Page 44 of Ruthless Son

But still, that wretched jealousy was a clawing, biting entity that had me wanting to rip Wendy’s hands off and beat her with them every time she put her hands on Rex.

Last night, I’d decided that I couldn’t sit there and watch it anymore, I took my drink to Kannon’s room and sat with Millie until the early hours, where we’d both passed out. The locked door giving Kannon the message that the room was occupied and he wasn’t allowed in. I’d pressed my sister for information on their budding relationship, but she’d clammed up and refused to tell me anything—which made me even more curious to find out about the brooding man’s intentions toward Millie.

In shutting myself away from Rex too, I’d taken the initiative to start trying to get over him, despite the fact that I’d have to see him every day. But if he was ignoring me, I could take the high road too, and ignore him straight back.

So I’d left before him, and I’d felt his eyes burning the back of me every step of the way until he was out of sight.

But that old mantra, out of sight, out of mind, was a load of shit.

Because here I was, sitting outside at the crack of dawn, watching dogs roll around on the dusty ground, and all I could think about was the hard look on his face when I told him we were just a fling. I feel like I ruined something that was budding between us, his cold-shoulder over the past seven days has been torturous. Every time he turned away from me, ignoring me, I had the irrational idea of storming over there and just shaking some sense into him—to just say ‘I’m right here, look at me!’

Yet, a small part of me, the logical side, was screaming at me that this was the best way, to just let things go and leave Rex to his solitude.

The dogs perked up, their tails wagging at the door before it opened. It was as if I’d manifested the man just by thinking about him. It was the first time he’d looked at me since the morning after we’d had sex and all of those feelings came rushing back. The icy blue eyes locked on mine, his eyebrows lowered in a glare. “What are you doing out here?”

“Well, hello to you too,” I snapped back.

“It’s cold, Mia, and it’s early. You should be inside where it’s warm. Go back to bed.” The advice seemed like he cared about my wellbeing, but his voice was blunt as he leaned down to stroke the dogs that sniffed at his feet.

I watched him ignore me as if he waited for me to walk past him and take myself off because he’d said so. His black shirt and shorts were sweat soaked, coils of wet hair stuck to the cords of his neck, and he gripped a protein shake in one hand. He must have woken up so early to have already been in the clubhouse gym, either that or he just hasn’t slept?

That same burning wave of jealousy rose up like bile, my fingers curling against the wooden bench as I fought the urge to check every inch of his bare skin, looking for scratches or anything that would tell me whether he slept alone last night.

The man had everything and everyone at his feet begging for attention, and he gave the animals all the loving they demanded as they whined for more. They reminded me a bit of Wendy and I snorted at my bitchy thoughts.

“What?” He paused, looking at me.

I shook my head, shaking off the comparison between Wendy and the dogs. “Nothing, just… why are you out here? You’ve avoided me for days, I would have thought once you saw me sitting here, you’d turn around.”

He walked toward me, stopping only feet away. “I considered it, but figured I should check in on you.” He took a large mouthful of his shake, the movement causing his shirt to rise up and show me that happy trail that led all the way down… and down… fuck. The strip of skin was mesmerizing, the tanned line of firm muscles showing exactly how much time he spent working out.

Shaking my lust-filled thought away, I waved my hands around, the blanket flew open as if I had wings. “Well, as you can see, I’m doing fine.” The lie hung on the tip of my tongue, and I cringed at how emphatic my words were.

“Good. Good.” Rex watched me through narrowed eyes, his own gaze trailing across my bare legs, pausing briefly on my crotch, before shooting upward. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Are you kidding? I’m from England, this is practically our summer.” I laughed out loud, it was almost May and the sun was shining already here. Back home, it was still thunder and lightning, and cold enough to keep my winter coat out.

“Then why do you have the blanket on?” he quizzed, like he was trying to win some kind of argument that I didn’t know we were having.

With an arched look, I threw open the blanket, showing my very white and see through pajama top, the tips of my nipples poking through like they were trying to escape.

Rex’s head fell back and he groaned, his eyes squeezing shut against the view I so generously gifted him. “Shit,” he grunted, before storming off.

He stomped out of the garden, the dogs hot on his heels as he left me. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to laugh or cry at his reaction. Before I could make a decision, the man crashed back out, his chest heaving and his cheeks flushed. “Did you sleep in Kannon’s bed in…” he stabbed his finger toward me, “that?”

I looked down at my pajamas, they were my old comfortable set that I’d had since uni. The top didn’t start practically see through, but after so many washes, the material had faded so much that it left nothing to the imagination. I plucked at the soft cotton, feeling it brush against my tight nipples, and with Rex’s eyes on me, I let out a soft hiss. “I was just sleeping,” I defended my choice of clothing, and sleeping arrangements, it wasn’t like Kannon was in there with us. The poor guy had been relegated to a top bunk in the prospect’s room which seemed to me like more of a storage cupboard.

“That’s not the point, Mia.” His teeth gritted. “You wore that… that sexy outfit?—”

“You think my pajamas are sexy?” I couldn’t help the blush that crept up my cheeks, the satisfaction that arose as he eyed me up and down.

“Don’t change the subject, princess.” He strode toward me, his hips pushing in between mine, his fists fell to either side of me, and I got a full dose of his scent. The musk from his workout was as addictive as his touch, and I leaned forward slightly trying to take more of him inside me. “You know you’re sexy, and you knew exactly what those damned clothes would do to me.”

I opened my mouth intent on denying his accusation, but why bother. There was no reason to tell him that I was sitting out here to try and kick him out of my thoughts because the jealousy was too much… only to realize that he was… jealous too?

“Are you jealous, Rex?” I whispered up to him. I shifted on the bench slightly, my thighs brushing against his legs and I squeezed them gently around him just to see what his reaction was… to see what he would do.

His nostrils flared at the question, his eyes ablaze as they pinned me to my spot. “Yessss, I’m fucking jealous!”

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