Rule (Marked Men #1)(31)

“Good.”

“Just good?”

“He grilled me about Rule; he seems to think we can fix each other or some nonsense like that.”

“Speaking of the troublemaker have you heard from him?”

I shook my head. “No. I know how he works, Ayd. Do you know how many sad, bewildered girls I‘ve seen him ditch the morning after? I refuse to be one of them.”

“Yeah but you guys know each other, you were kinda friends.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “That doesn’t matter to him. Women have always been interchangeable. It’s been that was since we were young.”

I ran a hand through my tangled hair and stifled a yawn. I had been studying extra hard because midterms were right around the corner and the extra weekend shift at work was starting to wear on me. Add in the fact I was waking up in the night all hot and bothered and I was tired girl.

“I think I might go curl up with a book and crash out early.”

“I’ll keep the music down.”

“No worries have a good night.”

“You too, and hey at least the hickey is starting to fade.”

I stuck my tongue out at her and went into my room. I flopped face first on the bed and swore under my breath when I heard my phone ringing from my purse normally I would have ignored it but it was playing Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re not gonna take it’ and I knew it was my mother and if I didn’t answer she would just keep calling back until I did. Her time was deemed just that valuable. I rolled over and dug it out.

“Hello mother.”

“Shaw, I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you about your birthday. We were in California. Jack had a business trip and since it’s so cold here I thought the kids would like the beach.”

I guess phones didn’t work in California. “No problem.”

“I talked to your father, he said you seemed distracted and out of sorts. We discussed it and I really think whatever game you are playing with Gabe has to stop. You’re a mature young woman now Shaw, you need to start making smarter life decisions. Flitting from boy to boy just will not stand any longer.”

She didn’t even tell me happy birthday. “I’m not interested in Gabe, mom, not at all.”

“Interest is frivolous. He comes from a good family, he has a planned out future, those are things that a young woman of your linage need to look for in a partner.”

I blew a hiss out through my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut. “So those are the things that drew dad to Marissa? She comes from a good family? She had a secure future? Or maybe he just likes her big ole double-ds and the fact she does whatever he says. Come on mom you’re being ridiculous. I most certainly am not going to spend time with a guy that makes my skin crawl just because you like him.”

“Language young lady! I don’t know where you think all those smarts you have came from, but I’m neither foolish or blind, I know that this has to do with that Archer boy. It always does.”

I rubbed my forehead where I felt the beginning of a migraine starting, she brought them on faster than anything else. “So what if it does?”

“Oh Shaw, when are you going to outgrow this silly crush?”

“Mom I’m starting to get a headache can this wait until another time?”

She was silent for a long minute and I could feel the waves of censure over the phone.

“I’m going to invite the Davenports to dinner. You need to be there.”

“No. Not if Gabe is going to be there.”

“Yes, you will be there. Do not forget your father and I pay for your tuition.”

Great yet another parent that was extorting me, boy was I lucky. “Yeah, fine, whatever.” I didn’t even say bye I just chucked the phone under the other pillow and hit the lights. I had no idea how Rome thought I could fix anyone, be good for anyone, I didn’t even have control over my own life and it was making me physically ill.

***

I spent the rest of the week and weekend being a good college student. I studied every chance I got, finished my lab project, got a head start on one of my papers that was due at midterm and even managed to squeeze in some help for Ayden since she was struggling with I-Chem and I had breezed through it. I was working on a piece for one of my prerequisite classes, a speech on why assisted suicide should be legal, super fun stuff, but the apartment was too quiet and I was tired of ignoring my phone every time it rang fearing it would be one of my parents or Gabe so I packed my laptop up and went down to Pikes Perk to finish it. Ayden had texted that I should just come to the bar because it was slow, but I needed a less stimulating environment and a coffee shop full of hipsters seemed to be just the ticket. I had a pile of research in front of me and a caramel latte cooling by my elbow, I was so into what I was doing that I didn’t notice the chair across from me at the little table getting pulled back until the metal legs craped across the floor.

In fact I was so intent on the paperwork spread out before me it wasn’t until a familiar hand with the snake tattoo and his name across the knuckles pushed shut the top of my computer that I realized I had company. I blinked in surprise and looked up to find those arctic colored eyes watching me intently. He was still rocking the mohawk, only now it was a shocking red and he looked ridiculously good in a tight long sleeved t-shirt and jeans that were a little baggy. I didn’t bother to hide the fact that I was openly checking him out.