Page 74 of Devilish Ink

I tried to push into the apartment. “I thought I could come in—”

He blocked my path. “No.”

What was I supposed to say to him? My thoughts raced. What had I practised on the long drive to the city, repeated again and again along those narrow, winding country roads? I couldn’t focus. Couldn’t think.

All my mind was Ry. All my heart was Ry. I needed to talk to her. She’d turned me into a junkie at a dealer’s door. Desperate. And only growing more and more desperate.

“Rian…” I glanced past his shoulder, tried to see into the apartment a glimpse, any sign, of Ryleigh. “I know things aren’t great between us right now and that kills me and I hope it can change—”

“I don’t have time for this. I’m going to be late. So kindly fuck off.”

Rian stepped outside before slamming the door behindhimself, the lock clicking shut, cutting off my access to the apartment, to Ryleigh. It took everything in me not to lunge at the closing door.

“What are you looking at?” he demanded.

I glanced back at Rian and found him glaring at me. “I’m, um, no one…”

Shite.

Confusion bled across Rian’s face.

I saw the moment when he put two and two together. My sudden appearance even though I was clearly not here for him. My desperate need to get past him.

Perhaps Ryleigh had told him about the “Lee” that she’d been seeing while he’d been in rehab.

His realisation was a knife to my own heart. A knife to my own back.

If I had any chance of reconciling with Rian, I’d just thrown it away. Just like that.

Fury bled across his face until it was all I saw.

“You go near Ryleigh and I’ll kill you,” Rian growled. “Do you hear me?”

I stumbled back as if he’d actually hit me. As if he’d lashed out physically, not just with his words.

“I’ll fuckingkillyou.”

RY

It’d been four days and seventeen hours since I’d seen Lee watching Rian and me from the steps of Rian’s apartment.

His absence burned like a fever.

Before I could call out to him, he turned and in a blink, disappeared into the shadows. I realised how it must have looked to Lee. The closeness. The touching. My eyes misty as I locked gazes with Rian.

And us about to walk into Rian’s apartment together.

Was that why Lee had stayed away? Was that why he was refusing to answer my text, to return my calls?

Had he seen me with Rian and misunderstood? Taken the love of friendship for the love we had?

“Rian, I’ll befine,” I said as I buried myself further under my blankets. “Go.”

I winced against the lamp light as Rian lifted the corner of the thick comforter. The back of his hand came to rest against my forehead even as I protested and tried to push him away.

I groaned when he sank down on the edge of the mattress.

Rian grabbed my wrist. His thumb pressed against my fluttering pulse. I rolled my eyes.

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