Renegade Hearts (Rebels of Sandland 1)

“You were saying?” He gave a cocky grin then reached up and threaded his fingers through one of my curls. “I meant to say earlier, I like your hair like this. All the browns and golds. It suits you.”

I jerked away from his grasp. “Don’t touch me,” I said, but his comment sparked something inside me. My own parents hadn’t even noticed my new haircut, or if they did, they didn’t say anything.

Ryan noticed.

Ryan seemed to notice an awful lot more than I realised.

He huffed a smile and took my hand in his, pulling me along with him. To anyone else, we’d probably look like two young lovers, out for a romantic stroll in the woods. But look closer and you’d see how tense we both were. We might’ve been touching, but our body language was screaming at each of us to be on our guard. At least, mine was.

“We should have your car back to you in a few days.” He spoke with a quieter, more gentle tone. I wasn’t buying into his tricks though. I don’t know why he was even attempting to make small talk. All I could focus on was what it felt like to hold his large, warm hand. It sent a shockwave right up my arm and into my whole body. It was all I wanted to focus on, not pointless chatter. I was at war with myself, erecting my own damn walls, and yet, questioning everything. Was he feeling as mixed up as I was?

“Great. I’ll call your dad to sort it out.”

We walked together in a relatively comfortable silence. The crunch of the woodland under our feet and our gentle breaths was the only sound that could be heard. That, and the thumping of my heart as it threatened to break free from my chest and attach itself to Ryan Hardy.

Shit, why was I thinking like that?

If my heart went anywhere near him, he’d chuck it on the floor and probably stamp all over it.

When we finally came to the clearing, the party was dying down. People had paired off and were together, entwined in dark corners. The fire was starting to burn itself out, but nobody cared. That wasn’t what they’d come here for.

“I’m going home,” I announced as I scanned the area for Effy or Liv.

“I’ll drive you,” Ryan said from behind me.

I scoffed at his weak and frankly shitty attempt at chivalry. The last thing I felt like doing was getting into his car. I needed space. He was scrambling my well-established wavelength and making my brain short-circuit.

“I’m not leaving my friends. I came with them. I’ll leave with them.” I stepped slowly around the edge of the clearing to see if either one of them was here. Effy was still MIA, but I spotted Liv pulling Zak into the woods by his hand and turning to give him a seductive look.

“I don’t think your friends have the same values as you, Winters. Looks like Liv’s more interested in the contents of Zak’s underwear than getting you home safely. As for Effy, Finn’s probably taken her to show her his etchings.” He laughed at himself. Good job someone found him funny.

I folded my arms over my chest and looked around, weighing up my options. That’s when I noticed Chase and his friends on the other side of the bonfire. He was staring straight at me, and the way he licked his lips made my skin crawl.

“Fine. I’ll get a ride home with you. But don’t speak to me.” I spun round to catch Ryan rolling his eyes.

“Such a shame I’ll miss out on all the witty banter we could be having. But I guess I’ll live,” he said sarcastically and strolled away.

I followed, taking my phone out of my jeans and sending a group text to the girls to let them know I’d gotten a ride home and trusted they’d keep themselves safe too. I knew Finn was a good guy, he’d look after Effy, wherever they were. But Zak? The jury was still out on that one.

Ryan stopped next to a beat-up old van and smiled. “Your chariot awaits.” He bowed down, making himself look like a dickhead, and I laughed, then tried to open the passenger door. “Not that door. Locks broken. You’ll have to use this one and climb over.”

“Call yourself a mechanic and your own van doesn’t have a working passenger door?” I stalked over to the driver’s side and got in, probably giving him a great view of my ass as I climbed across the middle console.

“Never got round to fixing it.” He shrugged, getting in and slamming his door shut. “Why would I? It’s not like I ever have any passengers, anyway.”

“Right, you use this for your little night-time adventures and save the smarter ride for your dates. God forbid anyone should think this was an extension of your dick. What a disappointment.”

He threw his head back and laughed at me.

“This is my only ride, Winters. And I don’t need anything to help extend my dick. I’ve had no complaints so far.”

I swallowed as I felt his stare on me. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of looking at him or responding. I wasn’t interested in what he got up to, or maybe I just didn’t want to know. His mentioning no complaints made my stomach twist. I didn’t like that.

The van bumped us around as he drove away and headed back onto a proper road. I held onto the handle above my head to stop myself from falling into him. My seatbelt was tight, but I was still sliding all over the place.

“You okay over there?” He glanced across at me and smirked.

“I’m fine.”