“Where’s Reid?” he asks, handing me another paper asking me for my bank details.

  “Serving customers at the bar,” I sulk.

  Ryan chuckles. “Who’s there? Rachel or Kyra? Or Tegan?”

  I turn my head to glare at Ryan. “What the hell, Ryan?”

  “What? You’re a nice girl and…”

  “Ryan,” Reid seethes, walking in and glaring at his brother. They have a silent conversation, until finally Ryan sighs, obviously giving in.

  “Summer, watch the bar for a sec,” Reid says, dismissing me. His eyes are still on his brother. I jump up off the table and walk out, making sure not to touch Reid as I exit. I close the door behind me and stand in from of the cash register. There are no customers waiting to be served, so I just wipe down the table, wondering what the hell those two could be talking about. A shiver runs down my spine alerting me that Reid is behind me.

  “You okay?” he rumbles, his body close but not touching mine.

  “Fine,” I huff, looking around for something else to clean.

  “Summer…”

  “Who is that girl?” I ask, cutting him off. I sound like a jealous wife but seriously, I know that everyone is keeping things from me. I just want to know why, or in this case who.

  “Don’t worry about her, Summer,” he says in a bored tone, and I can tell it annoys him that I’m questioning him, demanding answers. Well, too freaking bad.

  “What’s her name?” I ask, spinning to face him.

  “I don’t belong to you, Summer,” he says, putting me in my place.

  I swallow hard, having a hard time maintaining eye contact with his intense gaze. “You’re right.”

  I step away and around him, walking back into the office. “Hey Ryan, do you still need me?”

  “No babe, you can go. Tag will be back here in about twenty minutes anyway. I’m about to head out, too,” he says, stacking papers into a neat pile.

  “Can you give me a lift home?” I ask him, shifting on my feet. He gives me a curious look before nodding.

  “Of course I can. You know I can never turn down a pretty face.” He smirks.

  “Trust me, I know,” I mutter, earning me a chuckle from the man in question.

  “I’ll meet you at your car.” I walk out of the bar without glancing at Reid, although I can feel his eyes on me. I stand in the car park, suddenly realising I have no idea which car Ryan drives. I’ve seen him driving Reid’s Jeep but obviously he didn’t come in that today because Reid did.

  When Ryan walks out holding two helmets, a slow smile spreads on my lips. I could almost do a happy dance, that’s how much I love being on the back of a bike.

  “I didn’t know you had a bike,” I say as he puts the helmet on me.

  “We all have bikes, babe,” he says, shaking his head at me.

  Reid has a motorcycle?

  “Yes, Reid has one. It’s a beast of a bike, too,” Ryan says.

  Did I say that aloud?

  “Your face shows everything you’re thinking, Summer,” he says, that perpetual grin on his smug face.

  I roll my eyes and jump on.

  Chapter Six

  Reid is absent for the next few days, working different shifts than me. Every time our paths do manage to cross, I try not to look at him, which is harder than I thought it would be.

  Thursday rolls around, and Tag and I are alone in the bar from six pm until closing, which can be anywhere from midnight til three am, depending on how many customers we have. I’m making a cocktail when I see Reid walk in, looking agitated. His eyes shift as he looks around the bar, before he stares straight at me. He shakes his head slightly from side to side, as if to clear it, and then heads into the back. He comes out moments later with Ryan, who is also acting a little off. Ryan approaches me and offers me a smile that doesn’t reach his ocean blue eyes.

  “We’re off. If Tag wants to close early, that’s fine. Also don’t go anywhere alone, alright?” he says, placing his hand on my shoulder.

  “Okay. Is everything alright?” I ask, worried. Something feels off.

  “Its fine, don’t worry. Tag is gonna keep an eye on you.” He places a chaste kiss on my temple. I look back at Reid who is standing at the door watching us. I look down when it looks like he's just going to leave without saying a word.

  It really hurts.

  The night goes slow as ever, even working with Tag, which is usually a heap of fun. Reid is right about Tag and women, he makes even Ryan look good. A man walks up to the bar and waits for me to serve him.

