Double Dare (A Neighbor from Hell Book 6) (15 page)

Chapter 24

              “What the fuck just happened?” he asked, staring at their hotel door as he struggled to figure how he’d ended up here.

              One minute he’d been apologizing for fucking up and telling her how much she meant to him and the next…

              She’d somehow managed to shove him off the bed, drag him to the door by his ear and shove him out the door before he could stop her.

              “Are you okay, sir?” a man asked, drawing his attention to large man with pepper black hair and sun kissed skin, wearing a blue blazer and an earpiece.

              “Yeah, I’m..,” he said in a daze, gesturing lazily to the door as he shook his head, having absolutely no idea how to explain what just happened. “I told her that I was sorry and that I loved her and she...she kicked me out. She just kicked me out…”

              Frowning, the security guard joined him in staring at the door. “Did you mean it?”

              “What?” he asked distractedly, wondering if he should go back in there and demand that she profess her undying love for him or if he should go hunt down a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and shove it at the temperamental woman.

              “The apology. Did you make sure that you meant it?” the security guard asked, gesturing towards the door.

              “Of course,” he said, only to purse his lips up in thought as he thought it over. He was sorry that he’d been an asshole for the last three weeks, but he wasn’t sorry for marrying her. He could never regret that.

              “Then you might want to get her some flowers or chocolate,” the security officer murmured thoughtfully.

              “Probably,” he agreed with a sigh, wondering if the downstairs gift shop sold Hershey Kisses by the pound since it was probably going to take about twenty pounds of chocolate to make the stubborn woman listen to reason.

              Then again, she had seemed pretty pissed at the end there when she’d been throwing him out…

              “I think it might be for the best if I gave her a night to think things over,” he said, shooting the door one last glance before he turned around, gave the security guard a nod of thanks and headed downstairs to the lobby where he knew an extra key to his brother’s room could be found waiting at the front desk for him or any Bradford that needed it.

              Having an extra key kept at the front desk for their siblings and cousins was a habit that they’d learned from their father and uncles. Family always came first. They’d learned early on to make damn sure that they gave help when it was needed and it was damn well needed now.

              Ten minutes later he was standing outside his brother’s door, knocking on the door and wondering how he was going to explain this. He could probably just tell his brother the truth, that he’d fucked up and needed another night to figure things out, but then he’d have to explain everything else and he really wasn’t in the mood to get into it tonight.

              When he didn’t hear a response, he figured that his brother was either taking a nap or out. He opened the door, praying that Danny didn’t decide to play twenty questions, and walked inside.

              “Hey, roomie, I-
Oh, shit
!” he said, ending with a surprised shout when he walked into the room and quickly turned around, desperately trying to purge the image of his brother getting a blowjob out of his mind even as he cringed when Jodi released a startled scream.

              “
Are you out of your fucking mind?
” Danny demanded as Darrin prepared himself for the ass whooping that he definitely had coming to him, because he sure as hell would beat the shit out of any man that walked in on him and Marybeth.

              “Probably,” Darrin admitted easily, keeping his back turned.

              “What the hell are you doing here?”

              “The hotel that we were supposed to stay at was overbooked so we came here,” he explained before he added, “I didn’t mean to, umm,” he cleared his throat, “interrupt,” he added with a cringe.

              “Who’s ‘we’?”

              “Marybeth and me,” Darrin said, raking his hands through his hair, knowing that he was fucking screwed now.

              “Then why are you in my room?” Danny snapped.

              Sighing, he shook his head. “I fucked up and she isn’t talking to me right now.”

              “I see,” his brother murmured thoughtfully.

              “Anyway, I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind switching with me. I figured the girls could share a room and I could bunk here with you,” Darrin said, hoping against hope that his brother took pity on him.

              “She’s been pissed at you before,” Danny pointed out.

              Darrin chuckled without humor as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Never like this.”

              “I see,” Danny murmured thoughtfully and Darrin knew in that instant that his brother was going to fuck him over.

              Not that he could blame him, because he couldn’t.

              He’d do the same thing for Marybeth.

              “Yeah, that’s just not going to happen,” Danny said right around the time that he grabbed him by the back of the neck.

