by LJ Byrne
They’re making a bet about me?
Ryder doesn’t blink and gives my cousin a cocky smile. “Deal.”
I take a seat, eyes wide. I guess no one plans to ask me what I think. I tuck my legs under me while Connor takes a spot across the room. Both Ethan and Ryder are solid players, calling out their shots calmly and confidently. Towards the end of the match, when Ethan has only two balls left on the table, Ryder misses and Ethan takes over. The current king and the future king stare each other down as Ethan examines his shot. A slow smile tells me Ethan’s sure he’ll win. After a second, Ryder leans down and whispers something into Ethan’s ear.
My cousin’s eyes widen, jaw tensing as he glares at Ryder. Shaking himself, Ethan makes a visible effort to relax. He takes the shot and swears when his ball nears the socket but stops at the edge. He misjudged the power he needed. Ryder smirks, keeping his eye on Ethan as he lines up his shot. He sinks his last ball and then goes after the 8-ball.
Ethan throws the cue stick on the floor hard enough to make me flinch before storming off. Ryder slowly pivots to face me, but I’m not smiling. “You can ask but I don’t have to say yes,” I snap, crossing my arms. Childish, I know.
Connor chuckles. As I move to leave, Ryder grabs my arm. “Connor, I’d like a moment with Mira,” he requests quietly.
“Let me go,” I hiss. I am not going to be weak.
“Hear me out,” Ryder says, and it sounds like a plea.
Connor cocks his head at me, and I sigh. “If he gets obnoxious, shout and I’ll come in and punch him,” he promises right before he steps out of the room. Why is Connor being so agreeable? Why am I being abandoned with the mean boy?
Ryder lets me go. “Mira.”
Stop being a baby, I chide myself. I face him. “Ryder.”
“Will you attend the Winter Ball with me?”
Why is he asking me? “The last time I went to an event, you and Connor ruined it. Besides, you’re supposed to go with Ingrid, right? Aren’t you two dating or promised to each other or something?
Ryder doesn’t smile. “I’m not with Ingrid. I’m asking you.” When he takes a step towards me, I step back. A flash of hurt confusion crosses his face. “Don’t be afraid of me. I’d never hurt you.” His voice drops to a near whisper. “I’m asking you to be my date, Mira.”
“You don’t even like me,” I blurt, backing up into the pool table.
Ryder leans until his hands are resting on either side of me. “Is that what you think? Because I thought I was being pretty obvious about my interest. I think everyone knows. Even Ethan.” He brings his face close to mine. “There are things you’re not ready to hear from me yet. But you should know that I do like you. Connor was right. I didn’t want to see you with him because I want you to be with me. You don’t flaunt yourself, but there isn’t a guy on campus you couldn’t have. You think no one sees you, but we do.”
“We?”
“The guys.” His eyes are amused. “You don’t notice it, do you? Prettiest girl on campus. Protected by the great Ethan De Vries. Untouchable. That makes you so much more interesting.” His hands run up my arms to clasp my elbows. “Mira, you almost let me kiss you that night. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.”
Okay, he makes me sound like forbidden fruit or something. I should want him to see me for me, right? “Why are you being nice now?” Mom warned me about teenage hormones. Actually, she warned me about hormones in general. She said they make you impulsive and stupid. Ryder makes me feel very stupid. Worse, he smells good, too. My brain is malfunctioning.
Ryder’s lids lower. “I know my behavior hasn’t been stellar.”
“Is it true you’ve dated a lot of girls?” I ask suddenly, trying to clear my head.
“I’ve never dated anyone,” Ryder murmurs. “I’ve never asked anyone either. I’m asking you. And after the ball, I intend to keep on asking you.” When my eyes widen, he adds in a lower voice, “There won’t be anyone else. I don’t want anyone else, Mira.”
Wait, what is he saying? It’s gotten very warm in this room. I’m overwhelmed. More than overwhelmed. I avert my head and close my eyes when Ryder brings his lips to my ear.
“I’ll beg if you want me to,” he whispers into my ear.
“Yes.” What am I doing? What am I saying?
“Yes, you want me to beg, or yes, you’ll be my date to the Winter Ball?” I hear a hint of laughter in his voice.
