Free Wild Renegade by Andria Large Page B

then
you need to go so she can find a nice Italian boy."

 
    "Why
does she have to marry an Italian guy? What difference does it make?" I
ask.

 
    "She
needs to be with a man I can trust, a man who has values, who was brought up
the same way as she was," he says firmly.

 
    "Just
because a guy is Italian doesn't mean he has values," I scoff and cross my
arms over my chest.

 
    "He
is still better than you!" Guy yells angrily and bangs his fist on the
table.

 
    Nicole
appears in the kitchen doorway. She looks angry and embarrassed. She snaps at
her father in Italian and they start arguing heatedly. Arms are flying as they
yell at each other and I lose count of how many times I get pointed at by both
of them. I can't help but notice how Nicole is hot as hell when she's pissed
off and yelling in another language, though. Her mom and sister emerge from the
kitchen and start in on the argument. This is not going well at all. I glance
across the table at Alex to find him covering his ears.

 
    I'm
to the point where I just can't take it anymore. I stand up and yell,
"ENOUGH!"

 
    The
four of them abruptly stop talking and turn to look at me.

 
    "Nicole,
I think we should leave and let your dad cool off," I suggest.

 
    Nicole
nods slowly. "Yeah, you're probably right," she says softly.

 
    She
says a quick goodbye to her mother and sister before going into the living room
to grab her purse. Alex and I say thank you to Elena for dinner before
following Nicole into the other room. She storms out of the front door and
hastily heads for Alex's Hummer, leaving us in her dust. The ride back to
Nicole's apartment is silent. She is sitting by herself in the backseat and I
swear I can feel the tension rolling off her. I really thought it would have
gone better than that, but she was right, it was a disaster.

 
    I
don't even know what to say to her. I feel like this is all my fault. Once back
at her apartment, she takes off down the hallway and shuts herself in her room.
I sigh and glance at Alex. He's frowning.

 
    "That
really sucked," he murmurs.

 
    I
rake a frustrated hand through my hair. "You ain't kiddin'," I huff.

 
    "You
should go talk to her," Alex says softly.

 
    "She
probably hates me right now," I mutter, shaking my head.

 
    I
flop down onto the couch and drop my face into my hands.

 
    "I
highly doubt that." He snorts, dropping down next to me. "If she
hates anyone right now, it's her father."

 
    "I
just don't understand his reasoning," I say in confusion.

 
    "Man,
he's old school; it's engrained in his bones. He doesn't believe in change and
expects things to go a certain way, and when they don't, he's hates it,"
he answers.

 
    I
nod. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

 
    "Go
talk to her," Alex urges.

 
    I
nod again and stand up. I stop in front of her bedroom door and knock softly.
She doesn't answer, so I try the knob. It's open. I crack the door and stick my
head in.

 
    "Nicole?"
I ask quietly.

 
    "Hmm?"
she responds softly.

 
    The
room is dark, except for the glow of the clock on the nightstand, because her
curtains are closed, but I can see the outline of her body laid out on her bed.
I think she's on her stomach.

 
    "Can
I come in?"

 
    "I
guess," she murmurs, her voice muffled by what I'm assuming is a pillow.

 
    I
enter the room and shut the door behind me. I give my eyes a second to adjust
before I make my way over to the bed. I kick my shoes off and crawl up onto it.
I feel my way over to her. My hand grazes over her ass, letting me know that
she's definitely lying on her stomach. I snuggle up to her side. I lay my hand
on her back and rub gentle circles.

 
    "I'm
sorry," I murmur.

 
    She
shifts slightly and turns her head in my direction. Through the darkness, I can
see that her hair is covering her face. I bring my hand up and brush it back so
that I can see her better. Her eyes are closed, so I take the chance to study
her face. She's so