Page 18 of Twice the Rivalry

She meant what she said. She’d be watching Code and making sure he didn’t fuck up again, because whatever this petty rivalry was between them, she wouldn’t be able to forgive him for putting her team, her family, in danger.

CHAPTERTEN

CODE

He groaned as he rolled and grabbed his phone from the nightstand to shut off the damn alarm. He rarely set one, but today was one of those days he didn’t have a choice. He rolled back over and then let out a loud curse when he saw that stupid blow up doll in the corner of the room. The same corner he moved it out of yesterday before throwing it outside. Looked like someone saw him and put it back. He’d have to check his cameras to find out who, because he was going to make sure whoever it was woke up to a surprise guest.

Every time he looked at it, he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or to destroy the damn thing. Hell, he still wasn’t sure why he hadn’t just wrecked it. Probably because it reminded him of why he was having this battle with Glitch. It kept him motivated. Nothing like inflatable bondage gear to get you going for the day, he thought to himself as he rolled out of bed.

After a quick shower, he stepped back into his room in nothing but a towel and headed for his closet to grab his normal daily outfit of jeans, a t-shirt, and his cut. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn anything else. Though, from the state of his clothes, it appeared that it was almost time to throw some out and order new ones.

Tossing the clothes on the bed, he grabbed a pair of boxers out of the small dresser tucked in the back of the closet, let his towel drop to the floor, and froze when the door of his room suddenly flew open. Considering he was buck naked, he could only stare when he realized who was standing in the doorway.

“Oh good, you’re up,” Glitch said casually as she stepped into his room.

“What the fuck?” he snarled, staring at her. He didn’t bother trying to cover himself. “Ever heard of knocking and waiting to be told you can enter?”

“Why waste time?” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. A smirk covered her face as she took him in slowly, her eyes lingering for a moment on his cock before they lifted back to his face. “I see you used that pump after all. What, were the magnifying glass and tweezers too hard for the club whores to understand?” she taunted.

He skewered her with a glare as he forgot about the boxers and turned to grab his pants. “Is there a reason you’re bothering me so damn early in the day?” he asked tightly. He could feel her eyes on him, but he ignored her. She could stare all she wanted. Any other time, he would probably make a comment about her seeing his dick, but he was too pissed right now to bother. The audacity of this woman was astounding.

“I have things to do, and since you decided to sleep in, that means I can’t get into your precious office without you opening it or giving me a damn key,” she sniffed.

“Why didn’t you just pick the lock?” he asked mildly. “You already have, once.”

“Normally I would, but I promised my team I would try and play nice,” she said carelessly. “Personally, I think being nice is overrated, but for now I’ll attempt it.” He turned to her as he pulled on his t-shirt, not bothering to hide his smirk when he caught her watching him, taking in the tattoos on his chest and arms. Her eyes lifted to his, not the least bit embarrassed. Instead she said, “Who knew that a computer nerd could have some muscle. Been working out, huh? Trying to impress the women around here since you have such little else to work with?”

He gave her chest a pointed look. She was wearing a black crop top, showing off her flat belly, but it had long sleeves and a square neckline with two thin straps that went up and around her neck. It showed off her toned body, but it also highlighted her smaller breasts. On her bottom half, she wore a pair of black yoga pants that hugged her like a second skin. His cock twitched in his jeans, but he ignored it. Women in yoga pants were hot, no matter who they were, and his body was certainly aware of that fact. “Is that what you’re trying to do with that top? Because I’m afraid you’re not going to be impressing anyone much with those,” he tossed back at her, pulling his cut over his shoulders.

She rolled her eyes. “You really think commenting on my boobs is going to piss me off? It just makes you even more of a dick. Now, as fun as this little banter has been, how about you let me into the office so I can get to work? My team is waiting on me, and you are getting in my way.” She glanced over, and when her eyes landed on that stupid doll, her lips pulled into a slow grin. “You can bring your friend too. Though I’m a little surprised you still have it.”

“Not for lack of trying to get rid of it,” he grumbled. “Let’s go. I don’t want you in my space any longer than you have to be.”

“Aww, you sure do know how to make a girl feel wanted,” she said sarcastically as she stepped back enough to let him close the door and lock it. She let out a light scoff at that, but didn’t say anything else when he glared at her.

God, it was going to be a long fucking day, he thought to himself.

As they made their way downstairs, he wasn’t surprised to find that most everyone was in the common room having breakfast. The smell of bacon cooking made his stomach rumble, but he ignored it and everyone’s stares as he made his way to his office and unlocked the door. “Don’t touch my shit,” he warned her with a hard glare, then turned on his heel and headed back toward the kitchen so he could get something to eat.

She didn’t reply, and he wondered if that was a good thing or something he was going to regret, but he was tired and didn’t have the energy to care. If she touched his computer, he’d kick her ass out, alliance be damned. He had been up late last night working, and he was not one to handle things well on little sleep, especially when someone was purposely goading him.

“Problem?” Savage asked when Code stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a plate to help himself to some of the breakfast that a couple of the club whores had made. Nari and Britney, it seemed, and thankfully that meant it was going to be edible. Britney was an okay cook, but Nari was the star. He gave them both an appreciative smile and filled up his plate.

“I’m always going to have a problem as long as she’s here,” Code grumbled to Savage on his way back out the door.

“Need me to speak to her?” Savage asked, though his tone said that he wanted to do anything but.

“Nah, it’s fine,” he said with a shake of his head.

“I think you need to grow a pair and suck it up,” Esme said as she passed by on her way to the kitchen, Fury right behind her. Now that she was pregnant, the man was never far away from her, not that he’d ever given her much breathing room before. “You fucked her over, and now she has the right to make you uncomfortable for a while. The more you react, the more you’re just going to make her want to do it. I swear, men never grow out of the toddler stage. You better have given me a girl,” she added with a glare over her shoulder at Fury.

“Did my best,mi tesoro,” he replied with a shrug. She huffed in annoyance and stalked into the kitchen.

“He better have a girl, because I’m not going to be the only one to suffer around here,” Savage muttered as he headed toward where Royal was sitting holding Harley, while an exhausted looking Harlow sat next to her eating some breakfast. Steel didn’t look any more awake, but he seemed happy enough. Code figured they had another long night of little sleep. “Look, the two of you need to try and play nice. Just do what you need to do to keep her from killing you,” Savage told him bluntly. “Nothing about this situation is ideal, but I would think that you could handle one pain in the ass woman.”

He liked to think so too, but Glitch was a whole other level of pain in the ass, and he was going to have to figure out how to handle it. Short of finding a new space to work in, that wasn’t going to happen quickly.

“You could always tie her up and stick her in a closet,” Ice said calmly as he walked by with his own plate of food. “She’s small enough, she’d fit without much problem.”

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