Yeah, I’m starting to realize that he does.
Ridge
Sitting across from her, I look down at the menu.
“Everything looks good,” she murmurs.
“Are you going to get the appetizer platter?”
Her head comes up, and she frowns.
“How did you know that?”
“You like getting apps instead of ordering a full meal. That way you can have a little bit of everything,” I point out.
Her mouth drops open slightly, and it’s clear that she’s caught off guard.
I like it.
Every time I point out something I know about her, she becomes speechless. She gets this little line between her eyebrows as she tries to figure out how I know what I know.
I could tell her about all the talks I had with Mustang and how I’ve watched her over the years, but where’s the fun in that?
She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it when the waitress comes over to take our order. Only when she walks away does Rain speak.
“You know a lot about me,” she says quietly.
“I’ve known you a long time.”
She starts to fiddle with her straw wrapper.
“I don’t know a lot about you,” she admits.
“Well, you never had a reason to get to know me. You’ll learn, though.” I shrug.
Do I wish she had paid attention to me as much as I paid attention to her? Yeah, and it’s kind of a bruise to my ego, but I let it go. I mean, I only ever paid attention to her because she was Mustang’s daughter.
Although, if I am being honest with myself, she has grown into an amazing woman. It was like one day I looked at her, and she was no longer the seventeen-year-old girl who tried to flirt with me. She was a woman.
Still, I kept my distance. I had to. Mustang was like a father to me. I couldn’t mess with his daughter, even if she intrigued me.
Then again, now with Mustang’s blessing and with the forced proximity, maybe—just maybe—I could convince her to give me a chance.
Do I want that, though?
I like Rain. I always have, even when she’s being a bitch. She’s one of those girls who doesn’t give a fuck about what others think. She is who she is, and that’s it. There is no fakeness with her. Not only that, but Rain is sassy and spunky as hell. She always keeps me on my toes, and I don’t want to even think about how fun it could be if we were on the same team.
As tempting as it is to pursue this, would it be the right thing? We have to stay married for two years. That’s a long time to spend with someone, and the risk of ruining shit is high. It would be smarter to play it safe. To keep my distance and let her call the shots.
But the temptation will only grow once we are living under the same roof.
“Okay, so you have a bedroom for me. What do I need to bring?” she asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Whatever you want to make yourself comfortable. I have a mattress that’s only been used a couple of times when people have stayed over, but I don’t know how comfortable it is. The bathroom you’ll use is stocked with towels.”
“Okay, cool.” She nods.
“You’ll need to bring your electric blanket for sure.”