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He stops the pizza halfway to his mouth. “You for real?”
My nostrils flare, thinking about the defiant way she told me no, storming off into her bathroom to get away from me. I can’t say I blame her, really. If I want to make this year easier on all of us, I probably shouldn’t threaten her, but I’m just not used to someone questioning my authority, someone pushing me at every turn. “We had a fight.”
“Lovers quarrel already? It’s barely been twenty-four hours.” He shoots me a teasing look, but there’s something behind his eyes, almost like he’s nervous for some reason.
“Just a strong disagreement about what she should be doing. She’s refusing to go to the office party on Friday. So fucking stubborn,” I say casually, trying to pretend it doesn’t irritate the fuck out of me.
“That’s not surprising—you try to get under her skin every chance you get. Might need to give her some time to think about the party. But the girl still needs to eat, man.” His voice is strained, and he’s giving me that look like he knows what it’s like to be hungry. Because he does.
“You’re kidding, right? She’s the one always trying to piss me off. Anyway, she’s a big girl who knows how to feed herself. She’ll come down when she’s hungry.” My voice is nonchalant, like I’m talking about a dog.
“Chill man, you don’t always have to be such an ass. I still don’t see why she married you in the first place. You both rile each other up. It’s almost like you fucking feed off it.” Reilly takes a sip of his beer. He’s been drinking all day, making me wonder if he’s okay. I mean, we do drink quite a bit, but I’ve never seen him drink at breakfast—that was strange. He’s been acting off since the engagement party, but today has been the worst.
“She didn’t marry me for my charming personality, that’s for sure.”
That’s the difference between me and all the other assholes from the East Side. I know my attitude and personality are repulsive, and that I’m fake ninety percent of the time. The others just think they’re the cream of the crop. Like they’re actually good guys behind the masks.
“Do you think you’ll last the year?” Reilly asks before shoving more pizza into his mouth.
I straighten on the bar stool. “We’re gonna have to.”
“I’d probably start by cutting the macho man attitude then,” he murmurs. I just grunt, sipping on my whiskey, the burn making everything just a little better.
A creaking behind us catches my attention. My head snaps around, finding Tara coming down the stairs.
Reilly chuckles under his breath. “Let the show begin.” I elbow him in the ribs, but his intoxicated ass almost falls off the stool. “Woah there. It’s a joke, man.”
Her hair is wet, sticking to her arms. She must’ve taken a shower after she stormed off. A small pinch of disappointment pulls in my chest when I see she’s wearing an oversized t-shirt and pajama pants, instead of the tank top and shorts she was prancing around in all day.
As she reaches the bottom of the staircase, Rush jolts around the corner from the hallway, running into her and causing her to stumble back. His hands wrap around her biceps, keeping her steady.
“Shit, sorry,” he mutters, looking at her intently. I put him in charge of protecting her, but he really doesn’t need to roam his eyes all over her—or hold her so close—to do that.
A genuine smile pulls at her lips. One that’s free from anger, worry, and hesitation. One that I can see in her eyes is true. It’s fucking stunning. It hurts a little, knowing she’ll never smile at me like that, knowing I’m the reason for her rage and distrustful attitude. “It’s okay.”
Rush quickly releases her, as if he can feel me staring holes into where he was touching her. He gives her one last look to make sure she’s okay, then steps to move around her.
Tara grabs his wrist, stopping him. “Are you leaving?” The disappointment in her voice has heat rising in my veins. When the fuck did they get so close?
And why the fuck do I care? She’s only a means to an end, right?
Rush hesitates. “Yeah... I’ve gotta do something,” he says vaguely, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m going to see my family. But Nix and Reilly are both here; you don’t need me. You’ll be safe with them.”
Whenever Rush gets some free time, he goes to see his mom and siblings. I don’t monitor his finances, but I’m pretty sure he gives the majority of his money to his mom.
“Oh, okay.” Tara looks sad to see him go, like she doesn’t want to be left alone with me and Reilly.
Now that’s interesting.
“Have a good time.” She watches Rush walk away for a second before she turns, heading into the kitchen.
“There’s pizza,” I announce. Her emerald eyes don’t leave mine, but she doesn’t say a word, just grabs a piece of pizza in each hand before turning to head back upstairs.
“Wait,” I call, stopping her in her tracks. Her shoulders bunch, and I can feel the tension radiating off her while she waits for what I’m going to say. “You can eat with us.”
What the hell am I doing?I should be glad she wants nothing to do with me. But watching her walk away does something to me. Maybe Reilly is right—maybe I do need to start being nicer.
She stands still for a moment, her back turned to us, obviously trying to decide if she’s going to keep walking or not. Slowly, she turns, her glare directly on me. “You prefer me out of your sight, so why do you care?”