              “Wait!” Darrin said with a touch of desperation as he tried to slap his brother’s hand away, but Danny just ignored him as he shoved him towards the door. “I’m your brother, you asshole!”

              “Uh huh, that’s nice,” Danny said, reaching over and opened the door. He swung the door open and within seconds Darrin was shoved unceremoniously from the room.

              “Where the hell am I supposed to go?” Darrin demanded, turning around to shoot his brother a murderous glare.

              “Go beg for forgiveness,” Danny heartlessly suggested with a shrug.

              “I already did!” Darrin snapped. “The stubborn woman won’t listen to reason and-”

              “Yeah, you have fun with that,” the bastard said, cutting him off. “I’m going to go spend the night with my incredibly hot girlfriend.”

              “But-” Darrin started to argue when the door was suddenly slammed shut in his face.

              “Son of a bitch!” he growled, shoving his fingers in his hair and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now.

*-*-*-*

              Food, he definitely needed food to help him figure out a few things, he decided a few hours later when he got sick of hanging out in the lobby.

              “That bastard!” he heard Danny hiss, making him smile, because if there was one thing that could make him smile tonight, it was screwing over one of his brothers.

              “I think I saw a pizza place down the street,” he heard Jodi suggest almost desperately as he glanced over his shoulder and watched his brother step up behind him in line.

              “I was here first,” Darrin reminded his brother with a glare, noting the way that Jodi blushed prettily and decided that it would probably be for the best if he left the poor thing alone tonight.

              “Too bad,” Danny bit out, ignoring Jodi’s obvious attempts to escape and pulled her in line right behind him.

              “You know the rules.”

              “Yes, I do, but since you haven’t even paid yet this buffet is still up for grabs,” Danny said, getting in his face.

              “There are plenty of buffets in this city,” Darrin said, getting in his older brother’s face, “why don’t you go to one of them?”

              “We’re not going anywhere.”

              “Umm, I don’t mind grabbing pizza,” Jodi offered, but they ignored her because there was no way that any self-respecting Bradford would ditch an all you can eat buffet for a slice of pizza.

              “When you fuck this up, and you will, you better not take me down with you,” Darrin bit out, staring his brother down.

              “I’m not the one who’s going to fuck this up,” Danny said, almost nose to nose with him now.

              “How many?” the anxious woman standing behind the cash register asked, glancing nervously between the two of them.

              “One,” Darrin said tightly just as Danny bit out, “
Two
.”

              Shooting his brother one last glare, he pulled out his wallet and turned his attention to the small woman standing behind the counter, noticeably swallowing as she shot a hopeful look towards the exit, making him wonder if this was the buffet that Jason and Trevor had managed to get themselves banned from last June when they’d brought their wives down here for Book Bash.

              “My treat,” he said, gesturing to his brother and Jodi, making sure to flash the nervous woman his badge as he pulled out his money to help reassure her that they weren’t about to go on a rampage and tear the place apart.

              She visibly relaxed, shooting them a warm smile as she pushed her glasses back up her nose and returned her attention to the cash register. “With three adults, that will be thirty-”

              “Better make it four,” his reluctant wife said as she walked past them and headed towards the buffet tables.

              “Oh, okay,” the cashier said with a slight frown. “With four adults that will be-”

              “You got this?” he asked his brother, keeping his eyes locked on his wife as she strolled through the busy restaurant.

              “Don’t worry about it,” Danny said, pulling out his wallet as Darrin shoved his back in his pocket and went after his wife, deciding that perhaps it was time to try a different approach.

Chapter 25

              “We need to talk,” Darrin said without preamble as he grabbed a plate and joined her in line.

              “About our impending divorce and your promise not to threaten to end our friendship again?” she asked, forcing herself to remember that she needed to push him away and end this for him. He deserved better and she was going to make sure that he got-

              “Fine. Then why don’t you tell me why you want a divorce,” he suggested, taking her by surprise, because she honestly hadn’t expected that. What she had expected was some more arguing, perhaps an attempted kidnapping or two, basically the typical Bradford response. Actually asking about the reason behind her decision was completely unexpected and for some reason, absolutely terrifying because she knew the large bastard was up to something.

