Chapter 18 #2
I march back up the beach, coming face to face with them. “That job still on offer?” I ask River.
His smile widens. “If you want it.”
“Yep, okay. How about the apartment?”
“All yours, baby.”
Kasen clears his throat, but I’m not looking at him. One asshole at a time.
“Good, I’ll take the keys then.”
“River can take you,” Slater says.
I flick my glare to him. “I don’t need an escort.”
“The alarm system is tricky; I’ll just help you get in safe, then I’ll leave you to it,” River explains.
“Fine,” I mutter, too tired to fight him on it, turning to walk up the beach in the direction of his bar.
“You don’t want to say goodbye to your friends?”
I turn back my death glare aimed at the smug asshole Kasen this time. “I’m sure you can do that for me, since you clearly know them. Or will you just announce it on Instagram, make sure the whole world knows.” As soon as I say it, I regret my choice of words just by the way his lips twist.
He raises a brow. “Someone been stalking my account in her time away?”
A growl comes from me. This man pushes me to the point of no return, but I can’t give him the satisfaction of fighting him. I’m sure that’s what he wants, what he gets off on. So instead, I spin and march off back up the beach, Slater’s laugh filling my ears.
They are going to regret toying with me. When I get my shit together and work out what they are up to, first item on my list will be to wipe that smug-as-shit look off all their faces.
“Hey, babe, wait up,” River calls from behind me.
I keep striding along until his arm lands on my shoulders and he pulls me in close to him, his stupid intoxicating scent invading my nostrils.
I try not to breathe, but I’m walking too fast to hold my breath, so I have to inhale, and when I do, I’m swept up in a stupid River fog.
“I’ll pay for the rent out of my wages.”
“No, you won’t.” He huffs out a laugh. “The apartment is yours as long as you need it.”
“I don’t need your charity, River.”
“I know.” He goes silent for a bit, we both do, walking in a way-too-comfortable silence until we make it to the club. “How about we make a bet.”
I glance up at him. “That’s never a good idea for you.”
“That’s kind of the whole point.”
I huff out a breath. I can’t deal with him being cute right now. “What are the stakes, River?”
“You win, you can pay me out of the wages you make at the club.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not going on a date with you if I lose.”
He covers his chest, wounded. “Although you would have the time of your life if I took you out, I was going to say if you lose, the apartment is yours rent-free as long as you want it.”
I stop walking so I can study his face and see if he’s serious. He looks like he is, but you never can quite tell with River. “Yeah, alright. What’s the bet?”
He looks around like he’s trying to come up with something, then a massive grin stretches across his face. “Meet me back here at six am.”
I raise a brow. “Not really a morning person.”
He shrugs. “Your choice, baby, take it or leave it.”
I shift uncomfortably, wondering what he has in mind. “Well, okay.”
Pleased with my answer, he takes my hand and leads me through the front door of the bar.
It’s not as loud as the party we just came from but still has a pumping vibe.
“You need your beauty sleep,” he says, taking me right the way through and to the back stairs that lead up to the apartment. He uses his fingerprint to let me in.
Once inside, it’s surprisingly quiet. “How am I going to get myself in and out of this place if I need your fingerprint?”
“I’ll have Bodhi override the system in the morning. We can give you a code instead.”
I lean into the door, not sure what to do now. “Okay. Thanks for letting me in then. Guess I will see you in the morning.”
“You’re not going to invite me in for a drink?”
“Is that what you want? Come on, River, stop trying to act normal around me. I know you saw the stuff on my phone, you don’t have to pretend you’re not disgusted by me.”
“Is that what you think?”
“The three of you literally kicked me out the morning after you saw it. You didn’t even come to say goodbye. What else would I think?”
He pulls me into his solid chest. “Baby, fuck, you couldn’t be further from the truth.
I don’t know what made you do it, but I’m not here to judge you.
I meant what I said the other night. Nothing will make me change my mind about you.
” He pulls back, taking my face in both his hands, and he kisses me quickly.
“Get some sleep. You’re going to need it to beat me in the morning. ”
Then he closes the door with a click. I stare at the empty space, trying to get my head and body to calm the fuck down. He’s gone, left me alone. Is that what I wanted? Did I want him to stay, is that why I now feel so empty? Or am I just so confused about everything that happened tonight?
Like a zombie, I pull the blanket off the bed and move over to the window with it wrapped around me, emptiness consuming me.
I thought I made some new friends, thought I could be normal for once.
But somehow, the Thrones are controlling my social life as well.
I’m not even sure if any of the conversations I had with the girls over the last few days were real or some elaborate scheme to get close to me.
I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I have to work out why they are going to so much trouble to get close to me.
I’m not just some girl they all want. Nope, there is more going on here.
And when I work out what, they are all going to pay.