CHAPTER FOUR
STORM
After Rebel flipped me off, I went inside and flopped on my bed. Screw that guy. He was crazy. I didn’t so much as glance out the window again.
Instead, I laid there being lazy until I caught myself dozing off. Since I still had a lot of unpacking to do, I made myself get up and get to work. The closet was stacked with boxes of my clothes and accessories. I got busy hanging things up and figuring out what to wear to school tomorrow.
When my stomach started to grumble, I headed downstairs for a snack. It still felt weird to help myself to food in the kitchen. Everything felt like Larry’s. He’d insisted that we make ourselves at home. That we should get comfortable here.
The main floor was empty. Chase had to be downstairs. Mom and Larry must be up in their room. Thankfully, there was a long hall between their room and mine.
I found a container of cookie dough ice cream in the freezer and happily helped myself. So good. When the doorbell rang, I paused with my spoon halfway to my mouth. Should I answer that? When nobody else came to do it, I shrugged and put the ice cream back in the freezer.
I reached for the doorknob, not sure what to expect. Was Larry expecting anyone? As the door opened, I saw who was on the other side and almost froze.
Rebel stood there with a large basket in his hands. I had half a mind to flip him off and shut the door in his face. Since Larry might be friends with his neighbors, I swallowed the urge.
“Um, hi?” I stared at him expectantly.
Unfortunately, in daylight, he was even hotter. His gorgeous blue eyes sparked with mischief. A black widow spider on his neck caught my eye. It was one of many images that disappeared beneath his t-shirt. My gaze lingered on the bruise that stretched out from the side of his nose under one eye. Nice.
Afraid to be caught staring, I forced myself to make proper eye contact. He quirked a brow, a smirk curving his lips.
“This is from my mom. She wants to welcome you and your mom to the neighborhood.” He shoved the basket at me. “So, welcome, I guess.”
The basket was pretty big, filled with snack foods and a bottle of wine. I had no choice but to take it as he shoved it into my arms.
“Thanks. That’s really nice of her.” I paused, expecting him to leave so I could close the door. He didn’t.
“Do you go to WU?” he asked, curiously looking me over.
I hated that I immediately felt self-conscious under his inquisitive stare. I didn’t want to care what he thought. He’d already proved himself to be a massive, scary dick.
“I start tomorrow,” I said, wondering why he cared.
“You went to Henderson before?” he pressed, his gaze lingering on my neck. Weird.
“Uh, yeah. I took a business management course there. I’m transferring to the program at WU.” Holding the basket awkwardly, I shifted my weight from foot to foot.
He nodded, as if he had me all figured out. “Must be nice to have your mom marry for money. Life is different on this side of town. You might want to be careful. There are dangerous people everywhere. You never know when you might piss off the wrong person.”
My jaw dropped. Was this guy for real?
“You’re a real dick, huh?” The words spilled out, driven by the rise of my temper. I never went looking for trouble, but if it came my way, I wouldn’t back down either. “You don’t know a damn thing about me or my mom. Maybe you should mind your own fucking business. And for the record, you started it. You wanted me to fight. You got what you asked for.”
Right on cue, my mom descended the stairs, rounding the corner toward the doorway. She spotted me holding the basket and her face lit up.
“Who is our visitor, Storm?” She came to the door, beaming a bright smile at the jerk on the front step. Extending a hand, she said, “Hi, I’m Diane. And you are?”
He accepted her handshake, pasting a fake as hell smile into place. “I’m Rebel. My mom asked me to bring you this basket to welcome you to the neighborhood. She’ll come by to meet you sometime soon.”
Mom took the basket, perusing the contents. “Wow, this is so thoughtful of her. Please tell her how thankful I am for the kind gesture. I would love to have you all over for dinner or drinks soon. Maybe a barbecue in the backyard.”
“I’m sure she would love that,” Rebel said, acting like he hadn’t just insulted my mother before she appeared.
“Great, I’ll pop over sometime and discuss it with her. I’m going to put this away in the kitchen. Thank you again, Rebel. Nice to meet you.” Mom took the basket to the kitchen, humming to herself.
Once she was out of earshot, I hissed, “You’re scum, you know that?”
Rebel stepped forward, getting close enough for me to smell his cologne. Something twisted in my stomach, flooding me with heat. Why was he so easily able to do that?
“You kind of like it though, don’t you? I made your pussy wet, didn’t I?” His grin was that of the devil himself.
He surprised me by reaching to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. I stood there frozen, unable to jerk back or push him away. Somehow, I managed to speak.
“Is that what you think?” I asked, refusing to confirm or deny that he’d elicited a reaction from me. “Jesus, your ego is huge. Look, I won’t say a word about what I saw last night, okay? Leave me alone, Rebel.”
Rebel shrugged, his eyes gleaming with wicked intentions. “You think it’s that easy to get rid of me? I owe you pain. Remember?”
That remark spurred me into action. Placing both hands on his firm chest, I shoved him away from the door. Flipping him the middle finger, like he’d done to me, I closed the door in his smug face.
My hands shook as anger filled me. What a cocky, arrogant bastard. Damn, he had some nerve.
Obviously, Rebel thought he was something special, and I was nothing but dirt. Last night had made him hungry for some kind of payback. As if he hadn’t brought that punch on himself. He could go fuck himself for all I cared. That’s what I told myself as I fled up to my room.
Living next door to Rebel was going to suck.