. Not going to the hospital. You are going home in my truck.” He pointed at her.

Oh, yeah, that was right. She was angry at him.

“No.” She pointed back at him. “I am not. I’m going to feed the cats, then I’m going to walk home, and then I’m going to bed. In the morning, I’m going to figure out what the hell I’m going to do, since I just lost my job because of you.”

“Because of me?” he said.

“Yes.”

She knew it wasn’t fair. She knew it wasn’t right. It wasn’t just because of him. It was mostly because of Randy and Danny.

“You should’ve just let it go. You should’ve just ignored it,” she said as she waved her hands through the air. “Do you know how many times someone has touched me in that bar? I’ll tell you how many times. Too many times to count.”

She was aware she wasn’t exactly making a lot of sense, but she was getting all worked up, and she needed to get this out.

“And now, because you couldn’t ignore it, I’ve lost my job.”

“Good riddance to that job,” he said. “If that’s how you’re treated every night, you shouldn’t be there. And I’m going to have to go have a word with your boss.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “Don’t bother. Danny isn’t going to change his ways. He’s a complete dickhead, and he always has been. He doesn’t give a shit about his employees, especially the women. We’re just objects, things to be used, touched, and pushed around. And you know what? I’m going to go back and give Danny a piece of my mind, because he’s a jerk. He’s been a terrible boss. If he’d stepped in the first time someone touched me, then this wouldn’t have happened.”

She tried to storm past him, but he reached out an arm and wrapped it around her waist. She attempted to wriggle her way free, but he just lifted her up high, so her feet were bicycling through the air.

What was with him picking her up like she weighed nothing?

It wasn’t sexy or anything.

Yeah, right, it was completely sexy.

“You’re not going back there,” he whispered in her ear.

Damn, why did his voice send a shiver of desire run up her spine? It really wasn’t fair.

“Why not? I want to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Because I said so,” he told her.

“I hate to break it to you, but ‘because I said so’ is not a full answer.”