“Me? What the hell did I do?”
“Exist? Be around me constantly? Be my brother’s good little right-hand man and follow me everywhere?”
“Rook wants you safe, so I help keep you safe. It’s not like I’m stalking you.”
Stalking me would be better than this.
At least then he’d just be obsessed with me.
“Sure thing,Ace. Keep running around doing whatever my brother tells you.”
“Excuse me?” he asked, curling his lip. “Ace? Who the fuck is Ace?”
“You—my brother can always count on you, can’t he? MisterSecond-in-Command, too afraid to do anything that might threaten his position.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“For me? Yeah, it is.”
The pool table girl appeared again, calling for Aiden. He took a step toward her, making my stomach twist.
I hated how bad I wanted him to stay with me.
“I told you I have to take Evie home,” he said, the slightly annoyed tone making me smile.
It wasn’t enough to stop the angry heat filling my chest.
“Oh, don’t worry about me.” I tossed my hair back, my tone so fake I knew he would hear it. “I would rather walk home in heels until my toes bleed before getting a ride from you tonight.”
“Don’t be a fucking brat. You aren’t walking home from here at one in the morning.”
“Brat? Are you serious? My boyfriend broke up with me because of you, and what happens to you now? You’re going to sleep with her and have a great night. You’re the damn brat. Leave me alone, Aiden.”
Aiden locked his jaw. “You really think I care more about going back inside than getting you home safe?”
I looked at him—really looked—and for a second, it felt like one of those movie moments. If this were one of my favorite rom-coms, this would be when the guy finally figures it out, grabs the girl, and kisses her like the world’s about to end.
But spoiler alert to me, this wasn’t one of those movie moments.
My life wasn’t the fluffy rom-com I secretly love where those moments actually happen. Mine was a drama—a horror-filleddrama—with fast bikes and torture, and men who were so loyal to their friends they were blind to anything else.
There would never be a moment Aiden realized I was the love of his life. More like, there would be a moment he realized he couldn’t stand another second of me and rode off into the sunset alone.
Because no matter what I did to entice Aiden, his loyalty to my brother would always come first, and it’s the only reason he was standing here worried about me getting home safely.
I hated that I cared. Hated that I wanted to makehimcare.
A reckless idea bloomed in my mind. A stupid, dangerous, Evie-shaped idea.
I lifted my heel, pressing it against the closest motorcycle and pushed.
The first bike tipped and fell onto the next one. Then onto the next with a deafening crash.
Aiden’s head snapped toward me. “Evie—what the hell? Stop!”
I gave him one satisfied grin. “Aiden! Watch what you’re doing! Oh my god, what did you do?”
A loud round of gasps echoed around us as everyone outside turned to look at us, a roar of yells already starting.
