Stubborn

DARIAN

"Do you want me to try?"

"You can try. But to get out of here, you won't just have to get past security—you’ll have to get past me."

He took a step. I took one too. The distance between us closed so much that I could feel his breath on my skin. I could see that with every movement, he was trying to hide another emotion just as intense as his anger.

He had enjoyed our kiss as much as I did. Even if he made stinging remarks, I knew it. Did he think I didn’t? What did he take me for? Some teenager having his first kiss?

"So, you won't let me leave?" she asked, her voice dropping to a challenging whisper.

"Just realizing that now, little lady?"

A moment of hesitation… Her eyes locked onto mine. A spark flickered in her gaze. Suddenly, she pulled back, took a sharp breath, turned around, and marched toward the villa.

I smiled.

As she turned and started walking, I was about to congratulate myself on my victory. But her steps weren't headed for the villa; she was veering toward a secluded corner of the garden.

My brows furrowed. What the hell was she up to now? "Where are you going?"

"I’m staying here," she said nonchalantly.

I narrowed my eyes. "You're doing what?"

"I’m not going into the villa. Since you won’t let me leave, I’ll stay in the garden."

I shook my head. "Don't be ridiculous, girl!"

"Who’s being ridiculous is debatable. You’ve been trying to kick me out since morning, and now you’re stopping me from leaving." She crossed her arms and sat down on the cold stone ground. "You can't force me inside."

Stubborn as a mule! I took a step and stood over her. "Get inside."

"What, are you going to chase me with a whip?" she asked with a mocking smirk. "Or will you pick me up and carry me in by force? You could try, of course, but I think it would be quite an entertaining show for security."

A whip, carrying her… Was she internally extending a sexual invitation or what? She kept sending provocations to my mind just to spite me. The devil was whispering… Any other time, I would have done it just to drive her crazy. I didn't want to carry her by force. I wanted her to walk in on her own two feet. I wanted her to accept it, to agree to stay here… But she had the stubbornness of a mule, a goddamn headstrong streak.

"You'll get cold."

"That's my problem."

"It might rain."

"It’ll be like taking a shower."

"The mosquitoes will eat you alive."

"I've been surrounded by bugs since I was a kid; I'm immune."

I grit my teeth in frustration. I didn't want to deal with this, but she was leaving me no choice.

"Get inside," I repeated.

"Fuck off!"

I pulled my phone from my pocket and, without saying a word, killed the lights to the villa. The entire garden was plunged into pitch-black darkness. Maybe the dark would make her decide faster and get her into the house.

Silence.

Then, only her voice was heard in the dark. "That was childish."

"I’m not a child, little lady. Want me to prove it? The more you persist, the more 'different' methods I'll find." Clearly, the darkness wasn't working.

"What happened? Did you fall in love after one kiss? Are you that desperate?"

I frowned. "Desperate?"

Even though I couldn't see her face in the dark, I could feel her mocking expression.

"Seems like it," she said dismissively. "What other reason could there be for you trying to keep me here by force?"

I laughed. A cold, irritating laugh. I wasn't desperate for anything. But since that kiss, certain scenes had been popping into my head unbidden, making me grumble irritably.

"Yes, Belinda. I’m hooked on you after just one kiss. I’m desperate, starving, miserable. I’m a wreck without you," I said, trying to lace my voice with total indifference.

"Then go find someone else and relieve yourself," she said bluntly. "You’re acting out because you’re frustrated. It’s not right."

I took a deep breath. I wasn't actually angry with her. It was just this stubbornness of hers that was driving me insane.

I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Get up and go inside."

"No."

"Belinda!"

"What?"

Fuck! I was struggling not to strangle this woman.

I took a couple of steps closer to her. "Are we going to bicker like this until morning, or are you going to make a smart decision?"

"I already made a smart decision. I’m not going in."

I couldn't see exactly what she was doing in the dark. When she stepped out from under the tree, the light from outside allowed me to see her movements. She pulled a few items from her suitcase. She put one on and placed another under her seat.

"I’ll stay here all night. And when morning comes, I’m leaving."

"The gate won't open in the morning either."

"You can't keep me here forever, can you?"

"We'll think about that when it's morning."

Then we went silent.

She held her ground.

And I waited patiently for her to move. She didn't!

I sighed in frustration. Clearly, she was going to stand her ground all night just to defy me.

Finally, I gave up and looked for a place to sit. "Fine, little lady. Then I’m staying here too."

"What?"

I sat down and leaned my back against the tree. "If you're staying here, so am I."

"What you're doing makes no sense."

"Does what you're doing make sense?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry," I said finally. "I didn't actually mean to 'test' you. It just came out of habit. I wasn't throwing the fact that you have no family in your face." I fumbled awkwardly. "Look, I’m not someone who apologizes easily."

"Oh, how generous of you," she said sarcastically.

Just then, all the lights of the villa flickered on. I paused when I realized how close we were sitting. Her angry gaze was fixed on me.

"Don't turn off the damn lights again!" Luke shouted. "You're not the only one living here."

Had he really waited for me to sit right next to Belinda before doing that?

"Get along with me," I said finally. "You need me."

I didn't know how to soften my goddamn tone. My heart was burning with regret over what I had said earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn't have cared what the hell she did or where she went… Now, I was practically in a position where I was begging her to stay.

Fuck! Her stubbornness was pushing my patience to the limit.

"Don't flatter yourself. I’ll find another way, of course. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go and see what I can do. I don't need you. I won't. I don't give a damn what you think. At first, I didn't know what to do in a panic. You seemed like a valid option, but when someone wants to, they can find many options. And I will find one. I always have."

When Rose—whom I hadn't noticed coming down—approached us, Belinda stopped talking and turned toward her.

"Don't go at this hour," Rose said. "If you don't want to stay in my brother's house, at least be our guest for tonight."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at her face.

"Your husband doesn't like guests." Why were they meddling in my business? She was going to give in and go into the house eventually anyway.

"My husband is more hospitable than you, brother."

Belinda stood up as if she had won a victory over me.

"I’m coming, thank you," she said to Rose. Then she stepped closer to me.

"You can keep your house and your room. You can even satisfy yourself looking at that picture on the wall. It’s better than being 'desperate,' I suppose. You know what they say—'more power to your elbow!'"

She tossed her hair, took her cat, and dragged her suitcase behind Rose.

She definitely had no filter. Neither on her tongue, nor on her swaying hips… She was catching my eye way too much. She was the living embodiment of the saying, "Small in stature, big in trouble." Little slut!