Ugh.
What a caveman thing to say. What aLisathing to say. Her sister thought all men were the same too.
But Shane and Lisa were wrong.
There was a special someone for everyone, and Ryan had been special to her...
Swallowing her hurt, Krista got to her feet. “I’d better go pack my bags.”
Shane pulled her back. “Why?”
“Because I’m not hanging around here, watching those two love birds make gooey eyes at each other for the next few days.”Dammit. Now she’d revealed even more of her true loser self to macho-caveman,all women are the sameShane. Her cheeks flushed. “I mean, I couldn’t afford this resort anyway. If I check out now, I can still get some money back, and get someplace cheaper for a few days...and—why are you staring at me like that?”
“You take Mikey’s place. Come hiking with me.”
“What? Why?”
“Let’s beat those two wankers to it and pretend we hooked up first.”
“No way.”
“It’ll be six nights, Krista. Separate tents. I’ve still got all of Mikey’s gear in my car and camping permits for two. Let’s show Ryan and Zoey they never meant anything to us.”
“Wha—hold up. You want to usemeto save face in front ofher.”What a joke. Zoey had red carpet looks, whereas Krista was more your average fireside rug—as last night’s seduction techniques clearly proved. Who’d believe she’d hooked up with Shane McDermit, anyway? He was on Team Elite, and she was on Team Nobody. “It’s a stupid idea.”
“C’mon. Give it a go. Camping will be cheaper than any hotel around here, and you want to make Ryan jealous, don’t you?”
“For sure, if I were sixteen and still in high school.” Krista shook her head. “I don’t play games.”
“Why not? Games are fun.” Shane shot her a pointed look, as if she didn’t know the meaning of the word. “And I hate to break it to you, but judging by your reaction to what he’s doing with Zoey right now, it looks to me like that guy’s been playing games with you for a long time. And so has Zoey with me.” Shane stood and towered over her. “Isn’t it about time we played a game of our own?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you like the guy, show him you’re not gonna wait around forever. He’ll soon be at your feet.”
That’s exactly what Lisa always said, too!Shane really was her sister’s male equivalent.
But growing up, their mom had constantly played games with men—she probably still did with live-in lover number six—and as for their father... He was going through divorce number four. Forever changing bed partners wasn’t how Krista wanted to conduct her love life. Ryan had shared Krista’s need for steady, deep relationships. That’s why she’d always agreed with him when he’d said they should wait for that elusiveright time.
Huh. Looked like the right time had come for Ryan...but not with Krista.
“C’mon,” Shane was saying. “The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and there’re all those lakes, mountains and hiking trails to explore.”
The hiking. That’s what she’d wanted to do all along, wasn’t it? But not with Shane.
Just then, Ryan’s and Zoey’s laughter cut through the air. Shane pulled Krista into a recess, and Ryan and Zoey walked by hand-in-hand, completely unaware that they were being watched.
Krista snarled at their retreating backs.
“Don’t get mad, get even,” Shane chimed next to her.
Out on the sidewalk, Zoey’s raven-dark hair reflected the early morning sunshine. When she tipped her head back, Ryan swooped in to kiss her again.
A bolt of anger swamped Krista’s pain.
Ryan doesn’t want me! Ryan doesn’t care for me! If he did, he wouldn’t be sticking his tongue down Zoey’s throat.
“All right, Shane, I’ll do it.” She pushed away from him. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here before I throw up.”
