I pull my arm from her hold and shoot her an exasperated look. “We’ve been over this before, Tiff.”
She doesn’t take my subtle hint of trying to let her down easily. Not that she ever did.
“But,” she whimpers. “Just think of the power couple we could be, Huntie. We could rule these hills.” Leaning forward, she seductively whispers, “What’s more, there’s nothing I wouldn’t give to be the woman you ruled.” Biting her bottom lip, looking me up and down, she says, “Get the picture?”
Having had enough, I cut her off quickly. “Take it from me, Tiffany. Real men don’t rule with a woman by their side who started off on their knees sucking their way to the top.”
Her eyes grow wide in astonishment and I almost feel bad for my comment. I hope to God Edward didn’t hear me disrespect her like that. Before I have the chance to apologize, her father calls out to her telling her that they are leaving. I overhear Edward apologizing to Charles for having to be excused to speak to the mystery guest earlier. A guest I worry I’ll never have answers to. How the hell Tiffany saw and heard who it was and Victoria didn’t is beyond me. Tiffany continues to stare at me with wide eyes and a furious expression. When I don’t respond to her dramatics, she huffs off and Victoria laughs.
“God that was priceless. I wish we had that on video. What some people would pay to see Ms. Tiffany put in her place.” I take V’s arm and follow her into the house. “What are you doing here this time of day?” she asks.
Edward follows quickly behind us, closing the front door and taking a call on his phone before excusing himself to his study.
“Uh-oh,” Victoria says, reading the burdens weighing down my mind. “That bad huh, Romeo?”
Shaking my head, I set my helmet down on the table in the center of the entryway and walk into the living room to pour myself a drink from the bar. Victoria follows and sits on a stool across from me as I take the scotch from its shelf.
“I’ll take a glass of that,” she says, as I finish pouring myself a double. Handing her the first glass, I grab another and fill it the same. Holding it up to her, she cheers me and we both take a sip. The liquid burns on its way down. I savor the moment as the tension in my shoulders finally starts to subside.
“Gonna tell me about it?” she asks as she swirls the liquid around in her glass.
“Not much to tell,” I lie. “She broke my heart, I’ll live. Won’t be the last time I come home with my tail between my legs.”
I lift my glass up to my lips again and actually try to believe the lie I just told.
“I call bullshit,” Victoria says as she takes another sip.
I follow suit and take a longer gulp than her. Setting my glass down on the counter, I grab the bottle to refill both our drinks. “You know, funny thing V. I did too, but she won’t even speak to me. I honestly think she doesn't want to see me again.” In unison, we both lift our glasses to our lips, and take another sip. Setting them back down, I continue, “But God, I know she is lying to herself as much as she is lying to me. If she feels have the way that I do about her, there is no way in hell she can keep this up much longer, because fuck – it is killing me.”
“What did you do?” She asks.
“Who says I did anything?” I counter.
“Come on, Hunt. Girls just don’t go acting all crazy for nothing.” I raise a questioning brow and she rolls her eyes. “Okay, most girls. Like me, and … Rochelle. There has to be something that happened. Are you going to tell me what, or not?”
“Shit if I know. For all I can tell she somehow got wind of me leaving this summer for Ol’ Miss. But hell, I’m not going anymore. I can’t, not after meeting her.”
“And you told her this?”
“Yes,” I hiss, annoyed that she would even ask such a stupid question. “Of course I did. I had to let her know so she didn’t have to worry…”
Victoria cuts me off with another roll of her eyes and a heavy sigh.
“Hunter…” she groans. “If Rochelle is the type of girl I think she is, do you really think she would let you give up on your dream for her?”
“Well, no, but….” I start to say, but the brat speaks over me again.
“Would you let her give up her dreams for you?”
“No, but, you got it all wrong, and…”
“So why did you ever think, if she loves you, the way you love her, that she would be the selfish ‘Tiffany’ type that demands you give while she only takes?”
Hit with entirely too much logic, I stare at Victoria and have no response. Instead, I say the only thing that is real and true and scares that absolute shit out of me. “I can’t lose her, Victoria.”
She shakes her head and frowns. “Then you won’t, Hunter. I promise you won’t.”
She reaches over and grabs my hand. I hold onto it like a lifeline because her words gave me hope when all else failed.
