Chapter 5
Chapter Five
GOLDIE
I glare at my bedroom door. Well, the spot where a door used to be. How the hell did I not hear him take it? It was there when I went to sleep. The man is out of his mind. I can’t believe he actually took it!
I throw off my blanket and climb out of bed. I want to storm out of my room and go find him, but my shyness is stopping me. Getting naked in front of him is probably a sign that I’m out of my mind too. It’s going to be hard to face him, but I’m not going to let him know it. I’m going to pretend it never happened.
After I get ready for school and exit my room, I don’t see him. My eyes linger on his closed door, and I scowl at it. What a bunch of bullshit. He can have a door and do whatever the hell he wants, but I can’t.
Before I realize what I’m doing, I stomp down the stairs to the kitchen and drop my bag on the island. I make myself a bowl of cereal, and right when I’m sitting down to eat it Nash walks in.
“Morning,” he says, like this is totally normal.
Per usual, Nash is wearing his slacks and button-up. Why does he always have to be so damn handsome? He doesn’t even have to try.
I shove a giant bite of cereal into my mouth and ignore him the best I can. It’s hard because he rules my thoughts when he is halfway across the country. How am I supposed to do it when we’re in the same room?
The first time I’m naked in front of a man and he leaves me standing there as if it was nothing to him. My curves never bothered me before, but now they have me questioning myself. What do I know, though? To Nash, the sight of a naked woman could hold no meaning. I’m sure they throw themselves at him all the time. I guess after last night, I’m not any better. I’ve wanted him from the moment I met him.
“Don’t ignore me.”
“I’m eating,” I mutter with a mouth full of food, not caring if that annoys him. In fact, annoying him is preferrable. I’d love to get under his skin the same way he gets under mine.
“What time do you need to leave?”
“I won’t be late for school.” I take another bite of my breakfast, checking the time on my phone. Nash suddenly reaches out and grabs it off the counter. “What’s your deal with my phone?”
“My deal is you’re being a brat.”
“Give it back.” I know I sound exactly like what he’s accusing me of being, but I can’t help it. He brings it out of me.
“You’ll text your little friend that you don’t need a ride today. I’m going to drop you off at school.”
Josie has been picking me up since we became friends. I still haven’t learned to drive. The few times I tried, it freaked me out, and I panicked.
“Um, yeah, that’s not happening,” I say, and he tilts the phone toward me. That’s when I see that Nash grabbed my phone so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to lock the screen.
“Or I’ll text her,” he offers.
“No!” I shout way too quickly, making him lift a brow. If he texts her, he’ll see the last thing we were talking about. Then I’ll die.
“Is there something you don’t want me to see?”
“It’s girl talk.” I hold my hand out for the phone, and he stares at me. “Please.”
“Was that so hard?” He sets it on the counter in front of me, and I snatch it up. “Text her,” he orders, and this time I don’t hesitate.
I fire off the text before he can try and take the phone again. After I send it, I delete all of our texts too.
“Good girl.” He says it like it’s the most normal thing in the world to call me, and I hate the rush of desire that fills me when I hear it.
“This is stupid.” I take my bowl over to the sink.
“It is. You should be eating more than cereal for breakfast. I’ll fix that tomorrow.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I grab my backpack. “Josie is already on the way to school. I’m on her way. It doesn’t make sense for you to take me.”
“It’s not for you to worry about what makes sense. It’s for you to do as you’re told.”
I shake my head at him. Nothing I say will get through. Nash does what he wants, and honestly, his words only fuel the fire inside of me. His comments should piss me off, but they only turn me on, which I suppose does piss me off. This is a crazy merry-go-round I’m on, and I need to get off before I’m thrown from it.
“Can we go?” I need to get some space from him so I can come up with a new plan. Last night blew up in my face because he was completely unfazed.
“Get your little ass in the car,” he orders, and I have to resist the urge to retaliate. I bite my tongue with a retort, but my patience is short-lived.
“I can’t believe you really took my door,” I huff when he pulls out of the driveway.
“I can’t believe they still make you wear those uniforms.” I catch him looking at my thighs, and he stares at them until I shift in my seat. What is he looking at? I was butt-ass naked last night and he didn’t have this much of a reaction.
“I like them,” I admit. “I’m not used to this.”
“This?” he asks.
“It’s a fancy school. The uniform makes it easy for me to blend in.” Even with the uniforms, I see the expensive shoes and jewelry the other girls wear at school.
My stepdad gives my mom money, which I understand. They are married, and we had to move our whole lives to come here. She couldn't keep her job, and he hadn’t wanted her to. With how he has to travel for work, he said he wanted her to be able to come with him. I’m not sure if that was true because he hasn’t really gone anywhere since we moved in.
If he was lying, I think it was for a good reason. He wants as much of my mom's time as he can get. It's sweet, but I don’t feel right using his money more than I need to. I know how to live on a budget.
“You’ll never blend in, Goldie.”
“Right,” I mutter under my breath. The comment cuts deep, and I stare out the window.
“You really have no idea, do you?”
“With you, I never have a clue,” I respond as he pulls up to the front of my school. I open the door, but before I can climb out, his hand comes down on my thigh, halting me.
“I’ll be waiting for you when school ends.”
“I can get a ride,” I snip, but his fingers tighten along the inside of my thigh. The primal glint in his eyes is raw, and before I can stop myself, I nod in agreement.
“Good girl.” Nash releases his hold, and I jump from the car.
Before I can stop myself, I spin around to face him. “Bye, Daddy,” I say before slamming his car door and taking off toward the school.
Yeah, there’s no way I’m meeting him after school.
He’s already taken my door. It’s not like it can get any worse.