Page 95 of The Dixon Rule

“Why would I? It’s not there.”

“Try.”

“Fine. Where?”

“See that break between the two clouds just left of the sun?”

I suck in a breath. “Holy shit. That rabbit’s about to get his throat sliced.”

Diana’s entire face brightens. “Do you really see it?”

“No. No, Dixon. Of course not.”

She grumbles in annoyance. “Why did you even pretend to play along?”

“Because it’s fun getting you excited and then destroying your dreams.”

“I dislike you immensely.”

“Oh no. How will I ever sleep at night with that knowledge keeping me up?”

A dry voice interrupts us.

“Are you sure you two are together?” Gigi inquires, raising a brow.

Although she’s joking, I don’t miss the gleam of skepticism in her gray eyes.

And although I did tell Ryder we were dating, it feels wrong putting on this deliberate act in front of our best friends.

I glance at Diana in an unspoken maybe we should fess up. Her guilty look confirms she’s also having trouble blatantly lying. Resignation enters her green eyes, and I suspect she’s about to come clean—until her ex enters the pool area.

“Fucking hell,” she mutters under her breath.

Gigi straightens up. “What?”

Diana nods toward the other side of the deck.

“Who’s that?” Ryder asks.

“My ex-boyfriend,” she answers grimly. “He decided to rent out the apartment three buildings down from me. Because he’s a sociopath.”

Ryder sits up. He’s wearing shades, but the taut set of his jaw reveals his thoughts on the matter. “Is this asshole stalking you?”

Diana’s gaze is glued to Percy. Although we’re talking quietly, he must know we’re talking about him.

On the other side of the swimming pool, he lays down a towel and takes his shirt off. For a physics student, he’s not in bad shape. He’s tall and lean but has some muscle to him. Not as bulky as me and Ryder, but I assume he doesn’t spend as much time in the gym or playing competitive hockey.

He settles on the chaise and rests a paperback novel on his knee. I can’t make out the title of the book, but I’d bet a hundred bucks he’s pretending to read.

“He claims he had nowhere else to go,” Diana tells Ryder. “His townhouse doesn’t free up until September first, and he’s teaching a class at Briar this summer, so he needs to stay local.”

“And you don’t believe him?” Ryder says.

“Nope. He can’t get over this breakup. And he’s…” She hesitates, visibly frustrated. “Whatever. He’ll be gone soon.”

“Does he know about you two?” Gigi asks, shifting a finger from me to Diana.

“Yep,” Diana answers. “Which is another reason he’s over there pretending to read and glaring at us.”

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