The Rivals - Dylan Allen Page 0,65

the crabs trying to pull her back into the barrel?” I take a step closer to him. “Or the person who’s here because he was lucky enough to be pushed out of a gold lined pussy?” I give him a disdainful head-to-toe assessment.

His eyes narrow, his jaw flexes and he rears back. “What did you just say to me?” he hisses.

“Did you let the pretty dresses, law degree and good table manners fool you?” I ask. “I grew up with a trucker hat turned to the back, jeans tucked into my muddy hiking boots, a hunting rifle slung across my back and a bowie knife tucked into my waist. I’ve been thrown to the wolves and I have killed every. Single. One. Of them.” I am aflame with indignation.

“You need to calm down,” he says and has the nerve to reach for me.

“No,” I huff and grit my teeth. “We’re done. You are never going to insult me again. You don’t deserve me.”

I shake my head in frustration and then stand up. He moves fast and grabs me by the forearms. He presses his forehead to mine, our noses touch, our breath mingles between us and his eyes burn into mine with possessiveness and determination.

“You’re right. I don’t.” He pins me in place with his eyes “I know it. You know it. And yet, here we are. In the same place at the same fucking time,” he says, throwing my words back at me. “You take everything I give you. Even when it hurts because you know I’m going to make you come so hard you can’t breathe. You sleep next to me with your fingers linked with mine because you love me. We are not even close to done,” he grits out and I try to pull myself loose.

Right now, I’m caught between wanting to sob in his arms and wanting to kick him in the balls.

“Let go of me,” I growl.

“Never. You will not walk away from me because of some bullshit like this.”

“It’s not bullshit. I have spent the entire weekend with your crazy ass family and their friends,” I shout back at him and shake myself loose. This time, he lets me go. “Are these really the people you want to surround yourself with? You talked about your family doing good. What good does it do to get dressed up for a six-course meal just because it’s Friday? I mean, it’s like fucking Versailles. Your city is drowning and you’re dressed up because it’s Friday.”

I hurl my words like bullets and when his face turns red with anger, I know I hit my target. He grabs my wrists and pulls me back.

“You overheard me and Dare last night, but you still let me fuck you. Were planning to leave me when we woke up?” he asks angrily.

I flush because the way he says it makes it sound … treacherous. But I shake that off because it’s not remotely true.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do, Hayes. I was confused!” I shout at him.

“Did you know you were going to leave this morning?” he asks me coldly.

“Yes,” I answer. He flinches.

My family is no prize and has its fair share of shit. But I don’t want to live like this. I didn’t escape the frying pan just to jump into the fire.

“I mean, maybe if that craziness with Eliza had felt like a fluke, or the dinner guests hadn’t made me feel like something a dog dragged in from outside. Or knowing that your brother thinks I’m already measuring for drapes and counting your money. But I don’t want to live in chaos with people who hate each other—and who hate me. I mean, she slapped the housekeeper!” My arms fling out in front of me. His hands take the opportunity and grab hold of me. I don’t fight him. I

“I’m not them,” he grinds out.

“But you are. You can’t help it. They treated me the way you did the night we met,” I say with a stony glare.

He flinches.

Good.

“You have to forgive me for that. It can’t be the reason you walk away,” he says.

“It’s not the only reason. Everything that’s happened this weekend. I don’t want to fight in the place where I’m supposed to be safe. I want a calm, quiet home. Those are my reasons.” I want to cry because all I want is for him to hold me.

“There’s a much better reason for you to stay,” he insists.

“Like what?” I