  “What can I get you?” I ask him.

  “You can give me your name, for a start,” he says, leering at me. Working at a bar, being hit on is kind of expected. But I still don’t really like or welcome it. Some men can take for no for an answer, but others…

  “What can I get you to drink?” I ask again, emphasizing the drink part. I’m not on the menu, and neither is my name or any other knowledge about me.

  “I’m surprised you’re not there with them,” he sneers, his face scrunching.

  “What?” I ask, completely confused.

  “What, aren’t you one of Reid’s bitches? I know how they all like to hang around after and wait for him,” he says, staring at me accusingly. Ignoring the douche bag, I walk over to Tag and stand next to him.

  “Problem?” he asks, instantly scanning the bar. When he sees the man that spoke to me he walks over. I start to serve another customer, waiting for Tag to come back so I can ask him what the hell is going on.

  The man leaves and Tag returns, but he ignores me. I corner him when all the customers are gone.

  “Explain,” I demand, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Not my place, Summer,” he says.

  I don’t say anything.

  “You wanna head home early? I’m gonna close up now,” he says, avoiding looking at me.

  My nails dig into my palms. I inhale and exhale, trying to calm myself down.

  Everyone knows what’s going on except for me.

  And these people are meant to be my friends and family.

  “Yeah, I’ll go,” I say quietly, getting my handbag.

  “Straight home, Summer,” he says. “Wait, I’ll walk you out.”

  I nod my head.

  *****

  I can hear banging on the front door, followed by the sound of masculine voices.

  “Don’t fucking start, Xander,” I hear Reid snap. Reid? What's he doing here?

  I sit up in bed and watch as my bedroom door opens and Reid walks in.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice thick with sleep. He remains silent, taking off his shoes and his T-shirt. When he lifts up the covers and slides into bed next to me, my mouth is hanging open so wide I’m sure he'd get ideas if he was able to see it.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I grate out, pissed at his audacity.

  “I need you,” he says quietly, his voice sounding hoarse. He pulls me closer to him, and cocoons me in his warmth. Why was I angry at him again?

  “I don’t like you,” I mumble, as I dose off back to sleep.

  *****

  I wake up with a hand on my ass, squeezing one of the globes. I lean into Reid’s touch, moaning when his hands move to cup both of my breasts. Reid’s satisfied chuckle pulls me out of the moment, making me remember exactly what’s going on right now. I pull away and sit up, gasping when I take in his face.

  “What happened?” I ask taking in his cut lip, and bruised eye.

  “Got into a fight,” he says, shrugging his shoulder. When he grimaces at the movement, I know he's probably been hit in the ribs.

  “With who?” I demand.

  “Don’t worry about it, Summer,” he says softly, taking my arm and trying to pull me closer.

  “So what, you think you can ignore me for as long as you want, and then just come over and hop into my bed?” I snap, getting out of the bed and looking around for some pants. I’m dressed in just an oversized top and panties.

  Not even sexy panties at that.

  “Beauty.” He sighs, running his hands through his messy hair. I see my pink track pants thrown over my chest of drawers and grab them, shoving them on angrily.

  “I don’t get you, Reid, either you want me or you don’t. And if you don’t, that’s fine. Just let me go so I can find someone who does!” I yell, my anger over the last few days erupting.

  “Does this look like I don’t want you?” he says dryly, moving the sheet aside so I can see his straining erection.

  Holy shit, he is huge.

  I open my mouth. And then close it. And then open it again.

  “Don’t try to distract me with that thing!” I yell, pointing at it accusingly.

  “Summer, you don’t understand…”

  “You’re right, I don’t. If you think your morning wood is supposed to be a compliment, you’re mistaken,” I growl.

  Reid's lips tighten, and for a moment I think he wants to laugh at me.

  I am so in over my head with him.

  He makes me stupid.

  He makes me forget myself.

  He makes me want him more than my own sanity.

  “Where were you last night?” I ask, enunciating each word. He rubs his face, not even wincing when he touches his injuries.

