Page 15 of Red Queen
“Hey, man!” Nathan pulls me into a quick hug, and I feel myself relax a little. “What’s up? Where’s your shirt?”
“I poured champagne on a girl and gave it to her.” All of them exchange mischievous looks, and I just roll my eyes at them. What are we, five?
“You have your next prey, then?” Kyle looks at me with his idiotic grin. I could introduce my fist to his face sometimes. I love it when he acts like we’re friends, because we’re not.
“You think that’s all I am? A fucking hunter?” He doesn’t back up.
“Don’t act like you’re not. You use all those women for one night, and you throw them out like they mean nothing.” He chuckles darkly, and my blood boils. Like he doesn’t do the same.
“One-night stands aren’tsupposedto mean anything, Kyle.” I shoot him a glare, warning him to stop, but he doesn’t.
“Okay, guys, it’s time you stop.” Liam tries to break us apart, but Kyle doesn’t take his eyes off me and steps closer.
“You’re right. That’s the only thing you’re good at, aren’t you, Mateo?” I can’t take it anymore. I grab him by his collar, and I hold his shirt so tight, I almost rip it. I push him to the nearby wall, shaking Aiden’s hand off my shoulders.
“Listen here, pendejo. It’s not my fault that women would rather take me to bed than you. And don’t you dare talk to me like you’re any different than me. You’re just a piece of shit, daddy’s little boy. I would suggest you listen to Liam and shut your goddamn mouth.” His grin is still on, and I wish I could wipe it off his stupid face. I release his shirt, and his feet land on the floor.
“You’ll hear about this, Mateo.” I roll my eyes so hard, it almost hurts. He acts like Draco from Harry Potter. ‘Oh, my father will hear about this!’ Incompetent idiot, can’t deal with things on his own, just with daddy backing him up.
Finally, he walks away. “Don’t let me near him ever again,” I grumble to the others.
“Wasn’t planning to.” Aiden shoves another glass of champagne into my hands and I chug it right away.
“Well, I’m guessing this calls for another round.” Liam leaves and heads toward the bar. Now it’s only two of my best friends and me.
I clear my throat and ask what weighs my heart. “Do you guys think I could ever stop being a playboy? Have a normal relationship?”
Nathan laughs, and my heart sinks. That’s all I needed to know. “I—I’m sorry, I thought you were joking.”
“Forget it.” I wave my hand and turn to leave, but they stop me.
“Look, everyone deserves to be loved. The problem is that you’re afraid to love, or to be loved. That’s why you can’t have a meaningful connection.” Nathan continues, but I can’t bring myself to look into his eyes. Why did I have to bring this up?
“I think so too. I know it’s hard to open up, but you should try. I think it would be good for you.” Aiden pats my shoulder and face, and my lips turn into a little smile. I chose good guys for my friends.
“Thanks.” I finally look at them, and they nod.
“Okay, drinks for everyone!” Liam returns not so long after, so I pretend to be happy and more relaxed. “Come on, this will help ease up,” I mutter a thanks and swing it down as well.
“You brought whiskey?” I frown when the cold liquid burns my throat.
I hate whiskey for one reason, and that is because it can turn me into a drunk mess in no time. And I drank it too fast this time.
“You didn’t say what you wanted,” Liam answers. Fair enough.
“Easy from now on, Fiera, alright?” Nathan sits me on a nearby chair and I grab a couple meat sticks and some diced cheese. I didn’t know they served normal food at events like this. “Hey, isn’t that the girl you were talking about?”
Rosa? Where?
I look around the crowd, and when I finally spot her, my blood boils again. Of course, Kyle found her. His arms are around Rosa’s waist, trying to stop her from falling down. What the fuck did he do to her?
I have no right to tell Rosa what to do or not to do, we’re not together. Hell, we’re not even friends. But saving a woman from this bitch is not a question.
I jump from my seat and head toward them, ignoring the requests from my friend to stop. I won’t stop when a woman is in potential danger. He gets away with too much stuff. He’s done enough.
“Kyle!” His head whips in my direction, but he doesn’t let her hand go. He just continues to hold on to her, like he has already trapped her.
“What do you want again?” He grumbles and rolls his eyes. Rosa wobbles, and he grabs onto her hips before she can fall. She looks weird. Did she already drink too much? It’s only been like half an hour since I gave her my shirt.
