Page 27 of Undeniably Enemies

He chuckles. “Now, obviously. You know Rory.”

She frowns. “Aw, bummer. I can’t. I’m supposed to meet someone in half an hour. Rain check, though?”

Something oily and unwelcome shifts inside me.

“Who are you meeting?”

She rolls her eyes at her brother, not even bothering to castme so much as a cursory glance. “It’s just a drink with a friend from school. Relax, big brother.”

His lips twitch, loving that he gets a reaction from her, and I tell myself that I don’t care who she goes out with. Poor bastard that he is.

“Sure,” he mutters sarcastically. “I’ll get right on that. Rory is upstairs with Katy, but I wanted to see how your rotation is going so far.”

Now I get a look. And it’s not a kind one, either. “I’m not sure I have permission to speak freely,” she smarts.

“Go ahead,” I tell her, waving my hand in Owen’s direction. “I couldn’t care less. In fact, I’m heading out for the night, so you can paint me as your villain all you want.”

The moment I say the word villain, her breath catches and her face heats. She looks pissed, and I don’t blame her for that. I’ve been her villain more than once, more than I ever wanted to be, but the use of that word puts us both back to that night in LA. Right in front of her brother and my best friend.

I clear my throat. “Night, brother. Later, student.”

He gives me a fist pound, and she pretends as if I didn’t speak.

I start to walk away before I ask Wren for her address. That’s the last thing I want to know.

Packingtape sticks to my finger, and I shake out my hand, trying to fling it off. Christ, I hate packing, and as I look around, I have to wonder how much stuff do I have? My place isn’t much bigger than a decent-sized hotel room. I lean back against the base of my sofa and take a sip of my beer. I got a message from my contractor earlier that they should be done with everything by the end of the day on Friday. I can’t wait to see it.

I’ve never been so excited to live in a place. Then again, I’ve never owned anything before.

My phone pings, and lazily I bounce forward until my fingers just catch the bottom of it. I slide it across the table toward me so I can pick it up and resume my comfortable position.

Wren: Okay, I’ve been patient. Tell me who you are.

I laugh. I knew she’d come back to this. Wren not only doesn’t like to lose, she’s far too curious for her own good. Then again, isn’t she supposed to be out on a date? I’ve forced myself not to think about that, but the fact that it’s not even nine and she’s texting me makes me much happier than I should be.

Me: Guess.

Wren: Guess? How can I do that? The only thing I have to go on is that you first texted me seven years ago, and you’re male.

Me: Guess.

I can practically feel her frustration from here. I did say I was going to tell her if she ever texted again, and here we are, and I’m playing more games. I should do the right thing, but it’s not as though she could hate me more than she already does. For a guy with not a lot going on in his life, at least now I have something. As sad and pathetic as that is.

Or maybe I just need to get laid. Go to a random bar and meet a random woman and blow off all this steam. The fact that I can hardly remember the last time I had sex is obviously the culprit for why I react to Wren the way I do. She’s unfinished business that will never find closure, and it’s time I get over that.

But I like that she doesn’t know it’s me. I like that she’s notinstantly antagonistic, and I can just… talk to her. I’m not her villain. I’m not the guy who hurt her. I’m just a guy to her right now. Still, it’s wrong. It’s a lie. Fuck.

Just as I’m about to put her out of her misery and tell her who I am, she comes back with…

Wren: Okay, I scrolled through my contacts, and the only people I don’t have on here are people I might have had a random night with and never saw again.

The fuck is that?

Is she trying to kill me?

Jesus. I cover my forehead with my hand. Well, now I’m certainly not telling her. How many of those does she have?

Wren: But that’s impossible with you.

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