Ask Me If I Care (SWAT Generation 2.0 #4) - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,4
to him.
I gave her a smile and a wave. “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Ares. This is my sister-in-law, Saylor. That man right there is Hayes, Ryan’s step-brother.”
Since I hadn’t seen Ryan introduce Hayes once, and I really didn’t want Ryan’s attention focused on me anymore.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed.
“I know who Hayes is,” Brooke said softly. “It’s nice to meet you, Ares. Saylor.”
I gritted my teeth and looked away, really wishing I’d said no to my father when he’d asked me to join him today.
“So, did you find a job?” Ryan asked.
I would’ve beat my head against the table if I thought it would help.
Ryan would just find it amusing to know that he was annoying me.
“Yep,” I said, then turned to Saylor. “I have to go to the bathroom. Want to come?”
Right when she would’ve answered, Lock arrived. “She just went. Go by yourself.”
I rolled my eyes and did just that, but not before pulling a lock of my brother’s hair as I passed.
“Ow,” he muttered, glaring at me over his shoulder.
I stuck out my tongue and moved swiftly across the large ballroom.
I smiled at people I knew and avoided the eyes of those that I didn’t.
By the time that I arrived at the bathroom, I wished I never would’ve said I needed to go.
I’d been stopped by no less than five people wanting to talk to me.
Making it to the bathroom, I made quick work of going—I mean I was in the bathroom. I didn’t pass up opportunities to go. One never knew when the opportunity would arise again.
By the time I finished, and I was making my way back out the door, I’d been at least ten minutes.
Seeing Ryan waiting for me outside the bathroom didn’t surprise me in the least. I ignored him and rushed forward, taking a hard left and bypassing him completely.
“Why are you here with him?”
The hissed question had me turning to stare into the darkened hallway.
“With who?” I asked, confused.
“My brother. I saw you come in with him. Saw y’all talking. He doesn’t talk to anybody,” Ryan said. “So I know that you have something going on.”
I would’ve rolled my eyes, but I knew that he wouldn’t like it. And it would keep me there even longer than necessary. Nor did I bother to correct him on my status with his brother not being what he assumed. What did I care if he thought we were together or not?
“Umm,” I paused. “What’s it to you?”
I mean, correct me if I was wrong, but I was fairly sure that I’d gotten dumped by the man.
“It’s my business whether you get with my brother or not,” Ryan said stiffly, sounding pissed.
I rolled my eyes and continued out of the darkened hallway, not interested in having the conversation there.
More so, it really was none of his fucking business. The last time it was his business was about ten minutes before he’d gotten drafted. When he’d taken me as a date to a dinner, where we’d celebrated his getting drafted.
“Ares, stop,” Ryan hissed, pulling me to a stop in the shadows.
I gritted my teeth and ignored his hand that would’ve once sent butterflies exploding in my belly.
Now it only sent anger spearing through my veins.
I yanked my arm away and glared at him. “Make me.”
When I would’ve once again started off, he did make me stop.
I glared when he caught my arm again, this time tightening his hold.
I wouldn’t be escaping with the same move again.
“Let. Me. Go,” I ordered. “Now.”
“Hayes is bad news, Ares.” Ryan ignored my order. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ryan, let me go!”
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “He’s not right in the head, Ares. No joke. He’s not.”
I growled. “If you don’t let me go, I’m going to scream.”
He growled and let me go, and I barely resisted the urge to rub my arm where he’d been squeezing.
Logically, I knew that he hadn’t meant to hurt me.
He’d never been rough before and actually hated it when he saw my brother do what brothers did—i.e., hurt me just to see me cry.
So I didn’t say a word about how my arm now stung.