That . . . that fucking bastard!
He’d played me.
“You joked about dying?” I screeched.
Who does that?
Darcy’s only response was another fit of laughter.
“You evil prick!” I hollered, and dove on him.
I grabbed handfuls of the snow from the pile to my right and tried to kill the bastard for real this time by pushing it into his mouth and nose. Darcy turned his head from left to right and grabbed at my hands to stop me.
He laughed the entire time.
I was so mad.
I pushed myself up off him.
“I knew you really cared about me!” Darcy shouted through his laughter, then mimicked my voice. “Darcy, Darcy! Please don’t be dead.”
“I hate you!” I screamed, then turned and stomped down the hallway.
I felt my eye twitch as I slammed Darcy’s living room door and separated myself from him, but it was no good; I could still hear the dickhead laughing. I stormed over to the couch and sat down. I folded my arms across my chest and glared at the living room door.
Who pretends to die?
That was not funny.
“Darcy! Go into the light, Darcy,” Darcy cried out in the hallway, then burst into laughter again.
I was going to kill him before we made it out of this house.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nealaaaa?”
Fuck off.
“Come on, Neala.” Darcy chuckled. “You have to talk to me at some point.”
I bloody do not.
“Neala Girl,” Darcy sang, his voice merry. “Oh, you decorated the room.”
Yeah, I decorated the room.
While he had been making the tunnel this morning I’d opened the box of tree decorations and hung them on the branches, taking the bare look off the tree. When I was finished it looked nice.
I’d even placed the Christmas light-up characters around the room. The fecking things were battery operated, which meant when they were all turned on they completely lit up the space, and we had been using candles since yesterday. Darcy was an idiot for not thinking of them when the power went out.
I was pulled from my thoughts when Darcy called my name again. I growled and turned deeper into the couch, hugging myself with my arms to stop my body from shivering. My blanket was in the hallway still and it was wet from the snow that was thrown around when I tried to make Darcy eat it.
“Neala.” Darcy sighed long and deep. “You’re freezing – I can see you shaking. Will you just get up and come into my bedroom, where you will be warm and comfortable in me bed?”
Ha. Yeah, fecking right.
That was the same tune Darcy had sung over and over since he’d faked his own death this morning. I wasn’t having any of it. I would not speak to him or go into his bedroom no matter how dire things got for me. Darcy sighed from behind me, then chuckled to himself.
“I’ll bring Einstein in here unless you come into my room,” Darcy threatened.
He wouldn’t dare.
“I will bring her in here, Neala. Don’t doubt me.”
I widened my eyes.
Could he read my mind?
Fuck you, Darcy.
Silence.
Nah, he couldn’t read my mind; he’d just guessed what I was thinking.
“Come on, Neala. You’re going to get sick in here. The room is soaking.” Darcy’s tone had changed to one of annoyance.
I wasn’t falling for it.
The room was wet because of him; it was completely his fault.
After he’d faked his death and I’d closed myself off from him in the living room, the fucker had opened the door and thrown snowballs at me. Yes, snowballs. He was obviously never taught not to throw things inside the house, especially fucking snowballs. He’d completely soaked my dress and blazer and the furniture, because he had the worst aim in the history of mankind. The snowballs had melted, of course, and all but destroyed the furniture, what little furniture he had, when the wet soaked into them.
He was lucky he hadn’t messed up the tree; I would have kicked his arse if he had. The moron hadn’t even noticed I’d done up the room earlier when he attacked me, because I’d turned the light-up characters off to save the battery power, but now that they were lit he was noticing.
The bloody gobshite.
“Speak to me, Neala,” Darcy pleaded. “I’ll get upset if you don’t.”
I lifted my right hand in the air and stuck my middle finger up at him.
Darcy’s sudden wail frightened the shite out of me. I quickly turned to face him just as he dropped to his knees and dramatically began to crawl over to me.
“Shut up!” I shouted, covering my ears with my hands as I got up from the sofa. “You’re giving me a bleeding headache, you eejit.”
