FOUR

I'm glad when the reporters finally let us off the hook but even more glad when Ryza doesn't wipe a nasty slap across my face when I kiss her for the second time this evening.

She was overly quiet and calm that for a minute I thought she was going to burst and spill the truth back there. Thank the Lord because only He knows that Lynda will faint with exasperation if I get anymore bad publicity, not that she won't chew my ear off for this one.

I lead Ryza in to take our seats all the while squeezing her very close to me to sell this off to the public.

I honestly don't know what came over me back there. To help my rival's ex from public mortification is justifiable—no woman should ever be shamed in public— but to go ahead and allude no, tell the public that we were dating was just overboard. I'm just realizing that now and man I was so stupid.

We are halfway to the entrance when Ryza pulls away from my embrace and I can't contain the disappointment that settles on my face at the loss of contact. Of course I expected this. Obviously Ryza wouldn't be calm after my PDA back there. For as long as I remember, Ryza has always been this conservative person with all her expectations and conceptions of a perfect relationship squarely pointed out which makes me wonder how the hell she got involved with Jaxon Rivers. He is so not boyfriend material, I can root for that.

"What's the problem?" I ask and I immediately regret it because she's now avoiding my eyes one hand on her hip the other in her wavy hair.

"Why did you kiss me Micah?" She murmurs afraid that someone might actually hear her. Am I that unpleasant?

I don't know what to tell her. I guess it's obvious to the both of us that it wasn't just a prince-charming-kisses-sleeping beauty kiss. Because it was not.

But what do I tell her?

Damn. I've never been at a loss for words when it came to women especially not timid ones like Ryza.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we should correct this. We can't just lie that we are in a relationship."

"We can," I state, "we just did."

"I have to correct things. I still need Jax in my life."

I stiffen. I can't even imagine myself going back there and explaining to everyone that we were just fooling around. I can't fucking do that. That would definitely classify me as a scandalous individual which also equals to bye bye Liverpool.

"Why don't we sit down first. You are probably panicking," I try once again and to my luck, she doesn't object. She agrees to lace her fingers with mine only that I hold her more securely afraid that she might break into a run out of a guilty conscience. Good girls are so conscious.

After several moments of shaking hands, bumping shoulders and rubbing cheeks—mostly the ladies—with the club's owners and officials, I meet Arnold at the bar two gins later, I should add.

A bar has always been my typical scene in a party but I never thought it would be hers too. Maybe it's not. Maybe it's just stress drinking.

"Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever pegged you as a gin type of girl," I mutter earning an unladylike snort from her.

"Maybe there's just more to me than being Jaxon's girlfriend," Ryza's says.

"You mean ex girlfriend and no, I didn't peg you as his girlfriend from the beginning. You are not his type," I blurt and instantly regret it when I get a glare from her.

Shit! I wasn't supposed to say that.

"What?"Ryza questions her voice shaky with apprehension almost dying into the mellow symphony of classical orchestra.

Good Lord, how did I even forget that she just suffered a heartbreak moments ago? I'm truly an idiot...

"What does that even mean, Micah?" She presses on and I try to wrack my brain for the best answer that wouldn't make me seem like an arrogant brute.

"That wasn't what I meant," I try to explain, my eyes flitting around the room to get anything to distract Arnold. I make a mistake of looking into her eyes and I immediately drown into the desolate blue ocean of her eyes that keep me struggling to keep my head up but I can only do so much. For a moment, I forget I'm Micah Cullen and I'm ready to swim against the ardent waves that crash against me just so I can tell her the truth.

"What I truly mean is, you are this kind of girl that people like me have to stay away from," I explain but with the look that's setting on her face, I can tell she gets none of what I mean. "Okay I'm sure you look forward to roasting marshmallows in a bonfire out in the frigid night of December with your husband, which in this case is, Jaxon Rivers, and your three smartass children deciding whether to use globes or snowflakes for the Christmas tree, right?"

Her brows arch while her cheeks burn crimson and I know I've coherently described one of her imaginations. Good girls are so predictable.

"Well, Rivers has never been the take-me-to-altar guy. Never been one, will never be one," I conclude peering at her from the side of my eyes.

"Oh," she gasps.

The ice clinks her glass as she swirls it thoughtfully her eyes anywhere but on me. The noise it causes is actually irritating but Ryza doesn't seem to have an idea about it. Perhaps she does but just doesn't care.  But that's so unlike her. She's the type of person that cares of everyone's comfort before she does hers.

