Page 37 of On The Edge
Reis had laughed hard, a full-belly laugh that filled the air and warmed my heart. I still sit and try to remember exactly how melodic it sounded when I’m sad because it immediately cheers me up.
“Oh, I remember. I had wood glue stuck to my hand and flaking off painfully for days. That thing barely stood up.” He rolled to the side to look at me, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes as he looked at me like I was the most important thing in his world. “No, Mel, I think we should build a treehouse for you. The guys and I. It’d be nice to have someplace to run to when you need it.”
“I already do.” I shrugged, looking at him from under my eyelashes as I thought I confessed my feelings. “Here. With you.”
Reis smiled at me softly and squeezed our fingers together. “I’m going to build you a treehouse,” he vowed.
We laid there for the rest of the afternoon until the last bell of school rang, and the others came to check on me. A few weeks later, the tree house was built. We spent all summer hanging out in that basic wooden box, sweating our asses off and being so freaking happy.
So now, seeing that tattooed on his back… It stops me in my tracks, and my heart swells.
Then he turns to his side, and I see a portrait of some beautiful goddess across his side; her face clear and strong, her eyes somehow filled with love but also strength, and long flowing dark hair looking like a halo around her head. It’s gorgeous, artful, and immediately makes me jealous as hell.
Who is she? This warrior woman he cares about so much that he had a portrait done of her in ink and permanence… That insecurity is enough to make the rage and need for retribution fill my body again.
Reis groans in his sleep, rolling onto his stomach before punching his pillow and flipping his head away from me. The room fills with soft snores again.
I want to take a pillow and smother him with it.
Moving closer to him, as quietly as possible, I stare at his sleeping face and smile. I know that he’s going to be just as pissed off as I am in a few moments.
Making a fist, I cock my hand back and punch that asshole square in the eye, as hard as I possibly can.
“What thefuck?!” Reis jumps up, screaming. He holds his eye and scrambles out of bed, away from any further onslaught of punches. His hand drops the sheet at his waist to cradle his eye while he flails around looking for the source of his pain.
Cue the gasp that leaves my lips before I feel the blush warm my cheeks. I have to ignore it in an attempt to keep my composure.
I know I’m failing.
But oh my god, this is the guy I’ve been obsessed with since I was sixteen. I peek down so fucking quickly, andoh my god. All the guys have slept in a state of undress, but Reis apparently sleeps absolutely naked. My eyes nearly roll back in my head as I imagine how his thick cock would feel.
I snap my attention back to his face, straighten my spine, and refuse to let my eyes wander any lower than his face. I cannot, and will not, let him think that he can fluster me.
Even if he can. Did. Is.
“I should be saying that shit to you!” I scream, pointing a finger at him and standing my ground. “Drugging me?! What were you thinking, Reis? You think that because you’re a hot shit rockstar now, you can fuckingdrug someoneto get what you want?” Reis drops his hand from his eye, and I don’t even try to hide the smile crossing my face when I see the bruise that’s already forming. Although, it does look like someone got to him first by the shadow already there.
And we aren’t going to talk about how my knuckles arethrobbing.
“Well, I’ll tell you something you don't know about me anymore, since you’re so far up your own ass,” I snap, not moving an inch as he steps off the bed and crowds my space. Naked as the day he was born, he doesn’t break eye contact with me at all, not even to blink. “I am not the same girl you knew back in high school, so be prepared for your shit to be fucked up.”
I can hear the intake of breath and quiet chuckles from the guys standing at the door.
Reis just smirks, his eyes dark and dangerous as he looks at me and only me. I don’t know if he’s clocked the guys watching us in the doorway, but he hasn’t looked their way once. “I did what I had to do. You were starting to get annoying.” He shrugs. “You have a hell of a punch. Good luck explaining this to our manager.”
“Fuck your manager. What you should be worried about is trying to save your reputation from the public when they all find out youroofiedme.”
Reistsk-tsk-tsksand shakes his head. “You wouldn’t do that.”
I swear steam comes out of my ears, I’m so pissed off. “Wouldn’t I?”
“The Melody I know wouldn’t.”
Scoffing, I cross my arms over my chest, and set my jaw to the side. The fucking nerve of this man.
“I’m not the Melody you knew. Not anymore,” I sneer. “Just like you’ve obviously changed, so have I. Neither of us for the better. Though I can at least say I haven’t betrayed someone I used to care about.” I turn to leave the room, pushing the guys out of my way. I can’t watch how this new Reis so openly doesn’t care about anyone or anything.
I can’t stay here, letting them all keep trying to fuck with my head and dangle what I’ve always wanted, before they’ll yank it away and break my heart.Again.
