Page 24 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

Easy for him to say, he didn’t just spend the best night of his life with the girl of his dreams who is currently on some other guy’s arm. It’s going to suck to see her with him. Hopefully they just end up being friends and nothing more. I can’t imagine denying us each other after how amazing last night was.

“Levi,” a hand runs up my back.

“Leighton.” I answer without turning around. I know who it is by her nasally voice. “Can I help you with something?”

“I hope so,” she answers suggestively walking around to stand in front of me. “I was thinking I could come over after the party.”

“No.”

“We make sense together. Margaux and Connor will be together soon, so it’s only obvious that you and I should be too.”

“Connor and Margaux will never be together,” I laugh. “You two are delusional if think any of what you just said will ever happen. You are aiming too high.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Sure, sweetheart. Run along and stay ambitious.”

“What’d she want?” Con asks after she’s walked away.

“To tell me that she and I should date since you and Margaux will be together soon.”

That makes him choke on his beer. “Never gonna happen.”

“I know.”

I’m about to suggest going over to the pool house when I see Ives step out. She’s wearing a black string bikini with a pink skirt thing tied around her waist. Her hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she’s rocking oversized Chanel sunglasses. She looks so good.Fuck.I should have given her a hickey or better yet three.

“I got this,” Con mutters watching Oliver lead Ives over to us. He pours a beer into a cup and hands it to her as soon as they join us on the terrace. “Ivy,” he shoulder checks Oliver, “thanks for having me over for dinner this week.”

Oliver’s eyes bounce between the three of us.

“I didn’t have you over.” Ives lowers her sunglasses and gives Connor a look meant to shut up him up. She knows exactly what he’s doing. “Levi invited you and Griff.”

“Yeah, and what an enlightening dinner it was.” He turns to Oliver with an evil smirk, “Oliver did you know that Ivy-”

“I don’t know what you are about to say Connor but stop it,” Ives smacks him in the chest with the back of her hand and everyone in the vicinity turns to gape at her. No one else would dare do that outside of fights at The Abyss. “Oliver, let’s go before they start lying about God knows what.”

I die a little inside when she wraps her arm around his waist and tucks in against him. What in the actual fuck is she doing right now?

“Oliver,” Griff stops him, “drug testing for all athletics is this week, right?”

“Yes,” Oliver answers him with a look of confusion.

“I’ve heard that mix-ups happen.” Griff takes a drink of his beer. “That would be a shame, wouldn’t it? To have your negative result mixed with someone else’s positive. Then your senior season as captain ends up down the drain.”

Ives slides her sunglasses on top of her head and steps away from Oliver. “What is wrong with you three? Threatening him? Fuck you all and your big ass egos.”

“Just making sure everyone knows you aren’t to be messed with, Sis.” I give her a smirk that I don’t feel. I actually want to puke right now. I’m pretty sure between her disappearing act this morning and our not so subtle threats against Oliver, she’s not going to try to give us a chance to make this work.

“It didn’t have to be like this,” the look of disappointment on her face when she looks at me makes my chest tighten.

This feels like a make or break moment for us. For a moment, I let myself wallow in gravity of my miscalculation. Did I lose her before I even had her? Did she not enjoy last night? No, she did. She enjoyed it four times over. I decide to pull her aside after she calms down and when fucking Oliver isn’t attached to her like a leech.

Griff and I run interference between Con and Margaux while he gets everything set for the fights tonight. Once we have her and her pack of bitches muzzled for the day, I start looking for an opportunity to pull Ivy aside. That moment comes when Oliver heads off to play a pickup game of soccer on the side lawn.

Ives is standing on the edge of the terrace, sipping her drink and watching the soccer game when I walk up behind her.

“He’s good, I’ll give him that.” The compliment directed at Oliver is genuine. He’s probably the best soccer player FPA has ever had.

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