Filed to story: Sinful Mates (Imogen) Book by Jessica Hall
“Why?” I demand.
“To make sure you don’t find the bottom of that bottle that was left on the floor this morning.” Tobias replies dryly, “Or find your way to another one.”
I roll my eyes, “You make it seem like I have a drinking problem.”
“Do you?” He questions, moving closer to me, I glare at him. The car stops again, this time at the lights down the street from the apartment building. Unclicking my seatbelt, I prepare to hop out at the traffic lights. I’m not going to sit here and be told what I can and can’t do with my body. If I want to drink, that’s none of their business. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.
When I open the door, Tobias’ hand comes down on my knee grabbing it. “What are you doing?”
Cold Tobias is back, big surprise. “Here I was thinking it was pretty self-explanatory. I’m getting out,” I say, snatching my purse and my mother’s urn before stepping out in the middle of the backed-up traffic. I walk to the curb only to hear Tobias open his door too. He follows me down the street, he even jogs over to catch up to me. I ignore him and walk faster, the box cradled to my chest. He falls in line with me, keeping pace. Why won’t he just leave me alone? “Will you just leave me alone? I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now.”
“I am not done speaking to you. Until I am, you will listen to what I have to say.” Tobias replies.
I ignore him and walk straight up the stairs of the apartment building. Theo waits in line with the build-up of cars that line the street. Tobias however is right on my tail, refusing to let me escape him.
Walking through the lobby, the young woman at the front desk calls out, “Boss, I have some letters for you.” She grabs something from behind the desk and runs over to him. Tobias stops and huffs in annoyance, eyes burning a hole through me.
Boss? Let me guess, he owns this place too. Wouldn’t surprise me. Escaping while he’s distracted, I make my way to my apartment, jamming the key in. I unlock the door, quickly step in and close the door and lock the deadbolt.
The stray is gone again, but I have no doubt he will be back later tonight. He always seems to go walk about during the day. Going over to the courtyard door, I quickly close it so Tobias can’t get in to go on one of his rampages. When I return to the living room, Tobias is leaning on the counter. I jump and shriek at him just appearing out of thin air. “How did you get in?”
“I have a key,” he tells me, holding them up and showing me.
“Please, Tobias, can we argue another day? I’m sorry I kissed Theo, I know it was wrong. I get that, but please can we do this tomorrow?”
He doesn’t say anything, just turns around and rummages through the cupboards. He pulls bottle after bottle out of the box I have stored mom’s spirits in. Walking over, I grab them, trying to place them back in. He ignores me and pulls them out again.
“What are you doing, Tobias?” I demand. I’m close to my limit, how much harder is he going to push me today?
“You have a problem, and I am removing the problem.” He answers so calmly like I asked about the weather.
“I don’t have a problem,” I snarl the words. Why does he have to make me feel like a caged animal all the time? I wish my stray was here to chomp on his fingers. I won’t even scold him for it, I’ll praise him.
“Well, this says otherwise and the fact that you are constantly hungover at work.” I jump up and sit on the counter, watching him as he continues to butt into yet another aspect of my life. But this time I can’t fight him, at least not yet. After everything today, I’m drained. I settle for glaring at him as he goes through my personal things yet again.
I
watch as he pulls every bottle out and then starts opening them. He sniffs one and wrinkles his nose before pouring it down the sink. “Hey, don’t do that!” I reach out to stop him, that was my mom’s!
“Don’t start, Imogen. Either help me or shut up,” he answers me coldly, like I’m a fucking child! I snatch a bottle off the counter beside me and open it. I quickly steal a mouthful from it and Tobias glares at me. “Really, you can’t drink them all,” He shakes his head at me.
I scowl, I’m not trying to drink them all! He just doesn’t understand. I pass him the bottle and he pours it down the drain. “I don’t plan on drinking them all. I don’t have a problem, I just did it to piss you off,” I reply with a sneer.
Tobias raises his eyebrow at me, he isn’t exactly buying it. I pass him another bottle and watch him pour the contents down the ravenous drain. When he’s halfway through, he pauses, side-eyeing me. “Why do you have so many anyway? I’m sure one bottle would have sufficed.”
“They aren’t mine, they were my mother’s. She used to work at a bar and would bring them home.” I close my eyes. The memories threaten to drag me under and I will NOT break under Tobias’ gaze. Never.
“Your mother was an alcoholic?” He asks, while he continues pouring out all of my sleep aids.
I stare at him. “Yes, but not a bad one. She was a happy drunk,” I defend. I can’t believe he just came right out and said that about her. He didn’t know her! He’d never been there when she’d send me off to sleep with gentle head pats and her warm hand on my back.
When he’s done, he places the empty bottles back in the box beside me on the counter. We kind of stand there awkwardly for a second. I’m lost in my thoughts, and who knows what this man is thinking, God knows I never do. He opens his mouth to say something and then stops.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?