Page 36 of Made for Cyn

“Well, if it’s for valentines and roses, you’re going to be disappointed,” he mutters.

“I’m already disappointed,” I whisper.

The awkward silence that follows is painful. My heart is pumping madly in my chest, but I stare at the ground rather than his face. I’m not sure I’m prepared for the look he might be giving me, which is another painful fucking reminder to keep my distance.

“Let’s go,” he says coolly.

“Where?”

“I’ll take you home.”

He turns with the expectation I follow, and I stare after him blankly before doing just that.

Am I a fool for turning down what could be the best experience of my life? But for what? A cheap fuck followed by the possibility of another.

Clearly, I’m in too deep, and I need to pull myself free because if I’m nothing but something to covet, eventually, the shine will wear off.

Shelby is standing by the fire, looking delightfully rumpled when we emerge. When she spots me, she gives me a smug smile, and I hide my grimace behind a stone-cold stare, but my hands clenched at my sides give me away, and she grins wider.

Cyn wolf whistles, and Jig and Bastion appear, falling behind us silently as we walk to the car.

“Keys,” Cyn says.

Jig passes them off, and I watch with a lump in my stomach when Cyn gets into the driver’s side, effectively cutting me off. Jig joins me in the back with a curious expression before we pull out of the lot, and I close my eyes.

I have no idea what just happened, but the distance Cyn has put between us tells me all too well what I mean to him—nothing.

He didn’t even bother to deny it and dropped me as soon as I mentioned wanting more. I’m not special. I’m a means to an end, and I need to get my shit together because I’m not a wilting flower. Shit.

A short while later, as I doze in my seat, we pull up to the house. Iris’ car is still gone, which means she didn’t come home, and with a sullen frown, I wonder if she even cares that I was whisked away by this trio.

“See ya ‘round, LB,” Jig says, and with a sad smile, I exit and shuffle to the door, watching the car drive away as I step inside.

What a shit show.

With a pathetic sigh, I tiptoe toward the stairs only to stop up short when John appears at the entrance to the kitchen, demanding brusquely, “Where’s Iris?”

Spinning around, I clutch my chest and say tentatively, “Um, she’s still out.”

“Hmm. Where were you? Have you been drinking?”

“Um, yes,” I whisper, shifting on my feet. I’m still slightly buzzed, and I sway toward the banister before grabbing it to pull upright.

Shit. Get it together, Rain.

“Rain, I think we need to go over a few ground rules,” he says sternly, his pale blue eyes boring into mine.

Bowing my head, I nod silently.

I’ve never been spoken to in such a way, and I don’t know how to respond. I also feel bad because I know better, or I should.

I don’t know what to reveal about Iris, and I hope he doesn’t ask because I’m hesitant to lie.

“Come.”

I step into the living area, dropping down on the couch with a cautious smile.

He sits down beside me, and I move over to make room while he studies me. His eyes hold an intensity that makes me uneasy, and I’m fighting back tears when he says, “Now, I know Iris tends to get a little wild, but there are rules.”

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