“Pissed? Fucking pissed? That doesn’t even begin to explain what I am right now.”
Closing the space between us again, my fists curl tightly at my sides.
“This isn’t going to help,” he argues.
“Matter of opinion,” I grunt before throwing my fist into his jaw.
“Motherfucker.”
Sadly, Ryder has always been a quicker fighter than me, and after landing a few hits, he blocks my next couple and gets in a few of his own.
By the time we’ve worked through the worst of our anger, Ryder’s nose is streaming, I’ve got a split eyebrow and my face hurts like a motherfucker.
“Now what, genius? We gonna try going back up there looking like this?”
I shake my head, feeling totally defeated and useless. “She ain’t gonna let us back up there.”
If there’s one thing I know about my kitty kat, it’s her stubborn streak. And now she’s sent us away, that’s it until we—I—manage to find another way to talk to her.
She needed to find out that Ryder was the one with us that night, but it never should have happened like that. None of it should have fucking happened like this.
“Go home, Ryder. Give her a chance to calm down. Hopefully, by then you’ll realize that she’s mine and walk the fuck away.”
He takes another warning step toward me. “Not going to fucking happen, asshole.”
“I thought it was all a bit of fun. A way to tempt me until I would crack and take what I wanted?”
“Yeah, to start with, it was. Now, though… now things are different.”
“You’re serious? You really want her?”
He nods.
“Do you … do you love her?”
His eyes narrow on mine while my heart beats out of control at the prospect of losing the only girl I’ve ever truly wanted to my best friend.
And if she chooses him over me…
Fuck.
I scrub my hand down my face. I’ll have to leave. There’s no way I’ll be able to stay here and watch them together.
“If I do, then I can assure you that you’re not the first person I’m going to say it to,” he growls, reminding me that I asked a question.
I stare at him. Stare into eyes I’ve known almost my entire life, and I see it. I don’t need his verbal confirmation.
He loves her. And I’d be tempted to say he’s fallen just as hard as I have.
“This is a fucking mess, Jack. And I want it to be known that it’s all your fucking fault.”
“If it weren’t for me, you’d still be walking around with blue balls pining for her,” he points out.
“Yeah, well. At least she’d be safe,” I hiss.
“That is entirely your fault. What were you even thinking of letting that bitch into your life again?”
I throw my hands up in frustration. I’m not having this fucking conversation again.