Ryley's Revenge

5. Ryley

5

RYLEY

What the f**k . . .

I couldn’t believe my goddamn eyes. We were walking into the airport and there, a hundred feet dead ahead, was Ashleigh . . . in the arms of the man who was supposed to be her ex. I sat there in total disbelief as I watched her leave, snug against his body, cradled protectively under one of his arms.

“Ryley, what’s wrong?” Gabriella snapped her fingers in my face.

Shaking my head, I squeezed the handle of my bag and glared down at her. “I’m done. This will not happen again.” Starting toward the door, Gabriella raced along beside me.

“What the hell are you talking about? Where are you going? Stop.” She tried to pull on my arm, but I ignored her and continued on my path. “Ryley, stop! Our flight leaves in an hour.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” I growled. “I just saw Ashleigh and her f*****g boy toy leave together.”

“Who . . . Colin? They aren’t even together anymore, Ryley.”

By the time we got to my car, I threw my bag in the back and tossed Gabby’s in there as well. “Yeah, well, the happy couple didn’t look to be having any issues with their arms all over each other. Get in, I’m taking you back to your car.”

We’d left her car at the gym, which was perfect because I needed to hit something—hard. Since it was late, my coach would be gone and I didn’t have to worry about him bitching at me. Although, I honestly didn’t care if he did because I sure as hell wasn’t going to listen. Gripping the steering wheel with all my strength, I could feel the sores on my knuckles begin to split open again.

Gabriella angled her body toward me and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ryley, you have to trust me. They are not together, it’s just not like that between them. You’re acting like an idiot.”

I sped down the highway. “It’s kind of hard to trust you when you didn’t even tell me about them in the first place. If there’s nothing going on, why didn’t she call you to tell you she was coming back?”

“Are we really going to argue about this? I already told you why I didn’t originally tell you, jackass. And as far as her not calling me . . .” she snapped, pulling out her phone, “it’s probably because my freaking phone is dead. I haven’t had a chance to charge it up since I was kidn*pped by you. And for your information, other than me and Colin, she doesn’t have anyone else to call.”

Pulling into the parking lot of the gym, I stormed out of my car with Gabriella close on my heels. “Look, it doesn’t matter. Going to Aspen was a mistake anyway.”

“You’re wrong,” she growled, slamming her hand on the gym door to block my path. “It was the first intelligent decision you’ve made since the break-up. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re in love with her and I know she’s in love with you. So, stop being so stupid.”

Turning my head, I glanced through the glass door to the people inside. “You want to know what I’m in love with, Gabby? Take a look in there,” I said, gesturing to a blonde chick with huge t**s. I managed to score a blow job from her the other day and I knew she’d let me f**k her whenever I wanted. “That is what I’m in love with. Girls like that, who don’t want anything more from me than a good time. I don’t have the patience for anything else. You need to stop pushing your ideals on me. I don’t want f*****g June Cleaver,” I spat, turning to point violently at the blonde, “I want Baywatch Big Titties.”

Snarling in disgust, Gabby turned on her heel and marched to her car. “Whatever you say, Ryley. You and I both know that’s not what you want. But if you want to f**k t**s McGee in there, I’m sure as hell not going to stop you. Apparently, it’s going to take a miracle to get your ginormous head out of your tight ass.”

Once Gabriella left, I stormed inside and ignored everyone as I made my way to the one thing I wanted, to the one thing that could take my mind off of everything. Ripping off my shirt, I threw it on the floor, my heart pumping wildly in my chest. “It’s just you and me tonight. It’s time to bring on the pain.”

I swung hard, landing a hard right hook. Blood smeared on the leather punching bag, but I kept on going until all I could see was red.

* * *

By the time I made it home, it was one o’clock in the morning and my hands burned like fire. They looked like raw meat and it felt f*****g amazing.

“You are one s******c son of a b***h,” my brother pointed out, looking at my wide smile and then down at my hands. He was seated on the couch, head c****d to the side so he could see me.

When I turned the corner into the living room, I didn’t expect to see a woman on her knees, slobbing his knob. She was n***d and rubbing her c**t as she sucked him off.

“Don’t you have a bedroom for that s**t?” I grumbled, throwing my bag down. Turning away from them, I marched into the kitchen and poured a tumbler of whiskey.

“Yes,” Camden called, “but I have two other guests in there getting warmed up for me. Why don’t you go say hello? I’m sure they’d love to . . . ease your tension.”

Walking past him toward the stairs, I didn’t even give him a second look. “I’m not exactly in the mood for that s**t, bro.”

“What’s gotten up your a*s lately?” he hollered.

“I’ll give you one guess. And you of all people should understand how this one can get up your ass.”

Everything grew quiet and if my brother figured it out, he sure didn’t say anything about it. I shouldn’t have made that quip, but I was pissed and I wanted him and everyone else to leave me alone. I still vividly remembered the night when Ashleigh called and told me to drive to Malibu to get my brother; that she had tied him up to the bed and left him. He had been a complete d**k to her and she paid him back by making him come all over himself by fingering his a*s and jacking him off. Camden deserved it.

My brother and I used to pass women to each other left and right. It was a game I’d rather enjoyed playing, until Ashleigh came along. Even after she left, I still couldn’t play the game. But, I’d gotten pretty good at giving the illusion I was back to my old tricks. I couldn’t let Ashleigh know how bad she f****d my s**t up.