Keep It Classy (Bear Bottom Guardians MC 7)

I’d gone into a weird sort of trance where my mind was disconnected from my physical body.

Therefore, it took Lauriel saying, “Are you going to answer me?”

I blinked, making my mind focus on her, and said, “I’m sorry. Could you repeat your question?”

She did, and I felt my hands clench in my lap.

I thought about what she’d asked.

Was I a rich woman with a problem?

Maybe.

But I wasn’t truly rich.

And though I had problems, I didn’t think that they were problem enough to need Castiel to fix them.

I just needed time to get through it. To get over the pain.

And I would, meaning that Castiel wouldn’t have anything he needed to fix when it came to me.

That was when Castiel barreled into the room, kicking the door that separated the kitchen from the living room open with his foot, my fried turkey in a pan that he was holding in front of him.

He looked pissed as hell, and like he’d like to rip his sister a new asshole.

I instantly felt soothed by his anger. I knew that he heard what his sister had said. I also knew that he didn’t only like me because I needed to be fixed.

“We’re leaving,” he announced.

His mother instantly stiffened.

“Castiel,” she said. “We never get to see yo—”

“You should’ve thought about that before you pissed me off,” he muttered. “I understand why you’re doing this, but Turner is not my ex. Not even close. And you probably just ruined the one good chance you’d ever have at making a good impression. Congrats.”

Instead of putting the pan down on the counter, Castiel jutted his chin out at me. “Let’s go.”

I immediately stood up, not one to argue with a pissed off man. Definitely not one to argue with a man that was doing something that I really, really wanted to do.

Today had been godawful.

Truly, if there was a worst meet-the-parents encounter, I’d aced it.

“Grab my fuckin’ sweet tea out of the fridge on your way out of the garage,” he ordered as we passed.

“But what are we going to drink?” Lauriel asked, sounding pissed, too.

“You can drink goddamn water out of the motherfuckin’ tap,” he said. “Sorry for your bad luck.”

Then he was ushering me out the door and through the garage where Avner and Ciel were standing around the turkey fryer, lowering another turkey in.

Ciel looked up at our abrupt exit from the house, and Avner stiffened.

“Are you sure you want me to grab the tea?” I asked.

“Fuck yeah, I’m sure,” he said. “I paid seven dollars a gallon for that shit. I’m not leaving it for those ungrateful assholes. My dad and brother-in-law drink beer.”

Biting my lip, I opened the fridge and somehow managed to grab all five of the gallons of tea and immediately started hurrying toward the truck.

Once I got there, I set them all on the ground and stood back up, hurriedly yanking the door open and placing all five gallons onto the floorboard.

Once I was finished, I backed away, leaving the door open for him to put my turkey on the seat.

It was as I was glancing over the bed of the truck that I saw a familiar black sedan. At least, one that was similar to the one that I continued to see at the campgrounds parked around the area.

There was nobody in it, however, so I decided that it likely wasn’t the same one, but it sure looked similar.

A shout of voices had me turning to see Castiel pushing the turkey onto one forearm and bending down to fiddle with the turkey fryer. Both his father and Avner were glaring at the house as if something had set them off and they were trying to decide whether to go in there and do something or stay where they were.

Castiel didn’t spare them another glance as he walked down the driveway.

He looked like a pissed off avenging angel, and I couldn’t help the excited shiver that skittered through my belly.

He was so hot. Even way the hell pissed off.

When he got to me, he placed the turkey on the seat, slammed the door closed, then opened my door.

It wasn’t until I was safely ensconced in my seat, and he was in his, that he spoke.

“What else did they say to you?” he asked, trying to sound calm.

He wasn’t calm. Not at all.

I could tell based on the tick in his jaw.

“I’m not in need of a woman that needs fixing,” he said. “I know that you’re put together. Sure, you’ve had a few bad days, but that’s not my kink.”

I felt my lips twitch. “What drew me to you wasn’t your need for me, but your need for speed.”

That’s what had me laughing my ass off.

“What was it you did to the turkey fryer as you walked past it?” I asked, sensing that he was okay now.