While she's this quiet and relatively calm, I allow myself to have a look at her. It's no secret that Ryza might as well be the loveliest woman we have with us in our midst tonight and that I'm seated by her couldn't make things any better.

Ryza has always been one to draw attention even for the wrong reasons mostly. Perhaps it's the allure of her high cheekbones, I've always thought, or it could as well be the innocence of the few freckles that pepper the bridge of her nose. I really don't know what it is but something about her has always drawn me closer to her.

Which is...

She's the one woman who has blatantly refused to get in my bed.

Fuck. Just the mere thought makes my dick jolt with desire and my worry from earlier creeps back in. She's the only one that doesn't treat me like Micah Cullen. Like she's not interested, which is something I'd rather hear from her when I have her at the edge and not out of convenience of staying faithful to that loser. I really have it bad for her..

Great, now I'm in a better position to burst my pants.

Realizing that I might stare at a picture of my stained trouser because of wet dick on TMZ'S website tomorrow, I decide to leave for the washroom because I'm one jolt away from a cardiac arrest and possibly a colossal case of blue balls ever known to humanity. Of course that would cause Rivers such great happiness. Even Ryza would be ecstatic.

"I need to make a phone call," I excuse myself. "Stay here, okay?"

I'm about to stand but she holds me by the wrist bringing me back to my seat her eyes glazing with fire. The delicious kind.

"No, you said we'll talk once we're inside. Let's talk. Why'd you kiss me?"

Sweet Jesus.

Not the lips. I'm pretty sure the last thing I need to be thinking about now is lips. Ryza's red lips, especially.

"Ryza I have to talk with scouts from Liverpool now. I'll be done for if I don't go now." That's not entirely a lie.

"Unfortunately for you mister, I don't trust you," she says pointedly.

"What?" I just saved her.

"The sooner you tell me the reason the sooner I'll let you go," she insists.

Honestly, I can easily loosen the grip she has on me if I want to. If I want to. But I don't which I guess makes the whole thing even worse. Hold on, Micah, I hiss, be cool.

"I was saving you," I croak not loving how parched my throat is.

"From what? Jaxon?"

"Public mortification and yes, from Rivers too. You don't know him as well as I do—"

"He's my boyfriend for Pete's sake, Micah? What could he possibly do that I no nothing of?" Ryza counters with such fierceness.

This is turning out to be an argument that will attract bad publicity and we all know that that is bad for Lynda's health.

"Lots."

Ryza huffs under my gaze as sporadic emotions burst across her face. Devastated Arnold is a comical Arnold which is cute and I make it a point to always upset her. That is if at all she does agree to be my pretend girlfriend.

I'm borderline hard.

I'm expecting Ryza to lung at me with an accusation or demand but she doesn't. Her attention is hooked on something, no. Someone. Rivers. He's taking an interview with Sasha Villanueva, a sneaky gossip reporter of TMZ to be wary of, and Lori practically much glued to his hip. They both have their flutes halfway filled with spritzing champagne. The expensive kind. No surprise there for he is the golden boy of the team this season. Then again, he's always been. Rubbing shoulders with the elite, stealing the spotlight from his mates and releasing patronizing press statements is kind of Jaxon's religion.

Like the time when Levi and I were on suspension, he asked the team's officials to reduce or call off our suspensions for our careers were on the line. As if he cared. And he had to do it at a press conference. A very big press conference, take note. It was a calculated but exaggerated move in my opinion but to Günther and his PR it was perfect for he reveled in the praises thrown at him for days. Fuck Andreas. Fuck Rivers.

Sasha has never been comical as far as I can remember. She's always been one to grill me with hideous questions over a straight face that I've sometimes made it a point to avoid her. But tonight she's jocular. Preposterous even, if Lori's mood is anything to go by. She says something to Lori that causes her to erupt in frenzied laughter. She then locks her arms behind Rivers' neck blocking her face from our point of view and he also cracks up not long after. I know him all too well to know it's fake.

As if feeling our gazes, he turns to us with a stupid smirk that I'm always eager and ready to wipe off. He drinks more champagne and then goes ahead to kiss Lori Paltrow. 

So gross and immature! To think that the government is trying so hard to spread awareness on HIV and STDs. Its a turn off. Really.

