Page 17 of Rebel
And now we’re staring at each other. Who is going to flip the bird first? That seems to be our thing. Neither of us moves nor looks away.
Now it’s a plain old staring contest. It’s kind of fun, it’s got to be pissing him off I’m not withering under his gaze.
Raven snaps her fingers in front of his face, and he scowls at her. I sit back in the seat, it feels like an invisible piece of elastic snapped, releasing both of us.
Katrina and Laurel get up to use the bathroom, and Dana turns, angling herself to face me.
“What?”
“I saw how you looked at Rebel,” she says quietly. “And how he looked back.”
“It’s nothing, we had a run-in last night. Now we’re trying to see who can piss off the other more.”
“By staring at each other like you want to fuck?”
My lips part to argue, but there is no point. I mean… not that I want to do that. Not with a guy who pulled a gun on me, for Christ’s sake.
“Just so you know, Katrina slept with him last year. Raven doesn’t know, she’d lose her mind. Katrina thought there might be something between them. These guys are not looking for a relationship or a second go-around. Although my best friend got the President to fall in love with her.”
“Oh? Do tell,” I smile, hiding how that news about Katrina landed.
God, am I jealous? The twisting sensation in my stomach says I might be and I don’t like it one bit.
I sneak another look at him as Dana talks about her friend Taylor, whohas fallen madly in love with Nero and how they’re so cute together, which she giggles at for referring to one of these bikers as cute.
My brain is stuck on Katrina and Rebel, and when they come back, I note how she looks at him.
Raven rejoins us, and we go back to chatting. The whole time my body is aware of Rebel, and when I glance over, he is watching me too.
What is going on? It freaks me out so much I decide to call it a night. Unfortunately, Rebel and Stryker get up at the same time. Rebel is looking at his phone, so he doesn’t see me and runs right into me. I bash my hip on the back of a chair, and the man sitting in it.
“Watch it,” the man shouts and looks around at me. “You made me spill my drink, you dumb bitch.”
“What did you call me?”
“I said you made me spill my drink,dumb bitch.” He gets to his feet, the chair knocking me back, and when I grab it to steady myself, he slaps my arm away. “You owe me-” he cuts off, his eyes going behind me.
My lips pull into a thin line when I notice Rebel looking at the man as if he is going to drag him out of here and do bad things to him. It’s kind of hot, but also I don’t need anyone to protect me. I protect myself.
“Don’t look at him,” I snap at the man, stepping sideways to block his view. Rebel has moved closer, but this isn’t his fight, even if he caused it. “Is that the way you speak to women?”
“I didn’t mean it.”
I elbow Rebel to make him back off, but he doesn’t move. The guy is scared of him, but he should be scared ofme.
“Saying you didn’t mean it isn’t good enough.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“What do you think I want you to say,” I fold my arms and arch my brows like I’m waiting for the lightbulb to turn on. “Any minute now,” I almost cup my ear, but that might be pushing it too far.
The guy clearly talks to women like shit. And he didn’t hesitate to slap my hand. The only reason he isn’t giving it back now is because the big asshole is still standing behind me.
He needs to learn you don’t speak to women like this.
“Weren’t you leaving?” I glance over my shoulder at Rebel.
“I can wait.”
