Page 88 of Coveted By Cupid

Fucking Riley.

Hasn’t the woman gotten me into enough shit without hounding me all the time? It’s her fault I’m in this mess. Riley is the one who introduced me to Kirill and their fucked-up organization. She’s the one who seduced me at my lowest and had me railing her into my girlfriend’s couch. She’s the reason Kirill is breathing down my neck when the grab on Vanessa went sideways. And now she’s here, tracking me down and potentially putting me in the hot seat with our boss again.

“Seriously, Riley, I swear to God, you need to piss off already,” I say with a snarl, stomping down the sidewalk away from her.

The stupid bitch can’t take a hint, following at a snail-pace in her vehicle. “Boden, please. I know you’re mad at me, but I want to help.”

I bark an unamused laugh, stopping to face her in her car. “Every time you help me, I get screwed over. You shouldn’t even be around me. Kirill probably has a damn tracker on you like he does my cell. You’re lucky all he did was smack you around a little after he found out we had sex. What the hell do you think he’ll do if he catches us anywhere near each other again?”

Riley bites her lip, her eye glistening with unshed tears. “Look, I know I’ve fucked up and you’re in this mess because of me. I know it’s a risk being seen together, but your search for Vanessa will be twice as long if you don’t let me help you. You don’t have the luxury of time before Kirill snaps.”

“FUCK!” I shout, grabbing fistfuls of my hair.

As much as I don’t want Riley anywhere near me, I don’t have time to mess around with. Two heads are better than one when tracking someone down.

“Boden, I know I’m the last person you want to be involved with,” Riley continues. “Yes, I like you—a lot. I’ve wanted you for a long time, and I’m not sorry we slept together. If my circumstances were different, I’d want us to be together. However, the best I can do is to help keep you alive, and that means finding Vanessa. We’ll work as a team and bring her in together.”

“Do you honestly think I can get anywhere near Vanessa with you tagging along with me? You’re the other woman.”

Riley flinches like I’ve slapped her. “I get you blame me for what happened between us, but I’m not the only guilty party.”

Don’t I know it, and I live with my guilt every second I’m not with Vanessa. “You’re right. It’s a mistake I’ll never make again. She’s my person and I need her back.”

Riley’s face pinches, turning red. She looks away before I see her cry. “I’m not convinced you’re meant for her.”

“You would say that,” I say with a sneer. “You’re still trying to get with me. What you cannot grasp is that I love another woman.”

Riley’s head snaps back to me, angry tears running down her face. “Right. You loved her so much you fucked me as soon as I offered it.”

“You came on to me at my weakest, like you were waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Fuck you for throwing my mistake in my face, Riley!”

“We were not a mistake!” she fires back, gripping the steering wheel hard enough to snap it clean.

“I can’t talk to you when you act out like this,” I mutter, waving her off and continuing on my way. “I have enough shit to deal with without adding your emotions into the mix.”

“Boden, wait,” she hollers from her car.

“Not now!” I yell back as I continue walking down the sidewalk away from her.

The car revs behind me. Riley steps on the gas, leaving smoke in her wake. She whips around the corner, slamming on the brakes and halting me at the crosswalk where she nearly hits me.

“Are you fucking crazy?” I yell at her as she gets out of the car.

“Maybe,” she admits heatedly. “I care enough about you to risk Kirill’s wrath, so yeah.”

Exhausted, I let out a tired sigh. “Riley, we can’t work together.”

“Lower your voice when talking business out in the open,” Riley says in a hushed tone, reminding me eyes and ears could be anywhere.

Contrite, I grimace, looking around to make sure no passersby overhears our conversation before readdressing the issue. “As I was saying, working together will get us into hot water with the boss. We’re better off splitting up. We’ll be able to cover more ground.”

“Or we lose our only chance to nab her. Two against one are better odds.”

“She can’t know it’s me,” I say, shaking my head, uncomfortable with her suggestion.

Riley releases a conceited snort. “You honestly think you’ll want her after Kirill gets done with her?”

“I fucked you after Kirill ran a whole brothel of Johns through you,” I say pointedly, my anger simmering on the back burner.