On the other hand, Ryza seems more affected than I am. I'm not even affected, come to think of it. She fiddles with her hair turning away from the duo. Tears rim her eyes as she fights so hard to keep her makeup perfect. Jaxon knows she's still hooked up on him and I know it too. It hurts. It hurts so much that it infuriates me and I make a decision already.

"Ryza?"

"Yes?" She answers avoiding my eyes.

"Look at me."

If Rivers notices her energy is invested somewhere else, I reason, he might really regret it and that would be a point on my side. On our side rather. Ryza and I.

Feels so...

"What?! How could I when I look so pathetic right now? You just killed any remaining chances I had with Jax..."

The blame game.

"...I banked so many of life plans on us..." Us, there's never been an us between the two. He was never really invested in the relationship and that's the truth.

"Ryza tell me something."

"Okay."

" Tell me, had Jaxon broken off things between you two before tonight?"

Ryza swallows. Hard. Her had finds the back of her neck rubbing it with so much friction and I get my answer.

"I...I...–" she stammers.

"Is that why you came tonight?" I ask eager to hear the answer from her lips

"It's none of your business Micah," she bites back shifting to get a refill but I grab her hand before she could reach for her glass.

"No you can't."

"I have to."

"No you don't."

Her eyes throw daggers at me. Challenging me. This is a dark side of her and I'm loving it.

Fuck.

"I need to keep it together Micah. There's a lot going on and its too fast. I can't keep up," she begs.

But still...

"Alcohol is never the solution. I should know."

"Of course you should," she says it in a matter of fact tone. I don't think we are talking about alcohol anymore.

"Are you low-key judging me?"

Amusement flickers in her eyes but it's long gone before I can catch it. "On what? Your career? Sexual relationships? Trust me there's just a lot of bloopers."

Ryza's mood changes quick or maybe it's the alcohol because she smirks. The indulging kind.

"You doubt my shots? Both on and off the pitch?"

I drink from her glass making her gulp. Ryza's having dirty thoughts.

"I'm Micah Cullen, darling. It's not my fault that there's always a girl that wants me buried balls deep inside her every night." I wink.

Her cheeks flush as she hides my face away from me. It's cute. Too cute. I raise my eyes to meet Rivers boring holes through us. He's borderline jealous and I know that because I've been there before. I really want to say checkmate to his face but I'm sure Ryza would hear of it.

"Really?"

She doubts?

"Of course."

"That doesn't seem like the case. I thought your supply ran out and that's why you are after me. You know, a woman who isn't interested in being in your bed tonight. Or ever," she supplies.

She's been sent to kill me, hasn't she? She's the most suitable weapon they have against me, isn't she? A woman I haven't bagged yet. Pure, innocent, damn. Come to think of it, she isn't as predictable as I thought she is. One minute she's blowing cold the other she's hot, I don't even know where to categorize her damn it.

"I'm not after you, Arnold."

"Now that's a lie and you know it."

"You sound like you're eager to have me on my toes after you," I take another drag of her drink. It ain't strong as expected. "Tell me Ryza Arnold, would you love me chasing after you?"

Ryza dramatically rolls her eyes and lewd scenes flush my mind.

Play it cool Cullen.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure you aren't nearly as good as they say."

Ryza might as well have sliced through my heart with sharp ice.

"I just kissed you. Twice."

"I didn't feel anything."

I grin widely. This is fun.

"Is that your little way of asking me to kiss you?"

I can tell her throat goes dry. We are impossibly close now and the way she's looking into my eyes... I want this. I want to always feel this. She wants me to kiss her again, I can tell.

"We shouldn't label it," she murmurs her gaze falling to my lips.

Shit! I can't take it anymore.

"No strings attached, I can do that. It's what I do," I'm sure I sound eager but right now, I can say literally anything to have her lips on mine. I'm sure she'll regret this tomorrow. Well damn tomorrow!

Have a grip Micah, she's not even doing anything.

"This is all for show."

"All for show," I whisper bringing my lips close to hers. I need her to kiss me badly.

I feel her hook her arms behind my neck causing a hot mixture of excitement and lust pooling in my stomach. Her breathe is just the right kind of hot and her scent is so enticing. Apricots. Reminds of a beautiful place I rather not be thinking of right now.

"You know what Cullen?"

Damn! My surname sounds so foreign.

"What, Arnold?"

"We're official."

With that she initiates the kiss. Kissing me so hard that if I didn't know any better, I'd think she's had plenty of experience.

This might just be the best kiss I've ever had.

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Recommend books you've read and loved to me please.