“What did you do to her?” I whisper to Dex.
He looks up, looks down at her, then smiles. “I just reminded her that she’s perfect for us.”
Ryder cameto the kitchen about five minutes after we started eating, ate quietly, then disappeared again. I honestly don’t know what else to do to make this easier. Gage, Leo, Les, and Zane disappeared outside by the pool after breakfast; Dex said he was going to actually work out, leaving me with a brooding Ryder.
“Talk to me,” I tell him from beside him on the loveseat. His head is leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, his hand casually laying on my thigh.
“About what?”
“Don’t do that,” I snap. “Don’t act like there aren’t a thousand fucking things we can be talking about.” I try not to shrink back when he turns those dark eyes on me. I don’t mean to snap, but damn, I’m getting tired of his mood.
He raises an eyebrow. “You want to talk about Zane? Go right the fuck ahead.”
I sigh. “You need to move on from this, Ryder.” I turn more to face him. “He saved my ass yesterday.”
“You can handle yourself,” Ryder argues.
“I wasn’t packing. You know I don’t like to carry.” I raise my hand when he opens his mouth with what I know will be a lecture. “Point is…he didn’t have to do that. He’s not that bad.” I unrightfully judged him before. All I knew about him was the bad shit, not the good stuff I’m finding out about now.
“How the hell am I supposed to move on from this? I can’t even be in the same fucking room with him. I don’t think I can do this,Bello.”
I roll my eyes. “You haven’t even given him a damn chance.”
“Mark my words,” he grits out. “He will fuck up again.”
“I don’t think he will,” I argue back. “That’s wishful thinking on your part, and that’s fucked up. Because if he messes up again, that will break Les. Again.”
Ryder stands up from the loveseat without comment, striding out of the room.
I get up and follow him, running into his back when he stops suddenly. I step to his side to see Les and Zane further down the hallway, just inside the door that takes you to the patio. Zane has Les pressed against the wall, his lips locked over hers, his hands planted firmly on her ass.
“What the fuck?” Ryder growls, causing them to break apart. Their lips anyway, Zane’s hands are still on her ass.
Gage comes through the door and stops dead in his tracks when he sees Les and Zane’s position with Ryder down the hallway. His head whips back and forth between Zane and Ryder, death glaring at each other, making his floppy hair fly with each twist of his head. We’ve seen Zane interact with Les, but Ryder hasn’t.
I have no idea what to do, and a nervous laugh bubbles up my throat.
“Well,” Gage says, looking between them again. “This isawkward as fuck.” Zane steps back from Les, he and Ryder giving Gage the same look, at the same time, narrowed eyes and all.
The laugh comes out before I can stop it and I have no hope of even covering it up with a cough.
“Something funny,Bello?” Ryder asks me between clenched teeth. I shake my head, still laughing. I hear Les giggle, then Gage loses it. Before long, all of us are laughing but Zane and Ryder. Ryder looks at Zane. “You might as well continue shoving it in my fucking face.”
We all stop laughing, and Les’ eyebrows hit her hairline. “I’m not shoving it in your face,” Zane grits out.
“No. You hide like the goddamn coward you are,” Ryder grinds, taking a step forward.
“I stay out of the way to avoid bullshit like this,” Zane argues, just as pissed off.
“If you can’t take all the excitement, old man, the door is right fucking there,” Ryder says, pointing to the garage door.
Gage’s head whips to Ryder. “Oh fuck,” Gage mutters.
“Who the fuck are you calling an old man?” Zane asks, stepping away from Les and closer to Ryder.
I slide my arm around Ryder’s waist. “Okay. I think we need to take a step back.”
Zane’s eyes catch the movement, and he hitches an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.
