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Dodge jerked back like someone had just hit him with a fire poker. “I didn’t . . . I mean I had forgotten . . . how in the hell would I have known that her best friend worked for her ex and was the one who fucked him? I don’t know anything about Sierra besides the fact that she is spit and fire. I see her in Starbucks at least three times a week and every single time she pops off with some smartass remark.”

Rolling my eyes, I looked at Dodge. “Can’t you see she likes you, Dodge?”Advertisement

Dodge snapped his head over to me. “What?” Then he started laughing. To the point where he pretended he had tears and held his stomach like it was all too much.

Tristan gave Dodge a nudge. “Knock it off, your ass would be lucky to have someone like Sierra.”

Dodge stopped laughing and looked at Tristan and then me. “Um . . . yeah. No thanks, dude. I think I’ll pass.”

Shaking my head, I looked at Tristan as he brought me into his arms. I knew it was his way of showing Dodge that he had no chance of being with me ever again. “Congratulations by the way. I could see it on your face, Ryn, when I walked into Starbucks. You look really happy.”

Reaching for Tristan’s hand, they shook hands as Dodge gave Tristan a nod. “Listen, I’ve got to get to work and with my little argument with Princess Smartass, I’m going to be late for a meeting. Y’all should stop by the club sometime.”

Tristan half smiled. “Yeah, maybe we will before we leave for South Texas.”

My body went stiff. I hadn’t been planning on telling anyone just yet that I’d be moving to South Texas.

Dodge turned my way. “What? You’re moving, Ryn?”

Trying to smile the best I could, I said, “Yeah. I’ll um, tell you all about it over coffee.”

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Tristan’s grip on my waist tightened. A clear indication he was still uneasy about my friendship with Dodge. I knew Dodge was not going to take the news of me leaving Austin very well.

“Wait a second here, Ryn. You just got back with him and now you’re going to follow him to South Texas?” My body tensed at Dodge’s response. I knew it wasn’t very long ago Dodge wanted something more from our relationship, but he also knew how much I loved Tristan. I wasn’t prepared for a showdown right now with Dodge over my moving to South Texas. Especially with Tristan standing right next to me.

Tristan dropped his arm from my waist and took a step closer to Dodge. Knowing Tristan was pissed, I stood between the two of them; I put my hand on Tristan’s chest to stop him. “Tristan, let me take care of this please.”

“This is insane, Ryn. He can’t just tell you he’s sorry, and you decide you’re giving everything up to follow him there. Jesus, Ryn. Don’t be so stupid. What, is he that great of a fuck?”

Tristan moved me out of the way so fast, I didn’t have time to stop him from doing what I knew was coming next.

Tristan punched Dodge square in the mouth. Grabbing him by the shirt, he yelled, “You apologize to her right now, asshole!”

Dodge pushed Tristan back and was about to raise his fist to hit Tristan when I jumped between them. The moment Dodge’s fist hit my face, I swore I saw stars.

Yelling out my name, Tristan grabbed me before I hit the ground.

“You motherfucker! You hit her!”

Everything was blurry in my left eye and I instantly had a headache. I’d never been punched before. Okay that was a lie. Once in fifth grade, I called my best friend Mindy a fat cow and she hauled back and punched me right in the nose. It was safe to say, I’d rather take Mindy’s punch over a guy’s punch any day.

“Ryn, baby, are you okay?”

Slowly nodding my head, I barely forced out the word, “Yes,” as I attempted to focus my left eye. The throbbing pain quickly moved up through my head and into an instant headache.

“I swear to God if she didn’t look like she was going to pass out I’d kick the living shit out of you,” Tristan told Dodge. There was a tightness in Tristan’s eyes and his face was red. The pulsing vein in his neck indicated he was upset.

Glancing up to Dodge, he looked like he was going to be sick. “Ryn, I didn’t mean to hit you. You stepped in between us and I couldn’t stop in time.”

Trying to smile, I said, “It’s okay. It was stupid of me to get in between two grown men who were acting like stupid high school boys.”

My eyes, or rather, eye, traveled to each guy. Tristan was still glaring at Dodge, but at least he was not threatening to kill him, and Dodge looked like someone had just taken away his favorite . . . um . . . what did Dodge like to do? I thought about it for a few seconds as Tristan held me in his arms in front of my favorite Starbucks. I was pretty sure after today, I was banned for life from my favorite Starbucks. pqdm.com