Never His Girl (Kings of Cypress Prep #2) - Rachel Jonas Page 0,99

bites into his burger after asking.

“Of course. First game’s scheduled for right after Christmas break.”

He nods, swallowing before giving a response. “Can’t wait to see you on the court again.”

The statement makes my heart skip a beat, because I know West will definitely be there, too, and I also know these two absolutely hate one another.

I don’t speak on it, though, because that conversation wouldn’t end well. Instead, I settle on just crossing that bridge when we get to it.

My gaze drifts to the front of his dark t-shirt and I point at the nametag stuck to his chest.

“You visited someone at the hospital?” I ask, reading the words Cypress Pointe Memorial printed above his name.

He glances down when I call attention to it.

“Oh, yeah. Maria went into labor this afternoon,” he shares, bringing a smile to my face. She’s one of his many cousins I’ve met, but by far my favorite.

“I hadn’t even heard she was expecting! Tell her congrats for me.”

Ricky nods. “Will do.”

“Boy or girl?” I ask next, which has him grinning.

“Both, actually. Second set of twins in the family this year. That’s gotta be good luck or something, right?”

My brow quirks. “Guess I assumed your dad and Paul being twins was kind of a one-off.”

“Nope,” he answers, sipping from his glass. “But you didn’t bring me here to talk about my family, so to what do I owe the pleasure?”

I smile when he does.

“Well, since you brought it up, there are a few things I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

He gives a casual nod. “Got anything to do with me meeting up with your boy at the pier?”

“Partially,” I say, “but that’s actually not where I hoped this conversation would begin.”

One of his brows shoots up and he flashes that gray stare at me.

“What’s up?” he asks.

I take a deep breath and just speak from the heart. Like I advised West to do.

“Listen, you and I are friends, and we don’t hold shit back from each other, right? At least, I don’t think we do,” I add, correcting myself. “Basically, I wanted you to hear it from me that West and I are together now. Officially.”

This admission has me feeling sort of off kilter. Mostly because of how Ricky’s staring, like he’s thoroughly unimpressed with the whole idea of me being with West.

“Hm. Interesting,” he says flatly. “And he’s cool with you being with me tonight?”

I nod. “Yes, because he trusts me.”

“Maybe,” he scoffs, “but he sure as shit doesn’t trust me.”

Letting the conversation head in this direction feels like a trap, so I avoid it. There would be no point in explaining that the trust between West and I goes both ways, and that he’s out having a similar conversation with Casey. Instead, I try to move things forward.

“So, is there anything you want to say?” I ask. “While we’re sitting here, while the conversation’s open?”

He lets out a humorless, passive-aggressive laugh that grates my nerves.

“Like you’d listen to me anyway,” he grumbles under his breath.

My brow tenses then and I refuse to let him get under my skin, remembering that none of this is easy for him, none of it’s black and white.

“Ricky, you’re one of my best friends,” I remind him. “I always listen to you. Even when it’s hard to. So, if you have something to say, I’m listening now.”

He can’t deny that, which is why he seems to be softening a bit. He remains quiet at first, but then breathes deeply just before speaking his mind.

“I think this guy’s bad news,” he openly admits. “And I think you need to cut ties before you get in too deep.”

Those words have me squirming in my seat, feeling uncomfortable because I’m already in too deep. My heart is about as entangled with West as it can possibly be, and there’s no turning back at this point.

Ricky leans in and I’m trying to focus, trying not to let my emotions cloud my thinking right now, but it’s not easy.

“When I met with him at the pier the other day, I didn’t tell him everything because I don’t trust his ass,” he says sharply. “But, B, his dad’s into some dark shit. Right alongside my uncle.”

To keep him from seeing how my hands are shaking all of a sudden, I clasp them in my lap.

“Dark… how? What are they into?”

A look of frustration passes over Ricky and I feel so uneasy.

“I don’t ask questions because I know better, but there’s a word that’s