“You think they’ll be jealous?”
“I think it’ll look like I have another person in my corner, and it’ll just make them angrier. It could work against you too. They might target you.”
“If they try, I’ll deal with them,” I said, waving off her concern. The others didn’t scare me, not even Jiro. I wouldn’t let anyone come between us.I wish she knew I’d do anything for her.
“Kenji,” she said, her tone dropping into that calm, cooing register that always fucking wrecked me. “Our goal is to make sure we’re the last two standing. It’ll be hard enough getting to the end. No need to add to the difficulty, okay? You understand what I’m saying?” She rubbed my arm gently.
“Fine,” I muttered, looking away briefly, only to feel her lips brush my cheek in a quick peck.
“Go do your chores, and I’ll do mine. We’ll meet up after, okay?”
Before I could answer, not that it was really a question, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Damn it. I came on too strong. Why do I always do that? I’ve got a good thing going here. I just need to rein it in. I can’t let my feelings screw this up.
What Akiko needed at the moment was strength. She needed to see me as her rock, her safety net. That’s what women liked in men: stability and confidence. Not a lovesick puppy dog following them around, wagging his damn tail. I knew we’d be perfect together. She just needed to see it too.
As I headed to my chore duty, I spotted Jiro in the distance, leaning casually against a small structure, that same smug grin plastered on his face. I’d had enough of his bullshit. My fists clenched before I realized it, and I stormed toward him.
“What’s so funny, huh?”
Jiro straightened, still grinning like an idiot. “I’m just enjoying the day. Clear skies, warm sun,” he said, spreading his arms wide like some damn philosopher. “What’s not to like?”
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing in mock concern. “But you, Kenji? You don’t look like you’re having such a great day. Trouble in paradise? Someone leave you in a hurry?”
“Shut up. You have no idea what you’re talking about. And from now on, stay the hell away from Akiko.”
Jiro’s grin widened, taunting me. “Oh? And who’s going to stop me? You?”
“Damn straight.” I got right up in his face, chest heaving, daring him to make a move. “I see the way you look at her. Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work. She has no interest in you, bro. Just give up already.”
I bumped my chest into him, knocking him back a step. His smug grin faltered, and I thought for a second I’d shut him up for good. But then he snarled, fists clenching, ready to throw down.
Before he could swing, Iron Face materialized out of nowhere, his expression pure fury. “Why are you two just standing here? Get to work!”
Jiro’s grin snapped back into place, daring me to wipe it off his face. “Watch yourself,” I said.
He leaned back, smirking, and delivered the line that sent every ounce of blood in my body boiling. “Nah, I think I’ll keep watching her. I used to love the curve of her ass when she climbed out of bed after I ruined her.” He paused, feigning mock surprise. “Oh, that’s right. You wouldn’t know much about that, would you? First base still out of reach?”
The bastard. My vision went red. Every instinct screamed at me to swing, to slam him into the ground and pound his face until he didn’t have one anymore. But Iron Face was standing right there, and I couldn’t risk it. Not yet.
Jiro sauntered away, Iron Face shoving him along. I stayed rooted in place, trembling with rage. Every step Jiro took was punctuated by a laugh, making my fists itch to strike.
One thought burned as I headed toward my chore duty:I can’t let him take her from me. She’s mine!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AKIKO
I dabbed a wad of toilet paper against my forehead, soaking up the slickness caused by my chore. Cleaning the bathrooms was mindless work, but today, I scrubbed extra fast, eager to finish and lose myself in the library’s quietness. With the stalls finished, I moved to tackle the showers.
On my hands and knees, I scrubbed at the stubborn grime between tiles, my conversation with Kenji replaying in my head. He’d always been my rock here, my constant since day one. His silly jokes and steady presence could brighten even our darkest days. I loved that he always looked out for me.
I hear abutcoming.
Yes, there’s one coming.
As much as I appreciated his efforts, they felt…suffocating lately. Kenji walking around like my personal bodyguard wasn’t helping me. Strength and independence. That’s what I wanted people to see. Not a girl with a safety net.