“The latter.”
Ryder straightens, his knuckles brushing my cheek gently. “Thank you.”
My eyes snap open. “A favor?”
“Anything.”
“Do you think you could get Connor to ask Celeste?”
Ryder’s smile is genuine. “I think I can try.”
“You did what?!”
It’s after dinner. Ryder and Connor have gone home, so I stop by Ethan’s room to tell him I agreed to go with Ryder to the ball. Darcy’s face, peering at me from Ethan’s laptop, is full of snarky glee.
“I told you he liked her, Ethan,” she practically crows.
Ethan scowls at his girlfriend. “Dammit, Darcy, I don’t trust him. You know he and Ingrid have been pissed since last year.”
“I can’t wait to see Ingrid’s bitchy face.” Darcy winks at me.
Ethan exhales heavily. “Mira, just don’t rush things, okay? Ryder doesn’t have the best reputation.”
“He basically sleeps with a girl once and then ignores her,” Darcy agrees, then continues thoughtfully, “but he’s never asked a girl out before.”
That’s consistent with what Ryder said, but the mention of his prior behavior makes me scrunch my face. “I don’t intend to have sex anytime soon.”
Ethan groans. “Okay, I don’t even want to hear the three-letter word from your mouth, Mira. Gross. You’re like a sister and I am going to kill Ryder if he even tries anything like that. You shouldn’t be dating until you’re twenty-one or something! God, why aren’t there nunneries to send cousins and sisters to anymore?” Darcy breaks into laughter in the background.
“I’m just going to a dance with him.” I lift my hands in a futile gesture.
Ethan’s shoulders slump with resignation. “Just be careful. Don’t let him into your heart, cuz. The Royals don’t play nicely.” Ethan ruffles my hair.
“I’ll be careful,” I promise.
001010
Arch4ngel101: Message received. Worm had same author.
RReagan: You found a backdoor last time.
Arch4ngel101: He won’t make the same mistake again.
RReagan: Ne0Ranger21 said the same thing.
Arch4ngel101: He’s escalating.
RReagan: We need to talk about activity I’m seeing in your area.
Arch4ngel101: My area?
RReagan: I’m not that inept.
I nibble at my lower lip before I close my laptop. RatGh0st’s never escalated before. Why now? He’s a dull hacker – no ingenuity. This makes me think that someone – or something – is motivating him. But what? He attacked banks first through a DDoS. Then he tried to blackmail a city by locking their systems up.
I shake my head. The truth is that I could do this all day. Hacking, coding, investigating. I love the chase, I love the strike and counterstrike aspects, the challenge of breaking barriers and finding mistakes. It’s easy to get caught up in it and forget the outside world. But right now, I’m putting my cyber world aside for the real world.
It’s strange shopping with other girls for clothes. We go from store to store trying on gowns. Darcy picks an A-line gown in deep purple. Brittany gets a form-fitting sheath dress in emerald green. And Celeste chooses a metallic blue gown that graces her curves perfectly. None of the girls blink at the cost of their dresses, but I do. I refuse to buy any of the gowns I try on.
Mom and I never had a lot of money. To spend four to five figures on a gown I might wear only once seems like a crime. When I tell Aunt Erika this, we compromise. She has me look a
t the gowns in her closet and then we work with a seamstress to alter the gown to my taste.
Much to Ethan’s irritation, I agree to let Ryder grab a stretch limo for us to share. Darcy and I get ready together, and when we descend the stairs, I fight the flutter of nerves in my stomach.
My redesigned dress is in deep red silk. It is softly checkered in shades of dark red, making the fabric seem textured and vibrant. Without the long sleeves, the now sleeveless gown has a younger, more elegant feel with the deep sweetheart neckline. The moment I see Ryder’s eyes on me, I know I look as good as I feel. In the background, my aunt and uncle look on with sentimental pride.
Ryder’s voice is faintly husky when he says to me, “You look and smell divine.” He takes a velvet jewelry case out and opens it. Inside is a white-gold necklace with a ruby pendant. “I want you to have this.”
