“The feeling is mutual.” Her voice is so cold she might as well have slapped me. Why do I care so much about what she thinks of me?
I open my mouth to tell her she’s not welcome, but the sound of her stomach growling interrupts me. She slides her hand over her waist, and as our eyes meet I see there’s a glint of humor in them at me hearing the noise too.
“I guess time got away from me and I forgot to eat.”
“You’re supposed to eat.” It’s the only thing I can manage to say, even though I want to tell her to get off this island and never come back. I want to tell her about how much I hate what she does to me, but instead my mouth has other ideas. “Come with me to the kitchen.”
“I can find my own way there.” She crosses her arms over her chest and it’s a protective stance.
“I’m on the way there, and I want to keep an eye on you.” I use the lie to cover for wanting to see what she likes to eat.
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes as she pushes past me, and I hate the way my body warms at her slightest touch. “There’s no use in arguing with you, it’s a waste of time.”
“Glad you see things my way.”
Chapter Two
Lula
See things his way? Okay, I guess we can call it that. Whatever gets me food at this point. I follow him back up toward the main houses. It’s lovely how they have them set up. Each brother has a home of their own but in the center sits a fourth house that everyone tends to linger around in. It’s where most meals are shared, but afterward everyone goes back to their own space.
I’ve taken up residence in one of the rooms in the main house for now. This place has been a saving grace for me. If Xander thinks hovering over me with a glare is going to get me to leave he’s in for a rude awakening. He’s got nothing on my father. I’m not going anywhere, so he’s going to have to deal with it.
“You can’t not eat.” He mumbles the words and stomps like a child as he walks in front of me.
“I forgot!” I throw my hands up even though he can’t see me. He’s a good three paces ahead of me and I can’t keep up with him. “Why do you even care?”
“You’re a doctor, aren’t you? I think if anyone knows how important it is to feed the body it would be you.”
I stop walking and fold my arms over my chest as I glare at his back for a moment. Then I decide to turn around and walk back the other way.
“Where are you going? The kitchen is this way!” he shouts a moment later when he realizes I’m not following him. How is he shocked I’m not following one of his orders? I never do and it’s my small way of rebelling against him.
“Yeah, but you’re not this way,” I toss back over my shoulder.
I’m not going to stand there and let someone question my being a doctor. Yes, I know a person needs to eat, but I also know my body forgets because it’s been trained to stand in an operating room for over twelve hours. I couldn’t even leave to take a piss! When I go into work mode it steals all of my focus. I don’t stop until the job is done because that’s how I was trained.
“Why are you so mouthy?” he grunts.
I scream as I suddenly feel him pick me up and lift me over his shoulder. I’m momentarily shocked as I lie draped over him staring at his very nice ass.
“If I’m so annoyingly mouthy, why are you following me around?” I huff.
I could fight him to put me down, but I don’t fight battles I know I’m going to lose. I let him carry me, which is fine because my feet hurt anyway. I spent the day getting the medical center organized. I want to be prepared for anything, especially with Collins being pregnant. Kade has given me free rein to order and redo anything I want to make sure we have everything we need. When it comes to his wife and the safety of his family, he isn’t messing around. He doesn’t care how many millions it would cost to get some of the things I need here. I bet I’ll have them within days of giving him the list.
“I’ve got to keep an eye on you. Do we really even know who you are?”
My whole body stills for a moment. I try to release it as quickly as I tensed up, hoping he doesn’t notice. No, they don’t really know who I am. Hell, I didn’t even know over a year ago myself.