  When he doesn’t reply, I walk out of the room and head for a shower. When I return to the room thirty minutes later, Reid isn’t there.

  Chapter Seven

  “Dinner’s ready!” I call out to the guys, who are playing video games and drinking beer.

  “Smells good, sis,” Xander says as he walks up, kissing me on the top of my head.

  “Of course it does,” I brag, placing all the plates on the dining table. Dash and Ryan walk over, taking a seat, serving their plates and digging in. I look at the spare seat that would be occupied by Reid if he was here. It had been two days since I saw him last.

  “Seriously, this is the best steak I've ever had,” Ryan says as he takes a huge bite. I take a bite of mashed potatoes and wonder where the hell Reid is.

  “I’m moving in,” Dash says, his mouth full.

  “Where's Reid?” I blurt out, not being able to hold it in any longer.

  The table goes silent.

  Ryan keeps his gaze trained on his food when he says, “He’s at home.”

  “Why didn’t he come over for dinner?” I ask, noticing Xander frowning from the corner of my eye.

  “He has company,” Ryan says reluctantly, finally lifting his head to look at me.

  “I see,” I mumble, now looking down at my own plate. That’s Ryan’s nice way of saying Reid is at home, screwing another woman.

  Fuck. This.

  Xander gets up and heads into the kitchen, walking back and putting a drink on the table next to my plate.

  “Thanks,” I tell him as I open the cap and skull it. It’s one of those girly vodka mixed drinks that Ryan bought for me since he knows I don’t care much for beer.

  “Dad says he wants you to go over to his house tomorrow for dinner,” Xander announces to the table.

  “Why didn’t he tell me himself?” I ask.

  “He said you wouldn’t answer your phone,” he says, eyeing me knowingly.

  Oh yeah.

  “I’m not sitting there with him and that bitch,” I say bitterly, finishing my last bite.

  “What?” my brother asks, sitting up straight in his chair.

  “She came up to me and said some shit. I can’t stand her, and frankly I’m not too fond of Jack either,” I say, looking down.

  “Summer…”

  “Can we go out?” I ask, standing up and clearing mine and Ryan’s plates. I don’t wait for an answer because I’m going out with or without them. I walk into my room, closing the door behind me with a push of my foot. Knowing exactly what I'm going to wear, I strip off my top and unbutton my jeans. I’m about to push the jeans off when Ryan walks in without knocking. I squeal a little, covering my bra clad breasts with my hands. Instead of being embarrassed, Ryan grins and closes the door behind him.

  “You have a smoking body, Summer,” he says, approval dripping from his tone.

  “I’m glad you approve,” I say dryly, opening my wardrobe and pulling out my little black dress. Or should I say the little black dress.

  There is little this dress can’t do.

  “Are you alright?” he asks, taking a seat on my bed.

  “Are you just gonna sit there and watch me undress?” I ask as I let my hands drop from my breasts so he has a plain view of my bra.

  “Hold on a sec,” he says as he lifts his phone to his ear. “Hey, bro.”

  My heart stops beating.

  “Just wanted to see where you are tonight cos I’m taking Sum out and I don’t want her to run into you,” he says into the phone, smirking at whatever Reid replies . Ryan stares up at me, a mischievous look taking over his face.

  “You can take the bra off, too, Summer, nothing I haven’t seen before, trust me,” he says, I’m sure so that Reid can hear. I roll my eyes at his antics and take my dress into the bathroom so I can undress in peace.

  I exit the bathroom twenty minutes later, dolled up and ready to party. With my black dress, I’m wearing my strappy platform heels that make my legs look longer than they really are. My brown hair is down and ironed dead straight, and my makeup consists of a brown smokey eye and a nude lip.

  “Someone’s dressed to kill,” Ryan says as I walk back into my room, doing a little turn to show him the back of my dress, or lack thereof. He stands up and walks over to me.

  “You look beautiful. My brother’s a dumbass,” he says, checking me out again.

  “Thank you,” I tell him, meaning it. That was the perfect thing to say. I walk out, frowning when I see Xander and Dash missing in action.