I step away, my brow furrowing. “I can’t accept that.” When Ryder frowns, I glance at him anxiously. “Ryder, that’s too much. It’s far too expensive.”
Ethan and Darcy look at us as I keep shaking my head. The distress on my face causes my uncle to step forward. “Ryder, I must agree with Mira. It’s inappropriate to give her something so lavish. As her uncle and guardian, I must insist that you only let her borrow it for the night,” Uncle Robert says. When he sees me hesitate, my uncle adds, “I think it would be okay for you to borrow it.”
The shadow in Ryder’s eyes tells me he’s either angry with me or disappointed or hurt. I honestly can’t tell, but some of the tension leaves him as he drapes the necklace around my neck. His eyes linger on the way the ruby lies against my skin, above the curve of my dress.
In the limo, Ethan is torn between keeping an eye on Ryder and drooling over Darcy. This is their last Winter Ball at RBA. I haven’t paid that much attention to what their plans are after high school. They’ve applied to the same schools, but there’s been talk of taking a gap year and traveling.
Ryder trails a finger down my right hand. “You’re quiet and thoughtful looking. You’re turning seventeen in a few days.”
How in the world does Ryder know that? Ethan and Darcy, in deep conversation, pause when they hear Ryder’s comment.
“Are we having a party? You’ll be seventeen! How did I not know this?” Darcy’s reproach to Ethan is evident.
Ethan sighs. “She doesn’t want a big party. She doesn’t want a party at all.”
It’s both pathetic and not pathetic that my birthdays were often quiet affairs. Mom and I would go to the local diner, and I would eat a whole stack of pancakes drenched in syrup and butter. We’d pick a movie, order a pizza, and wear pajamas. Our gifts were small and personal.
Darcy makes a sound of disappointment. “But, Mira, we should have a party!”
“What did you do with Aunt Gwen?” Ethan asks much to my dismay and embarrassment.
I avoid everyone’s eyes when I recite what my birthdays were like. I know it sounds lame. I was never popular and struggled to make friends. In elementary, I was awkward, the one last picked on teams. In middle school, I kept to myself.
Darcy snaps her fingers. “Let’s do a slumber party!”
“What?” I blink at her a few times.
“It’s perfect. We’ll invite a few friends, hot tub, pizza, cake. Get dressed in pajamas.” Darcy claps her hands in excitement.
“Girls only?” I squeak.
Ethan protests. “I want to be there, too. This is my first year as a cousin!”
“Co-ed,” Darcy laughs with a wink at me, ignoring my red face. “I’ll plan it. Please let me plan it!”
I hide my face in my hands, but Ryder gently lowers them. “Exactly what kind of pajamas are we talking about?” His question is suggestive.
Ethan reaches over and swats Ryder. “Normal pajamas. Flannel. Get your mind out of the gutter!”
Ryder just smiles and shrugs.
“Alright, anything on your wish list?” Darcy asks, and I see her mind working out the details.
“No presents!” The thought of meaningless presents is painful. I don’t want empty gifts to make up for what I lost.
Darcy huffs. “Mira, we’re bringing gifts. I saw this sweet Coach purse you should have.”
“Nothing over twenty dollars, then.” I ignore Ethan’s horrified look. “I mean it. I’ll reject anything more than twenty bucks! My birthdays were never about getting things.” Mom always said I was her gift.
When everyone starts to protest, I lay my foot down. “I’d rather just have a card with a personal note than anything else.”
While Darcy continues to plan, I meet Ryder’s slightly confused look with a shrug of my own.
It’s somewhat apropos that the current king and future king arrive together. Erin graciously comments on it, and if her smile falters when she says Darcy’s name, no one mentions it. Elaine, in her jaded way, just yawns and ignores everything, while her date, Cage, wanders off to flirt with several girls at another table. Nate and Victoria would be cute as a couple except he looks deathly bored.
But I feel a wave of happiness when I see Celeste and Connor together. Ryder’s hand lingers possessively on my waist as Connor moves our way, but nothing in Connor’s demeanor suggests he’s displeased with his partner or displeased that Ryder is with me.
“You look amazing,” Connor comments easily, Celeste’s hand secured through his arm. The words he and Ryder exchange are without tension or rancor, and Celeste’s eyes are bright with joy.
