Page 28 of Battered Moves

“Tell your precious Jaxon that I’m the one who would win in a fight, or I’ll dunk your pretty head,” Gunner threatens, but he’s laughing too.

“No!” I protest with a giggle.

“Say it!” he insists, and I can’t help but laugh and squeal in response. He laughs and shakes his head. “Come on, Livy.”

“No!” I shout, still laughing.

“Fine, seems like you’re going down then,” he says, pretending to pout.

He lowers my body, about to dunk me into the water. I close my eyes and squeeze my nose shut with my hand, ready for the saltwater to get me, but Gunner chuckles and stops just before my buns would have gotten wet. He spins me and sets me down in the water that comes up to my thighs, making my shorts wet.

“Loyal to the end, it seems.” He flips the camera and says to the screen, “If you’re not half as loyal to her as she is to you, dumbass, I’ll come for you and prove that I’d definitely win that fight.”

He ends the video, and the next thing I hear is a whooshing sound.

“You didn’t really just send that to him, did you?” I ask, laughing. When he says nothing, I add, “Since when do you guys text?”

“Since you just up and left,” he says with a shrug, taking my hand to guide me out of the water.

“Oh,” I murmur.

We sit back on our towels, and I’m more than ready to bask in the sun so my clothes and hair can dry again, when my phone chimes with a private text from Jaxon.

That’s my good girl.

I can’t help but swoon. Gunner leans over my shoulder to look at my screen and rolls his eyes before lying back on his towel.

We hang out for a few more hours, chatting about everything and nothing and enjoying each other’s company while I conveniently forget about studying. We get a pizza before we go back home and eat it while watching a movie at my place.

CHAPTERELEVEN

Liv

It’s Monday afternoon, and I’m at the guys’ house because Ryder asked me to come over and check on River. Apparently, he’s been locked in his room for three days straight, only leaving for quick showers and bathroom breaks, and has barely eaten or drank anything. Ryder is worried and thought maybe I could bring him some food and help him get some rest.I’m more than happy to try.

I stand in the kitchen with Ryder, who’s making some grilled cheese sandwiches.

“Please make sure that he really eats them. He hasn’t eaten in at least a day, since it’s hard to get him out of the zone. I bet you’d have more success than I have,” Ryder says to me.

“Sure. I haven’t talked to him in a few days. I miss our conversations,” I say as I take the plate and make my way to his room.

I knock on the door and push it open slightly. River is sitting at his desk, wearing big headphones, and appears to be unaware of my presence. I walk over with the plate Ryder made for him.I bet that boy can’t cook one bit, but these sandwiches look good as fuck.

I approach River slowly from the side, trying not to startle him too much, because he still seems not to have noticed me. Carefully, I place the plate on his desk and gently rest my hand on his shoulder. He blinks a few times before taking off his headphones and turning to me.

“Hey,” he says before finally breaking into a smile.

“Hey there, handsome,” I say, stroking his messy hair out of tired-looking eyes. “Ryder mentioned that you haven’t eaten in a while, so he made you some food.”

River swivels his desk chair towards me and pulls me onto his lap, inhaling a deep whiff of my hair before reaching for the sandwich. He offers it to me first, but I shake my head.

“I ate a little while ago,” I tell him.

He nods and takes a big bite, savoring the taste. As he enjoys his meal, I glance over at his three monitors and find each one is filled with what appears to be coding. I have no idea what he’s working on, but it looks incredible.

“Wow, that looks pretty impressive,” I say, and he takes the napkin from the plate to clean his hands.

“It’s for an assignment—a pretty important grade. I get tunnel vision when I work on stuff like this. Sorry if I’ve been MIA for too long,” he says, squeezing me.

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