Renegade Hearts (Rebels of Sandland 1)

“No, he’s not bothering me. I stopped paying attention about five minutes ago. Is he still talking?” I shrugged trying to look unfazed.

“Sit down, ladies. Where are your boyfriends tonight? Don’t tell me three beautiful girls came all the way out here on their own?” Zak shook his head with mock sadness. “Now, that’s a travesty. I think we’ll have to do something about that. What do you say, Ryan?”

I made the mistake of looking over at Ryan, to find his eyes were on me. Piercing me with a stare, and I couldn’t work out if it was threatening, goading, or just plain nasty. I guessed all three, seeing as every encounter I’d had with Ryan Hardy so far was more hostile than a wasp in a jam jar.

“We’re single,” Liv sang back, sounding pleased to have Zak’s attention. “Em’s never had a boyfriend.”

I almost choked on my beer and whipped my head around to tell her exactly what I thought about her little group sharing effort.

“What the fuck, dude?” I hissed and waited for the impending laughter to begin. It didn’t.

“No boyfriend? I find that very hard to believe,” Zak said, sitting down next to us and giving me a kind smile. I wasn’t fooled.

“She’s been saving herself for me,” Brandon chipped in. Not the reaction I was expecting from him. I’d have thought some put-down about me being a prissy virgin might’ve been more his style, or something about how he’d break me in later tonight. But no, he gave me a pretty tame response by his standards, and I’d take it. I would have told him, “In his dreams,” but I didn’t really want to go there again.

And Ryan? He sat down on the opposite side of the bonfire to us and didn’t say a word. More interested in his beer bottle than the conversation we were having. Zak was looking straight at him though, as if he was waiting to see what his contribution would be. When he didn’t get one, Zak turned his attention back to me.

“Why haven’t you dated, Emily? Are you holding out for the one? Has Brandon hit the nail on the head?” He said that last part in a whisper and brushed his shoulder against mine.

I scoffed at his suggestion. “No. It was my brother, Danny. He warned the guys off. He was protective.”

Zak glanced back over to Ryan and said, “Is that so? Danny, huh?” He kept his gaze on Ryan as he sipped his beer and Ryan stared straight back.

“What the fuck, man? Seriously?” Brandon snapped. “Tell me you were getting your fucking ducks in a row and not playing the pussy all this time.” He stared down at Ryan like he was ready to go at it with him. Ryan stood up and faced Brandon, the two of them almost nose to nose.

“You know fuck all. Back off, or I’ll-”

“Or you’ll what, huh? Make me?”

I had no idea what was going on. It looked like Ryan and Brandon were seconds away from a fight.

“Cool it, ladies,” Zak said to the two lads. “Not in front of the guests, please.”

“I don’t fucking believe you,” Brandon said, throwing his bottle of beer onto the ground right by Ryan’s feet. Then he marched away, grabbing two beers in each hand as he did and storming off into the woods. Just as he reached the thick set of trees, he spun back around and shouted over to a girl who was dancing by the speakers.

“Sarah, get your ass over here. I have tension I need to work out, and you’re the lucky girl who gets to sort that for me.”

Like a bloody lap dog, Sarah trotted over to him, looking like she’d been picked for The Price is Right. There was no price in the world that’d make that shit right for me. But who was I to judge?

Brandon strutted off into the woods without a second glance, and Sarah followed close behind, giggling and skipping as she went.

“That dude has issues.” There went Liv, stating the obvious again.

“He’ll have crabs by the morning too, if he hasn’t already,” Zak replied and we all laughed.

“Who the fuck invited him?” Ryan suddenly snapped, standing up and giving whoever was behind us an evil glare.

We all turned to see who he meant, and saw Chase Lockwood sauntering over with two friends either side of him. He had a cocky grin on his face and was staring straight back at Ryan.

“Fucking Lockwood,” Zak said, turning back around. “You need to sit down.” He pointed his beer bottle at Ryan as he spoke, and I was totally floored when Ryan did exactly as he was told. He didn’t like it though. That jaw of his was clenched so tightly he could’ve cracked a walnut.

“Do you not like Chase Lockwood?” Liv leant into Zak as she spoke.

“Guy’s a total douche canoe.”

“No, he’s not,” I answered, trying to stick up for him.

“Maybe he is?” Liv said, leaning around Zak to address me. “I heard he wasn’t quite the gentleman we all thought he was last Christmas with Lyla Thomas.”