Ryder and Conner track Ethan and Darcy, and that’s when I see Ingrid. If looks could kill, I would be dead with a slit throat, my body riddled with bullets, and a dozen knives sticking out of my chest. She’s here with Daniel Jameson, since Xander’s on his own, and the evil glare she sends Xander’s way when he stops to talk to Ethan is a clear sign of her displeasure.
Ingrid struts towards us, dragging Daniel with a long-nailed hand. “Well, Ryder.” Her red lips turn down with distaste. “I guess you do have a thing for little orphans.” She whispers something in Ryder’s ear, and he tenses slightly next to me. Then she addresses me. “Clever girl. Ryder’s worth a lot of money. Hopefully, you can hold on to him long enough to enjoy it. He’s not known to be… faithful.”
Ryder’s eyes burn, but his tone is viciously cold. “Careful, Ingrid. Your petty ways are unattractive. And no amount of plastic surgery can fix that. We’re attending the Winter Ball together, not plotting marriage. If you’ll excuse us, Ethan wants us on the floor. We can’t disappoint the King.”
Ryder’s cruelty is back in full force. I bite my tongue as Ethan indicates we should position ourselves next to him. Erin and Arthur move to Ethan’s right, and Erin’s face is curiously impassive as Ingrid and Daniel join us on the floor. I wave as Brittany joins us with Enrique, our basketball star. Her saucy wink speaks volumes – Enrique is not Court status yet, but it’s believed that he’ll take us to state next year. If Ethan has him starting the dance with all of us, that’s a statement in itself. Celeste and Connor take the last spot on the floor.
The moment the music starts, Ryder’s focus is all on me. The hardness on his face eases slightly, but with Ingrid watching us two couples away, I’m wary at the way his thumb strokes my hand. He isn’t looking at me directly. He seems focused on my lips, dropping his gaze suggestively at times to my exposed skin and the necklace around my neck. When he spins me, he yanks me back into his arms, letting me feel the long length of his body through my dress. I’m confused and bothered by his actions, and when the song ends, I step away when he reaches for me, my brows knitted in a frown. I ignore the sharp way he calls my name as I make my escape to the restrooms.
I’ve always wondered why many of the women’s restrooms have a weird little sitting area. Now I know why as I sit down to take a calming breath, closing my eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Erin walks over to me, her face filled with concern.
“I’m fine. Just a little headache.”
She hesitates. “
You’re being played. If you’re curious about the game, you should talk to Daniel Jameson.”
When I stare at her in confusion, she averts her eyes.
“There are things I know in my position. Things I’m not allowed to tell you, but you seem like a nice person. I’d hate for you to get hurt.” She steps closer to me. “Ryder plays games. He plays to win. There are things Daniel knows that might be helpful to you.” A shadow crosses her face. “I’ve already said too much.”
I wait a few minutes after she leaves before walking out. Ryder snares my arm. “You were in there for over ten minutes. You left me on the floor.” He sounds hurt.
I try to push him away, but he forces me further down the hallway and away from others, pinning me to the wall and forcing my head up. I go limp, averting my head. Even with the music in the background, I hear our combined heavy breathing.
“Tell me what’s going through your mind right now,” Ryder says in a tight voice.
“You’re acting like a jerk,” I say finally. “I’ve never gone on a date, much less gone dancing. I only know how to waltz because my mom taught me. Whatever you’re trying to prove out there,” I wave to the main hall, “I don’t understand any of it. I don’t—” I break off. “I don’t put out or whatever you call it, so don’t treat me like I’m going to give you whatever you want.”
Ryder goes still. “I didn’t—”
“You did. Or at least, that’s how you made me feel.”
He bends his head until his forehead presses against my temple. “I’m sorry.”
Ryder once told me he never apologized. Clearly, this is no longer the case.
“Mira, I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I—I’m a bit confused right now.” His body leans against me, loose and soothing. “We grow up hard and fast in my world. And you’re—” He stops, holding me to his chest. My ear hears the loud thud of his heartbeat, his harsh breaths. “I know I have a reputation, but that’s not me. Not to you. That’s not who I want to be for you.”
