Page 8 of Shattered Mind

“Hey guys. You ridin’ the wheel?” she asks, greeting all of us with quick hugs, before returning to Noahs side. He instantly wraps his arm around her neck.

“Yep. You’re comin’ with me.” Noah says, flashing Bella a wide smile and earning a shake of the head from her.

Olivia comes to stand in front of Killian and me, her gaze flitting between us. “So… which one of you handsome fellas are riding with me?”

I resist an eye roll at her brazenness. Killian takes a step backwards, his face white as a sheet and hands raised in surrender. “That’s all Gray. I’m not one for Ferris-wheels.”

Olivia turns her attention to me, her eyes running the length of my body with a smirk. “Better buckle up, grumps,” she winks before turning away and I run a hand through my beard in frustration.

Fuck my life.

We board the ride in silence, and I try to ignore the way my body ignites as Olivia’s bare thigh brushes up against my jean-clad one. The smell of coconut teases my nose as she gets comfortable in her seat and the bar is lowered across our laps.

It takes less than sixty-seconds for Olivia to speak. “So, we didn’t properly introduce ourselves earlier. I’m Olivia, or Liv, whichever you prefer.”

I’d prefer if you took your edible scent and got as far away from me as possible.

“Grayson,” I reply, my voice gruff and bored.

“Mmhmm… and what does Grayson do?” she asks, her tone full of mockery. I raise an eyebrow at her, choosing to ignore her question.

Olivia continues undeterred, “interesting… do you have a girlfriend?” she asks, and the question takes me by surprise.

“No,” I mumble, adjusting my hat and looking over the edge.

Fucking hell, how much longer do I need to be on this ride?

“Cool, cool. Hunter and Savannah seem to be getting along well, don’t you think?” she asks, her tone displaying her happiness for her best friend, and I hold back a sigh.

I don’t want to be here. I especially don’t want to be entertaining Savannahs chatty best friend who somehow draws an uncomfortable reaction from my body.

“Yep.” I reply, popping thep.

“You’re not very chatty are you, Grayson. Are you always this anti-social?” she says, and I huff in annoyance at her assumption.

“No, I’m not very chatty. Are you always this annoying or do you just not get out much?” I snap, my tone dripping in sarcasm and the moment the question leaves my lips, I regret them. Olivias face drops, her mouth hanging open for a moment as she stares at me in disbelief.

Can’t say I blame her.

Her lips curl in disgust and I know before she even opens her mouth that I’m about to get my ass chewed out by this beautifully enraged British woman. The darker part of me welcomes it. “You know what,Grayson,I was just trying to be nice and get to know you a little bit, but respectfully, fuck you.”

I almost smile.

Almost.

I make a mental note to apologise to Hunter later on for possibly ruining his chances with Savannah by upsetting her best friend, but then I remember that the bastard forced me to be here. He didn’t tell me I had to be nice.

She holds my eyes, hers burning with anger, but I can’t find it in me to feel guilty for my rudeness when the fire in her gaze sends an electric jolt through me, straight to my dick, igniting something deep inside me that’s lain dormant for years.

I make a pact with myself there and then to do everything in my power to make this firecracker of a woman look at me likethat as often as possible.

CHAPTER 4

OLIVIA

TWO MONTHS AGO

That man is a prick.

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