Noah’s body goes rigid. “You son of a—”
I land my palm flat against his chest before he can move. “Noah, no.”
My attention snaps back to Ryan.
“Ryan,” I say firmly, stepping closer. “Please. This is not a good idea.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
His chest is rising quickly, his jaw clenched so tightly it looks painful. Carefully, I reach out and place my hand on his arm.
“Let’s just go,” I whisper.
For a moment I’m not sure he even hears me. Then his eyes flick toward mine and something in them shifts. Slowly, he releases Jacob.
Jacob stumbles forward, breathing hard, straightening his blazer, panic written clearly across his face. And Ryan takes a couple steps back.
Kiara steps past me. “You ever go near her again—”
Her knee comes up fast and sharp. Jacob crumples with a strangled grunt. Mel and Liam dump their drinks over him without missing a beat, soda splashing down the back of his shirt.
“Oops,” Mel says flatly. “Slipped.”
“Let’s go,” Liam says immediately, already ushering us down the hallway. We move together toward the exit, adrenaline still buzzing in the air. Behind us, Jacob is curled on the floor, groaning.
What the actualfuckjust happened?
29
RYAN
That goddamn dress
I’ve never had a stronger urge to punch someone in the face so hard they’d need to be hospitalized. Even now, as the car pulls into the driveway, my fists are still tingling like they’re not satisfied. I mean fuck—I’m not satisfied either. I wanted to wipe that smug look clean off Jacob’s face.
Jesus Christ. I need to calm down.
Noah kills the engine as we roll to a stop in the driveway. The car doors open one after another. I step out first, my shoes crunching against the gravel, and the others follow a second later. As we head toward the front door, Maddy walks a few steps ahead of me, Liam, Noah, and Mel falling into place beside her. Kiara drifts back, matching my pace.
“Dude,” she mutters quietly, her eyes flicking over my face. “You good?”
“I’m fine,” I say automatically.
“You sure?” she presses, studying me. “Because you look pale as hell.”
“Yeah,” I repeat, softer this time. “I’m fine.”
Judging by the look she gives me, she sees straight through my bullshit. But thankfully, she lets it drop.
My gaze shifts toward Maddy. She’s quiet. Arms crossed loosely over her chest, her eyes fixed somewhere ahead like her brain is still running through a hundred different thoughts.
Something tight pulls in my chest.
Shit. Is she mad? Is she freaked out? The last thing I ever wanted was to scare her.
We move slowly toward the front door, the crunch of gravel loud in the quiet night. Just before we reach the porch, Maddy glances back at all of us.
“Hey,” she says softly. “Can we… maybe not tell Dad what happened before he freaks out?”