  “They had to go somewhere, they'll meet us out. Come on,” he says, heading to the front door. I lock up the house and slide into his car, wrinkling my nose.

  “This car smells like… sex,” I say, looking at Ryan’s profile. Ryan laughs but doesn’t explain. Knowing him, he probably got some action before he came for dinner.

  “How come I’ve never seen Dash hook up?” I ask, suddenly curious.

  Ryan shrugs, keeping his eyes on the road. “That’s Dash’s story.”

  I make a growling sound in my throat and Ryan laughs. “So glad to amuse,” I deadpan. When we pull up into a car park of an apartment complex my head snaps to Ryan.

  “What the f…”

  “I have to stop by and get dressed, I’m not going out like this,” he says gesturing to his jeans and T-shirt. He looks fine to me.

  “Fine, go on, I’ll wait here,” I say, pulling out my phone from my handbag to keep me amused.

  “I can’t just leave you here,” he says.

  “You can.”

  “Reid isn’t here. When I rang him he was at the bar, so you don’t have to worry about seeing him,” he says, getting out of the car and walking around to open my door for me.

  “Promise?”

  “I promise, babe, come on.”

  We walk up the stairs and to the front of apartment number twenty eight. Ryan unlocks the door, and gently pushes me to enter before him. He turns on the lights and I walk in, checking the place out. It’s spacious and beautifully decorated, sparsely but lovely just the same. The kitchen is black and white, with red bar stools.

  “This is my room,” he says opening the door to a large room, with a huge bed and probably the largest TV I've ever seen. He turns the TV on and tells me to sit, leaving the room, and returning minutes later with a vodka orange for me.

  “Thanks,” I say, taking a sip. I cringe when I realise it’s mainly vodka. “If this is how you pour your drinks at the bar no wonder so many women want to go home with you,” I joke. Ryan messes my hair up with his hand and then leaves to the bathroom. I finish my drink slowly, smiling when I hear Ryan out in the kitchen. I stand up, and wobble slightly, before walking out to the kitchen to ask for a refill.

  “Ryan, I…” I trail off when I see Reid standing there. What the hell is he doing here? Yes, I know this is his apartment, but come on.

  “What are you doing here?” he demands, eyeing my bare feet and my empty glass. I took my shoes off and left them in Ryan’s room. When Ryan walks out a few seconds later, shirtless, I’ll admit it doesn’t look good. But when a girl walks up and stands next to Reid, I could care less how it looks.

  I give Ryan the dirtiest look I can muster, but he just shrugs. “Reid, I thought you were at the bar.”

  Well, at least Ryan didn’t lie to me.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was gonna be interrupting something,” he says in a cold tone. He looks gorgeous as always, wearing faded jeans and a black shirt. His hair is dishevelled, like someone was running their hands through it…

  “Ryan, get dressed, and let’s get out of here,” I say, putting my hands on his back to push him towards his room door. I grab the bottle of vodka from the table, realising there's no way I’m standing here with Reid and his piece of ass, so I follow Ryan into his room.

  “You gonna watch?” he teases, pulling a fresh shirt out of his cupboard and shoving it on.

  “Turnabout is fair play,” I joke, not wanting to think about Reid.

  Reid and another woman.

  How stupid am I?

  “Hey, you alright?” Ryan asks softly, doing up the buttons on his shirt.

  I swallow hard before answering. “I’m fine.” I take a sip of vodka straight from the bottle.

  “Does this shirt look okay?” Ryan asks me. I can’t help it, I start laughing.

  The door suddenly bursts open, the sound making me jump.

  “What are you doing here, Summer?” Reid asks, his teeth clenching with the effort.

  I look at him but don’t reply, taking another swig of vodka instead.

  Who knew I was so classy? Apparently Reid brings out the best in me.

  “I’m taking her out, Reid, she deserves a night out,” Ryan says as he puts on his shoes.

  Reid paces up and down, looking agitated. “Let it go, Reid. You need to let it go,” Ryan says softly, a flash of sadness and regret crossing his expression.