He wrapped his arms around my legs and wouldn’t let go.
“Stop it!”
Darcy ignored me, and Einstein started to freak out and wail too, and even though she was in the kitchen I could hear her as plain as day. She was even louder than fucking Darcy.
“You’re upsetting Einstein; stop it!” I snarled down at Darcy.
He blinked up at me.
“Darcy!” I shouted, and bent down and slapped at his arms.
He wouldn’t let go.
“For the love of God, will you let go of me and stop!” I snapped.
Darcy stopped his fake wailing and looked up at me. “Will you do as I ask?”
“No.” I hissed.
He opened his mouth and sang, “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the wayyyyyy. Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse opppeeeennnnnn—”
“Okay!” I screamed. “I’ll do as you ask!”
If he’d stop acting and singing stupid carols like a five-year-old I’d do just about anything.
Darcy smiled up at me, then let go of my legs and jumped to his feet.
“Excellent. Now follow me.”
I narrowed my eyes at his back as he turned and pranced out of the living room.
He was so bloody full of it.
I shook my head and reluctantly followed Darcy down the hallway and into his bedroom. I stood at his doorway, hesitating to go inside. Darcy looked over his shoulder at me and laughed, which made me want to smack him.
“I’m not going to jump you – I’m trying to help you.”
Ha. Yeah, right.
“Help me how?” I asked curiously.
Darcy turned and walked over to his wardrobe. Opening the door, he pulled out a few items of clothing. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out something else, then turned and dropped the items on his bed and gestured at them with his arms.
“Trousers, a t-shirt, boxers, and socks. Have at them.”
What?
“I don’t understand,” I said with furrowed eyebrows.
Darcy cleared his throat. “Your clothes are soaking. You can’t stay in them because you’ll get sick, so I’m giving you some of mine to wear.”
Butterflies exploded in my stomach and I had to fight myself not to blush. I should have been annoyed with the clothing offer, because I couldn’t stand Darcy, but I wasn’t.
r /> I was oddly excited.
“I’m not wearing your clothes,” I said, simply to keep my excitement undetected.
Who the hell gets excited over wearing a lad’s clothes?
Apparently me.
“Do I have to throw another tantrum?” Darcy asked.
I wasn’t looking at him, but I could hear the smile that was sure to be plastered over his stupid good-looking face.
I looked up to him, ignored said smile, and glared. “You’re threatening me.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“You’re a clever cookie,” Darcy teased.
I grunted. “You’d rival a toddler with that bloody tantrum.”
Darcy smirked. “Thank you.”
It wasn’t a compliment and he knew it.
“Fine. I’ll wear your clothes.”
Darcy winked.
I wanted to thump him.
He was really doing me a favour by offering me clean, dry clothes to wear, but he made it out like I was doing him a favour by wearing them.
“The boxers are brand-new; so are the socks. The t-shirt and trousers aren’t though.”
I felt heat flush my cheeks, so I walked over to the bed with my head down.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“What was that?” Darcy asked, loudly.
I hated him.
“Thanks,” I repeated a little louder.
“I can’t hear you.”
Was he serious?
I set my jaw. “Thank. You.”
Darcy pressed his hand against his chest and faked getting emotional.
“You don’t need to thank me, Neala,” he said, and fanned his face. “You’re so welcome.”
I blinked in boredom.
“I’d punch you, only I don’t wanna get moron on me hand.”
Darcy cut the act and laughed from behind me and patted my shoulder. “I’m finished, I swear. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
“I won’t need you,” I said to his back as he walked out of his room, snickering to himself.
I scowled at Darcy’s now-closed bedroom door, then looked down at his clothes.
I forced the smile off my face and shook my head.
“You’re pathetic,” I muttered to myself.
I stripped out of my damp and cold clothes, folded them and placed them on top of Darcy’s dresser, then pulled on Darcy’s socks and boxer shorts. I had to use one of my hair ties to tie a knot on the band to keep them from falling down.