“So if he’s dangerous, what does that make you?”
Ryken shakes his head at my words. “I’ll be worse. Way fucking worse.”
I change the subject. “My date was wonderful. Stiles is the perfect gentlemen. How was my cousin?” I ask him, my hand on my side touching my bag. I’m trying to not wipe my hands down my clothes, the ones that I know that are now dirty with his blood. This is my favorite shirt, too, and now it’s covered in his blood.
“Are you jealous, Barbie?”
With a shake of my head, I step back again, putting more distance between us. “I think you two are perfect for each other,” I reply in honesty.
“And who’s perfect for you, Barbie?”
“Maybe a Ken,” I joke while shrugging my shoulders.
“I thought maybe a Ryken…” he trails off while talking of himself in the third person.
“That would be a definite no. One… he doesn’t know what he wants. He gives me whiplash. Two… he slept with my cousin. That’s a massive no in my books.”
Ryken looks down to the ground then back to me. “She told you.”
I giggle. “Livia tells me everything. She tells everyone everything. Most of the school will know by now. Have you actually met her?”
“She isn’t as bad as you think.”
Shaking my head at him, I want to turn and walk away. “I don’t think she is bad. I never said that. I think she’s marvelous. I adore her. But the way she is with guys… it’s just a part of her I don’t particularly like. I’ve never liked her taste in men, or the way she views them. Now there’s you.”
“Now there’s me…” he repeats my words. “She would be perfect for my life, Barbie…” he trails off.
“Me… not so much,” I say ending his words.
He nods his head in agreement.
“Good. I think that’s good, Ryken. Now, stop coming around. Stop talking to me. She’s your path, follow it to her.” Turning, I start walking to my trailer. He doesn’t leave, I don’t even hear his car door open until I reach my door. It’s then I turn around to look at him. He’s leaning against it, watching me the way he does. I bet if I could see his eyes right now they would be dark and confused.
Just the way I like them.
Just the way I like him.
No. No.
Stiles. Stiles.
Stiles is who I should be thinking about. He’s normal. He would be good for me. But as I strip my shirt off and see whose blood is covering it, I wonder if I can convince myself that’s true. Or if lying to myself will make me the devil.
Either way, I need to listen to my words.
He’s better with her than he could ever be with me.
Look at our start, if it’s this rocky already…
Imagine how our ending would be.
Chapter 11
Ryken
My fist connects with Quinn’s chin, and he stumbles backward but doesn’t fall over. Then he laughs spitting the blood onto the floor.
“You spoke to her.”
He guesses straight away without me uttering a word. I run at him again and he blocks his face, but this time I swing down and aim straight for his midsection, slamming my fist into him. He falls to the floor coughing.
“Fuckhead,” I curse him, kicking him in the ribs.
He laughs. “You’re falling for her. What a fucking collision that will be.”
I step back when my father enters the room. He looks to Quinn on the floor then to me.
“What the fuck are you two doing?”
Quinn coughs and manages to stand up, covering his nose which is bleeding.
“Nothing, boss.”
My father looks to me.
I don’t answer him.
Shaking his head, he walks out of the room, leaving us both standing there. I’m thinking of putting Quinn back on his ass.
“You have to think with your head, not your fucking cock. Do you think she’d be happy being a wife who doesn’t know what you do? One that doesn’t ask questions? I know she seems quiet, but have you looked into her eyes? Curiosity sits there in bucket loads. More so than your brunette.”
He’s right. Barbie’s eyes are full of wonder. It’s partly what made me speak to her, just so I could look closer, see inside her and what makes her tick.
“And you think you can decide that for me?”
Quinn shakes his head, spitting blood onto my father’s clean marble floor.
“I’m looking after your best interest, as I will always do, Ryken.”
I laugh at him. “You want this role. Don’t act like you’re happy he’s giving it to me.”
Quinn nods his head in agreement. “But you’d give me more power if you were boss. I’ve been in it longer.”
He’s right. I already thought about the fact that if Dad makes me take over that side of his business, I’ll put Quinn in charge of it all, so I don’t have to when the time comes around.