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I’ve been so hurt over Maddox telling me we could only be friends, yet here I am pulling the same shit with Ridge. I shut him out, pretending he’s not there, then I have sex with him, only to shoot him down again. Now I’m back, ready to do it all over again.
The door comes open and I immediately jump back when I’m face to face with someone unexpected.
“What the fuck do you want, Trouble?”
I’m not sure why Lev has the ability to make me feel like gum on the bottom of a shoe, but he does.
Standing tall, I keep my head held high, showing him I am not affected by his cruelty. “Hi, Lev. Is Ridge home?”
“Ridge? Why are you looking for Ridge? Didn’t I just see you with Maddox the other night?”
There it is again. That two-inch-tall, gum-on-a-shoe feeling. “Yes, you did. But Ridge is my friend, too.”
“Ridge doesn’t have friends that aren’t me and Maddox. So tell me what you really want with him.”
There’s no way Lev doesn’t know how obsessed with me Ridge is. Unless he’s really fucking blind. Or just plain oblivious. “Honestly, Lev. That’s not any of your business. Is he home or not?”
Lev braces himself on the doorframe, a smug look on his face. “Yeah. Ridge is here. Wanna see him?”
I inhale a deep breath. “Thatiswhy I’m here.”
He steps aside and waves me inside. The door closes with a bang, and I jump. When I hear the lock click, I spin around to see him standing with his back against the door, hands draped at his sides.
“Where is he?” I ask, seeing that all three beds are empty.
“Oh, right. Ridge.” He takes a step toward me. Then another. “Yeah. He’s not here.”
“What the hell, Lev? Why’d you let me in then?”
“If you’re fucking with my best friends, I think it’s only fair I get to know you, too, Trouble.”
“I’m notfuckingwith them. As I said, we’re friends.”
He comes closer, and each step has my pulse pounding. I can handle Ridge’s crazy antics—he wouldn't hurt me. I can’t say the same for Lev.
“And as I said,” he sweeps my chin with his index finger, “Ridge doesn’t have friends.”
“Fine,” I blurt out, passing by him to get to the door. “Tell Ridge I stopped by to check on him.” I click the lock and turn the handle, but as I open it, it slams shut. I gasp when I see Lev’s palm pressed to the door. “What are you doing?” I ask, staring straight ahead, avoiding eye contact—avoiding any sort of interaction with this guy at all.
“Thought we were gonna get to know each other.”
I let go of the handle and lift my chin, still not looking at him. “The other night you threatened me. Why would I care to get to know you at all?”
“Oh, I didn’t threaten you, Trouble. I made a promise. You fuck with my friends; you fuck with me. And you don’t wanna do that.” His hand finds the sheen of skin exposed from my cut-off sweatshirt, fingers teetering on my side. “Unless you do.”
I slap his hand down, remembering when Zeke was in my room and how weak I was with him. Even if I thought it was Ridge, I was at his mercy. Never again will I be at another man’s mercy. “Don’t touch me,” I grit out.
He leans close, breathing heavily into the small space between us. “Has Maddox touched you? How about Ridge?”
“I told you…we’re just friends.”
Lev tsks, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “You really gotta quit tossing that word around so lightly. How well do you even know my boys? Well enough to call themfriends?”
“I know enough, and as I’ve said before, it’s not your business. I have no interest in being your friend and I certainly don’t have any interest in getting to know you.” I look at his hand that’s still cemented to the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to leave."
He nods toward the door. “Go ahead. No one’s stopping you.”
Yet, his hand still remains pressed to it.
