The Promise (Neighbor from Hell #10)(36)

Well, she didn’t know what she would do once she made it to her room, but for now, this plan seemed like her best bet so she was willing to go with it. Decision made, she shifted, moved to sit up and before she could mutter her first, “Owie,” she found herself in Reed’s arms and being carried toward the stairs.

“You’re a pain in the ass,” he bit out and since she really couldn’t argue that one, she didn’t.

“Ten years, Joey. Ten fucking years,” he said, sounding angrier with every passing syllable, letting her know that perhaps this was one of those times when she should probably keep her mouth shut.

That was only confirmed when he carried her inside his room and headed toward the bathroom, muttering, “Ten fucking years,” again. When he carefully placed her on the bathroom counter, she bit back a wince of pain and even managed a murmured, “Thank you,” that quickly had her deciding to note all the possible exits when his eyes narrowed on her and he muttered, “Ten fucking years,” again.

Before she could respond, and she really wasn’t sure that responding was in her best interest at the moment, she found herself plucked off the counter, a thick navy-blue terry cloth towel placed on the counter before she was carefully placed on top of it. While he muttered to himself, and even she had to admit that three days to drive the man currently glaring down at the kitten attaching itself to his leg to the point of a psychotic break was impressive, she couldn’t help but wonder what the hell happened downstairs.

One minute, she was sitting on his lap, trying to catch her breath and escape the devious bastard’s tickling attack and the next…

The next, she couldn’t get close enough to the man that she’d vowed to make pay for ruining her gravity experiment when she was three. In retrospect, that might have been for the best since she probably wouldn’t have survived the trip off her grandparent’s roof, not during a blizzard at least, she thought absently as she watched him tear through the bathroom closet.

“You’re driving me crazy, Joey,” he said, shooting her a glare before returning to whatever he was doing with another muttered, “Ten fucking years,” confirming her earlier assumption that he’d snapped.

“I’m sorry,” she said because she had no idea what else she was supposed to say to him even as she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever seen him this angry before.

Probably not.

“In my defense, I seem to drive everyone crazy,” she pointed out, deciding to follow that up with a sheepish smile that quickly disappeared with a murmured, “Right,” and a nod when his eyes narrowed on her and she decided that it might be in her best interest to shut up now. Unfortunately for her, she was too nervous to listen to reason at moment, which of course, she knew wouldn’t end well for her.

Not. At. All.

“Sorry,” she murmured as she did her best to avoid making eye contact with the very large and angry man that made her nervous.

Really nervous, which explained what happened downstairs, she realized as she worried her bottom lip and watched as the man who was most likely regretting his decision to let her live slowly came toward her. She should have run when she had the chance, she realized. Not that she’d really had much of a chance, not with Reed this pissed. One second, he was tickling her and the next, the smile on his face had disappeared and she’d realized just how much she liked being in his arms.

That’s when she panicked.

It had been a perfectly normal response, she told herself, swallowing hard as Reed shot her another murderous glare and that’s when she realized that she wasn’t getting out of here alive.

“You’re sorry?” he said, chuckling without humor and making her rethink her decision to avoid making her escape through second-floor windows. It also made her realize that she couldn’t stay here.

“That’s great,” he said, nodding as he grabbed a large bag of Epsom salt and slammed the closet door shut. “You’re sorry for making my life a living hell, again.”

She opened her mouth to apologize, but it was that “again” that had her pausing. Really hoping that she’d misheard him, she asked, “Again?”

“Again,” he bit out as he angrily dumped half the bag of Epsom salt in the tub.

“How exactly did I make your life a living hell before?” she asked as she climbed off the counter with a wince when the muscles in her ass protested the move.

“By moving in next door,” he said coolly while she stood there, digesting that with a murmured, “I see,” and a nod before saying, “There’s just one problem with that.”

“And what’s that?” he asked, sighing heavily as he reached down and gently pulled the kitten off his leg.

“You’re the one that made my life a living hell.”

---

“And how do you figure that?” Reed asked as he opened her bedroom door, dropped the kitten gently on the floor and promptly shut the door so that he could deal with the little pain in the ass once and for all.

“Maybe because it’s true?” Joey said, blinking up at him.

“Bullshit,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at the delusional woman.

“Really?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest in a sad attempt to mimic his stance and looking so fucking adorable doing it.