Tearing my eyes away from the unknown asshat in my house, I turn back toward Raya, barely suppressing my anger. Never knew I was able to get jealous. Really don't like it.
"Raya? Care to introduce me to your... friend?" I ask, not even bothering to hide how pissed I am.
She looks nervous and unsure, which only strikes a new chord of dread in me.
"This is Brody Sparks. A friend of my father's. He came by to drop off a gift from my dad. I told him I was going with you to Aspen, so I guess he wanted to make sure I had some cash to spend."
It takes me a second to process everything she's saying, because I almost stop listening after she mentions her father. She's never once mentioned him before, but she's spoken about her mother, stepbrother, and stepfather numerous times. That's not... wait, money? She was worried about money for the trip?
Did I not tell her I would be handling it all? I'm such a dick. I just assumed she knew.
"Raya, I was planning on covering all the costs. You don't have to spend your money," I say softly, forgetting about the prick who's trying to be her hero as guilt washes over me.
She stares blankly at me for a moment, and all I want to do is kick this guy out so I can wrap her up in my arms. I'm relieved when she walks all the way over to me, putting her hand on my arm.
I need to know what's going—about why she's never mentioned her father. She should know by now that she can tell me anything.
"I'll go show Brody out, and then we'll watch a movie if you want. Unless you're going out," she says, her eyes still on mine.
Going out? When have I gone out without her? Hell, I barely want to go to bed because that puts distance between us.
"Ah, being tossed out. Well, it was nice to meet both of you. Raya," Brody says, moving toward the door, his eyes on my girl, "I'm sure I'll see you around. Have fun. I mean that. You deserve to kick back a little."
She leads him out, and I follow at a distance, making sure he doesn't touch her. Then it clicks, 'nice to meet both of you.' So this is the first time he's met her. He must have just shown up, which fills me full of relief. She wasn't planning on being alone with him. Thank God.
I lean against the frame of the foyer as the guy leaves without saying or doing anything. As soon as Raya turns back around from shutting the door, her eyes meet mine, and I don't waste time with idle conversation.
"Your father? So he's alive?" I ask.
She looks confused, as though I've said something that makes her feel bad.
"You thought otherwise?" she asks, slowly making her way toward me.
It takes a monstrous effort not to be distracted by her skimpy pajamas—thin material that clings just a little too damn perfectly. Her legs are very exposed, the thin straps and low neckline of the top offer me a vast view of her usually covered chest and back. Where the hell did she get them? Why doesn't she wear them daily?
Her father, Kade. Focus.
My arm moves to be around her shoulders as I guide her toward the living room, wishing I could hold her the way I want to. I hate that she hasn't told me anything about him.
"I assumed he was because you never talk about him. He's alive but you're not close?" I pry, since she seems to be reluctant to say anything.
She sits down on the couch with me, and I keep her close, not allowing very much space between us.
"We're close," she says, not bothering to elaborate.
They're close, but she doesn't talk about him. That makes no sense at all. And he has money to give her for a trip, but he wasn't there for her when she was close to getting kicked out of her home? That doesn't make any sense either.
"That's all I get?" I say with a forced laugh, trying not to act as hurt as she's making me feel.
Why doesn't she trust me? It's obvious Brody knows, and he shouldn't know more than I do.
It seems to be hard for her to speak about it, which makes my protectiveness try to creep out. Something's amiss.
"My father and I are really close, but things are... complicated. I'll tell you one day. If you decide to hang around me after the end of school."
So it's something she feels insecure about, which worries me even more. And if I decide to hang around her after school? I thought it was pretty obvious how I felt by now. Apparently I'm doing better at hiding it from her than I am from Tag.
"I think you're stuck with me at this point," I say while smiling, loving the way her grin forms immediately. But she seems tense. "You okay?" I add, losing my smile as I study her.