“Need a refill?” Jake asks her when we make it over to them. She lets him wrap his arm around her and guides her away, leaving me with River who hands me a can of coke before he takes a swig from his bottle of beer.
“They’re cute,” I comment about Jake and Zara, watching them as he pulls her into him, engulfing her small frame with his much larger one. River only grunts in response, but I don’t get a chance to speak when I see Rach walking toward us, a sway in her step, her gorgeous dark hair flowing around her shoulders.
She stops ahead of us both, fluttering her lashes at River before she moves her focus to me, “How was the hangover, Mary?”
My spine stiffens.
“It’s Marly,” River snaps at her.
“Oops,” She smiles, showing teeth, “My bad. Listen I’m so sorry about that, I thought you knew.”
Liar.
“What do you want, Rachel?” River asks.
“I just wanted to congratulate you on your win of course,” She slides her hand up his chest and onto his shoulder before she pushes onto her toes and kisses his cheek. He remains incredibly stiff, with his arms crossed across his hard chest, the muscles somehow more defined with his skin being kissed by the firelightseveral feet away. “She stole you away so quickly, no one got to say it.”
I roll my lips together and move to step away from them. Who am I to stop a woman moving in on the man that she wants, even if it is him. She clearly wants him and will bulldoze through me to get there. If my mother taught me anything right, and there’s very little she taught me, is that you don’t fight another woman for a man. If he’s able to be swayed, then he isn’t for you. It’s undignified. Granted she also told me that if he’s looking at other women then I must have done something wrong, but I got the point and I chose to forget that last part.
Because I won’t fight another woman for a man’s attention, especially a man I turned down not even an hour ago.
“She didn’t steal me, Rachel,” He sighs and reaches for me before I can move away further, “I decided I wanted to be alone with her.”
“Oh,” Rach’s eyes cut to me, narrowing, “Her,really?”
I swear I hear River’s teeth grind, “Is there something else you needed?”
She grins at him, her hand landing back on his chest, “Actually, yes, my car has been making this weird noise, mind looking at it?”
“Your brother works at my garage at least three times a week, get him to look.”
“He’s busy.” She replies quickly. “I need it for work, River, please?”
“Bring it to the shop on Monday,” He grinds out.
“You’re the best,” She licks her bottom lip, “I’ll see you then. See you around, Maria.”
River lurches forward when she spins and walks away but I’m quick to grab him, “Not worth it.”
“It’s fucking disrespectful.” He growls.
“Well, she likes you,” I shrug, stepping out of his arm, “I’m a threat, though I really shouldn’t be.”
He laughs, a throaty deep sound, “If you think I’m interested in any of these girls here, you’re mistaken.”
“We can’t happen, River.” I tell him.
“And I think that’s bullshit.” He snaps. “Step out of the box they’ve put you in, princess. Take what you want, not whatever scraps they give you.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Like fuck if it isn’t that easy,” He throws his hands up, “And here they say money makes your life easy.”
“It’s not my money.”
“So, what’s the issue?” He counters, “Not your money, not your problem.”
I stay silent as he continues to stare down at me, waiting for me to give him a counter argument but I have none.
