Page 65 of Twice the Rivalry

“I’m sure being in school is one of the best things for her,” Code reasoned. “And being around the other kids gives her important interactions.”

“She has a few new friends,” Mike said, happiness seeping into his voice. “And her teachers say she’s one of the smartest ones in the class, even with all the time she’s missed.”

“She definitely gets that from her mama, because she doesn’t get it from our side,” Ty snickered.

“Maybe she takes after her smartest uncle,” Code retorted. Mike scoffed but didn’t argue.

They spent some more time chatting before finally they hung up, and Code set his phone on the nightstand and sighed. He was going to have to try and get home sooner than he planned. He didn’t want his nieces and nephews to forget him, and maybe he could take the kids for a night and let his brothers and sisters-in-law have some time to themselves.

A noise had him looking over at the door, and he saw Glitch letting herself in. He had a flash of irritation again, but he was too tired to say anything. He just stared at her. She shut the door behind her. Her face was unreadable, but her eyes took him in, lingering on his chest and then the towel around his waist before moving back up to connect with his. “I’ve been a bitch,” she said bluntly. “And I’m sorry.”

He stared at her, shocked. “I’m sorry, who are you and what the hell have you done with Glitch?” he demanded, getting to his feet, hands going to his hips. “Because no way would you come up here and apologize out of the blue. Wait, did one of the brothers put you up to this?”

She scowled, anger flashing across her face. “Fuck off,” she snapped at him. “You know what, forget it.” Then she turned back to the door.

He moved and grabbed her arm, stopping her, and twisting her back around. Then he backed her up against the door and stared down at her, even as she glared up at him. He gave her a slow, smug smile. “Well, doesn’t this feel familiar?” he remarked in a low voice. She continued to glare at him, unmoved. “Now, before you get all pissy, how about you explain this sudden change of heart? Because you have to admit, after your speech earlier, an apology from you to me wasn’t the next step.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I said I was sorry, what more do you want?” she demanded tightly.

He bit back his annoyance and arched a brow at her. “I want to know why. I think you can give me that.”

She looked away, pursing her lips slightly, and he could see the war on her face. She wanted so badly to refuse and argue, but something was holding her back. It was interesting to see this side of her. She was a ball buster, and he could admit that he liked seeing her a bit more vulnerable. But it made him wary, too. He didn’t have the energy to fight with her, and he certainly didn’t want another knife at his throat.

Finally, she looked back up at him, but he saw her walls were up as she said, “ I realized you were right and I’ve been a bitch. You were helping me earlier, and I went off on you because I was mad that you and your club didn’t extend the same courtesy to me. But that wasn’t your call, and I shouldn’t be blaming you for that. As for the rest of it, well, I was so damn mad at you for what you did, and uprooting my life, that I went overboard on reminding you that you owed me. To the point where I gave little regard for your feelings or plans. So, yeah, I’m sorry, and I’ll try to be more mindful about it in the future.”

He watched her for a moment before he finally relaxed and said, “You’re not the only one who’s been a bitch. Well, a dick in my case. I’ve let my anger get the better of me where you’re concerned. If I kept myself in check, you wouldn’t need to be here in the first place.”

“You won’t get an argument from me there,” she smirked.

He rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m going to apologize for being a dick, and for inserting myself in your space with your team as well. But I enjoy that shit, and I want to help, so I hope you won’t be upset when I do it again. Because now I’m invested in this too.”

She sighed. “I’m not used to having someone to help me. Well, outside my team anyway, and even then, what they help me with is limited. None of them know shit to do with a computer outside of the basics. Hell, some of them can’t even handle the basics.”

He chuckled. “Same goes around here.”

“So, we’re good?”

“We’re good,” he said with a nod.

“This still doesn’t mean I like you. We’re not going to be besties,” she warned him with a smirk.

“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” he replied, stepping back. “Now, I think we need to talk about your habit of breaking into my room.”

She smiled slyly. “You probably shouldn’t make it so damn easy,” she suggested. “Though, I suppose there really isn’t any lock I can’t crack.”

“Looking for reasons to spend time with me now, huh? It’s alright, I get it. You’ve had this,” he said with a wave of his hand, “so now you’re looking for any excuse to get another look at me. Do I need to worry about you crawling into bed with me at night? Will I wake up and find you staring down at me all creepy-like?”

She scoffed. “Someone’s cocky. Trust me, I have better things to do than stare at you. Besides, if I’m standing over your bed, then I’m probably about to kill you,” she added with a slow, evil smile. “Now, I’m going to bed, so you and the club girls need to keep it down. If I have to break in again because of the noise, it won’t be pretty.”

He gave her a slow, smug smile. “Awww, jealous, kitten?” he taunted.

She rolled her eyes. “I see your ego is still alive and well, caveman,” she replied drily. “Just keep it down.” Then she turned and stalked out, shutting the door behind her.

He stood there for a moment, staring at it, before shaking his head and tugging his towel off, letting it drop to the floor. He crawled into bed and wondered what the hell he was going to do with Glitch. He was starting to see sides of her he hadn’t thought existed. It was messing with his head.

She came up to apologize to him. Damn, he never expected that. He had a feeling that Karissa had played a part. Still, he wouldn’t complain. It didn’t mean everything was going to be fine between the two of them, but perhaps they were heading to a place they could co-exist without as much fighting. He chuckled softly as soon as the thought entered his mind. What was he thinking, they were always going to fight. Their personalities were too different, and he could admit it kept things interesting.

Suddenly, his door flew open, and Glitch strode back inside, eyes glittering with desire, and irritation. He watched her silently as she shut the door quietly, locked it, and then turned back to him. As she made her way toward the bed, she started to shed her clothes, and while he was surprised, his cock wasn’t. It hardened immediately, and his eyes moved from her face down to her smooth skin. “This is nothing more than scratching an itch,” she told him briskly as she shoved down her yoga pants and underwear so she was gloriously naked. “Tomorrow, we get back to hating each other.”

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