Page 35 of Steal Me (Rebel Hearts Heists 1)
River freezes and runs a hand through his hair. “So what if we did? That’s none of your fucking business, Royce. She’s none of your business.”
That’s when the full blown fighting actually starts. I wince as Royce launches himself at River and hits him squarely in the jaw making me wince. What the actual fuck? Royce is yelling at him and gripping his collar as River hits him too and the two of them begin to exchange blows. I wince because this is bad. Even worse than I thought. Royce is big and River is really fucking fast, so the two of them seem almost evenly matched. I watch it almost in a daze as I drink more water and I wish I could say I tried harder to stop it.
“Don’t worry,” Blaine whispers, “they’ll cut it out eventually.”
I shake my head and try to stand up, Kaden grabbing my waist. “Guys!” Both of them look over, one with a cut brow and the other a split lip. “Can you stop? Last time I checked we don’t need the fucking highway patrol being called.” His voice wavers at the end.
“No it won’t stop,” Royce growls approaching and I shrink back into Blaine, feeling my panic spike again. His jaw is clenched but he stops his attack.
“Stop scaring her,” River snaps, moving to stand in front of me. I wilt further into Blaine as I begin to hyperventilate again.
“Sloane …” Blaine whispers his voice serious and soft. “I need you to breathe, come on. Inhale. Exhale.” I try but my throat begins to feel clogged as hot tears well up again.
“She doesn’t need protection from me, you fucker, you’re the one that wanted to kill her!” Royce snaps back and I begin to shake. This is bad.
“It’s different now,” River whispers.
“Why, because you fucked?” Royce asks wincing.
“No not just because we fucked,” River snarls and then looks at me, his eyes softening. I shiver as he crouches down in front of me and takes my hand.
“Sloane,” he murmurs. “I am so sorry I reacted poorly back there. If it happens, it happens, it doesn’t change anything between us. I take back nothing.”
Blaine mutters a curse and Kaden lets out a low growl.“If what happens?” Kaden asks sounding really fucking pissed. I nearly groan, because fuck this shit.
River grunts and stands. “If she gets pregnant. We didn’t use protection.”
Oh yes, River, please. Tell everyone. I jump as River is yanked away but this time by Kaden. Oh, what the fuck now?
“You put her in fucking danger like that?” Kaden slams him up against the car.
“Is this all a fucking joke to you, River? Were you that fucking blinded by—”
“Stop!” I stand up wincing as my head is pounding. “Just fucking stop, all of you.”
Royce looks frozen at the new announcement, Blaine has his arms wrapped around my waist, as Kaden lets River go. He pushes him and creates some distance between them.
“Don’t blame him,” I plead softly. “It’s my fault just as much as it’s River’s, I completely forgot.”
“So is that it then?” Royce asks, his voice rough. “You and River are together? You’re his?”
I freeze.
“I don’t think I’m with anyone. This isn’t some college dating situation. I’m not an equal here. Sure, I’m in charge of my actions but none of this is fucking real, even if we want it to be. Until I’m no longer a hostage, this between us, is just a big fucking mess. So no. River and I aren’t together. But neither are you and I, Royce. Or either of you.”
I shake my head.
“I don’t know what the fuck to do and frankly, I have other shit to worry about, so stop acting like you had no idea all of this was happening. We literally haven’t been more than five feet from each other most of the time. None of this should be a fucking surprise.”
I’m on a rant now.
“I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep feeling like I’m walking on glass and that it’s all going to shatter the moment I do something to upset one of you. I think … maybe we should just stop all of this.”
I whisper, my voice breaking as I grasp onto the car door.
“Maybe we should just keep our distance. I can’t keep living life knowing that you could decide to get rid of me at any moment because you don’t want to fuck me anymore.” I can’t meet any of their eyes so I keep my gaze trained on my feet, feeling like shit. “I need a minute.”
Royce mutters and steps away, shaking his head. Good. Fucking wonderful. I stand up from Blaine’s lap and round the car so I can sit on the tail end of it, refusing to look at the other three. My moment is interrupted by Blaine who is right there again, wrapping his arms around me and backing me against the car so I’m in a bubble between his muscular chest and the vehicle.