              “Maybe we can discuss this,” he said, sounding perfectly amicable to discussing this like two calm, rational adults.

              Yeah, he was definitely up to something.

              “What are you up to?” she asked, deciding to skip the games, terror and bullshit and get right to the point.

              “What makes you think that I’m up to something?” he asked, giving her what he no doubt believed was a warm, reassuring smile meant to set her at ease, and on anyone else it would probably work, but she’d been raised among the Bradfords and was well acquainted with their bullshit.

              Eyes narrowing on the bastard still giving her that damn smile, she reached for the spoon sticking straight up in the mound of mashed potatoes, but before she could reach it, Darrin had it and was scooping a big spoonful onto her plate. “So, what would you like to discuss?” he asked as he scooped three large spoonfuls of mashed potatoes onto his plate all while smiling that damn smile of his.

              “How about we discuss what you’re up to?” she suggested a bit snappishly as she scooped some baked macaroni and cheese onto her plate.

              “I’m not up to anything,” he said, blinking innocently as he held up his plate with a hopeful smile.

              Biting back a curse and a smile, because he really was just too cute for his own good, she scooped up a big spoonful of macaroni and cheese and dropped it on his plate. Before he could start pouting, and they both knew that he was seconds away from pouting, she quickly scooped up more macaroni and cheese onto his plate.

              “You’re not up to anything?” she asked offhandedly as she helped herself to a chicken breast.

              “No,” he said, holding his plate up with that same boyish smile, “of course not.”

              “I see,” she murmured thoughtfully as she focused on the large pan filled with fried chicken, taking her time selecting the perfect piece as she mulled over her options.

              “I’m glad that you do,” he murmured as the pan of meatloaf drew his attention.

              “So, you just want to talk?” she asked, giving him a chance to come clean and cut the bullshit.

              “Yes, I just want to talk,” he said, somehow managing to keep a straight face as he lied his incredibly hot ass off.

              “That sounds reasonable,” she said slowly, trying to keep the suspicion out of her tone as she searched his expression, looking for something to help figure out what he was up to, but other than the brief triumphant expression that he quickly hid, there was nothing.

              “Great,” he said, grabbing her plate as he gestured towards the beverage table, “Why don’t you get us a couple of drinks and I’ll meet you at the table where we can try to work this out?”

              “Sure, sounds great,” she said, wondering if she’d end up going to hell for what she was considering doing.

              When he leaned down and kissed her cheek, shooting her a sweet smile as he pulled away, her shoulders sagged as tendrils of guilt crawled up spine, forcing her to rethink her plans to torment him. It was kind of mean and he was trying to work this out, she thought with a sigh, deciding that maybe she should hear him out first before she did something that she was going to regret.

              Decision made, she headed for the beverage table only to stop a few seconds later when something that she couldn’t quite explain had her looking over her shoulder and watching as Darrin walked across the busy restaurant. For a minute she watched as he navigated his way around tables, children running wild, oblivious adults standing around tables and waitresses carrying stacks of dirty dishes. When he carefully placed their plates down on the table and sat down, she shook her head, calling herself paranoid and started to turn around when she saw it.

              That triumphant smile, the same one that she’d seen countless times over the years when a Bradford thought he’d gotten his way and the one that usually graced Darrin’s lips before she did something incredibly stupid to wipe that smile off his face.

              This time would be no different, she decided, ignoring the warnings going off in her head, begging her to stop and rethink this before it was too late, but she ignored them like she usually did and headed for the salad bar. He had this coming, she reminded herself, thinking about how much it hurt when he’d suddenly dropped her from his life after he’d made her go through with his asinine plan, but most of all, she decided to go through with this because of that damn dare that had started it all.

*-*-*-*

              “Ummm, that’s a lot of lettuce,” he said, unable to help wondering why he was staring down at a large plate piled high with semi-wilted iceberg lettuce.

              “Yes, yes it is,” Marybeth easily agreed.

              “Why exactly am I looking at a plate of lettuce?” he couldn’t help but ask.

              “Because you looked hungry,” she explained sweetly.

              “I’m a Bradford, sweetheart. We’re always hungry,” he needlessly reminded her, picking up a small piece of wilted lettuce that had fallen on the table and tossed it back on top of the pile.

