Page 131 of Biggest Player
Men want to be me, women want to fuck me.
It is what it is.
“You know, Colton, you could have just called.” I can’t stop the words from slipping out of my mouth, knowing they’re going to piss him off. But like I said—this is a dick-swinging contest, and he needs to know he can’t just show up at Margot’s place and start bullying her because of who she’s dating.
It’s not like I’m a loser. “We could have video chatted to save you the trip. No need to drive all the way over.”
I’m coming off like a prick, and I know it.
Not the best way to get to know a dude, but hey, he started it.
Colton stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans for lack of a better place to put them, and I can see the tension in his shoulders.
“Guess I could have. But I wanted to see the guy who’s been spending so much time with my family.”
His family.
I take a step back, trying to defuse the situation. “Look, Colton, I get it. You’re protective. You care about Margot, and you love Wyatt. I respect that.”
“It’s . . . complicated.”
Complicated? How? If he’s trying to tell me he still has feelings for Margot, he’s way too late. He had his chance, and now I have mine.
You snooze, you lose.
“Most things are.” I try to keep my tone neutral, my back ramrod straight. “But I’m not here to make things harder for Margot. I’m here to support her.”
Margot steps between us, her expression a mix of frustration and concern. “Can we please not turn this into a confrontation? Colton, I appreciate you stopping in, but this isn’t the time or place for this discussion.”
Colton’s gaze softens slightly as he looks at her. “I just want what’s best for Wyatt, Margot. That’s all I want.”
And you.
I want what’s best for you.
I create the dialogue in my own mind. He’s not speaking the words, but they linger in the air like a cloud.
“Same. I want what’s best for her—and so does Dex.” She nods in my direction. “We can handle this together without making things more difficult for each other. You cannot show up unannounced like this again. Especially now that I’m dating someone.”
I smirk at him over her head, damned if I don’t.
There’s a moment of silence as Colton considers her words, glancing between the two of us. Finally, he concedes.
“All right.” His jaw clenches. “But we need to talk soon.Privately.”
It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to roll my eyes.
“All of us,” I put in. There is no way in hell I’m letting him in a room with her alone.Notafter the way I heard him speak to her earlier. No fucking way.
“Sure.” He levels me with a long look before walking toward the door, his gaze then bouncing between Margot and me as if to make sense of it—of us.
Our relationship.
He looks so baffled I’m tempted to say, “Hey, man, I get it—I don’t understand it, either, but somehow it makes perfect sense.”
When he’s gone, I try to be cool. Unfortunately, that lasts all of three seconds, and I’m blurting out the words “Is this normally how it goes with him?” ’Cause he was acting like a fucking douche canoe.
“No.” She shakes her head. “He’s never talked down to me like that.”