              “True, but you looked
especially
hungry tonight,” she said, making him frown as he looked up to find her watching him with an oddly triumphant gleam in her eye, the same gleam that-

              “
Oh, shit
,” he gasped, shoving his chair back as he got to his feet and headed for the exit, which was unfortunately over a hundred yards away and currently blocked by two little kids, a group of old ladies and some guy pausing in the middle of the aisle to take a sip of his drink.

              Knowing that he’d never make it to the exit before his vicious wife dared him to do something that would probably destroy a piece of his soul, he made a split second decision and headed towards the bathroom located in the back of the restaurant. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it should at least save his ass and give him a chance to figure out a way to leave the restaurant before-

              “Hand me my walker, dear?” an old woman with the kindest smile asked as she slowly stood up and blocked his only means of escape.

             
Shit…             

              “What’s the rush?” the evil woman that he loved more than anything asked, clearly taking great pleasure in stretching this out.

              He considered jumping over the table and saying the hell with it, but he knew that he would never make it in time. Sighing, he closed his eyes in defeat and muttered, “Just do it.”

              “And limit my joy in getting you back for the past month? I’m not really sure that I can do that,” she said with relish, clearly enjoying the moment while he struggled to come up with a dare that would save his ass, but he wasn’t fast enough.

              “Fine,” she said, sighing heavily. “If I must. I double dare you to stay here until they throw you out.”

              Well…..that really wasn’t so bad, he thought, turning around as he tried to hide his relief. Maybe she was losing her touch after all these years. This was probably the lamest dare that she’d ever come up with, daring him to do something that he would normally do anyway. She was definitely losing her touch, he decided as he sat back down. He picked up his fork and dug into his food, but just as he was about to take a bite of mashed potatoes his world came crashing down around him.

              “Did I fail to mention that this double dare consisted of you eating nothing but lettuce for the next seven hours?”

*-*-*-*

              “Wow, I’m stuffed. How about you?” she asked, knowing that it probably was a bad idea to keep taunting him, but she really just couldn’t help herself.

              There really was something about getting back at the bastard that gave her such pleasure, she decided as she made a big show of scooping up another bite of chocolate cream pie and bringing it halfway to her mouth only to set it back down on her plate with a sad shake of her head and a little sigh.

              “You’re going to pay for this,” Darrin practically snarled as he stabbed his fork in what had to be his thirtieth helping of lettuce. Keeping his glare locked on her, he shoved the forkful of wilted lettuce in his mouth and chewed.

              “How’s that lettuce working out for you?”

              He paused mid-chew as his eyes narrowed on her and she knew, just knew, that he was imagining all the violent things that he’d like to do to her. So, of course she picked up her phone and snapped another picture.

              “Hmm, that was a good one,” she mumbled, noting how the phone was able to pick up the murderous gleam in his eyes.

              Ah, memories…

              “You’re going to pay for this,” he repeated, practically shaking with rage.

              She considered pointing out that she’d graciously allowed him to have a delicious glass of tap water with his meal, but decided against it since something in his expression told her that it was probably a bad idea. Actually, now that she thought about it, it would probably be for the best if she left now since the restaurant was closing in an hour. It would give her enough time to run back to the hotel, switch her room and buy some supplies just in case she was forced to lay low for a few days.

              With that in mind, she stood up, noting the way that he watched her every move, and grabbed her bag. “Well, it’s been fun, but I’m afraid that I have to be going now.”

              “
Marybeth
,” he snarled in warning.

              If only she knew when to stop when she was ahead, she thought, shaking her head sadly as she looked over to Danny’s table to find it empty. She glanced around the busy restaurant until she spotted him with his girlfriend at the far end of the buffet, waiting in line at the meat carving station.

              She really shouldn’t do this, mostly because it was probably going to get her killed, but…

              She really couldn’t help herself.

              After watching Danny for a few more seconds to make sure that he wasn’t going to turn around, she shifted her attention back to the man that she loved to torment. There was just something so wrong with enjoying playing with fire, and she was definitely playing with fire, she thought as she threaded her fingers through his hair, leaned down and did the one thing that she’d missed the most over the past month.

              She kissed him.