Ride or Fall

2

SUMMER
2

"Why do you look like you've witnessed a murder?" Ayla questions me as I make my way back to the table with wide eyes.

"Worse!" I wheeze out and Emerson's back straightens.

"What?!"

"So much worse!" I fall back into the booth and clutch my chest.

"What do you... Oh." Ayla's voice trails away once she sees who walks through the front door of the bar.

"You told me he wasn't returning!" I hiss at Ayla, whose eyes widen.

Nikolai clears his throat beside her, rubbing the back of his neck, his cheeks tinted red.

"Nikolai!" I growl out his name.

"It might have been my fault. I didn't mean to!" His eyes are wide and full of fear. "We were on the phone and I might have mentioned how you were coming here for a couple of months before the wedding." My left eye twitches and Nikolai shuffles closer to Ayla.

I inhale a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I know Nikolai didn't mean any harm.

"It's fine." I whisper. "It's absolutely fine."

"Are you sure?" Ayla tilts her head, while rubbing Nikolai's back.

"Uhuh."

"You don't look sure."

"I need to use the bathroom." I excuse myself from the table and rush toward the bathroom and lock myself in a cubicle.

"Oh, God. This isn't good! So not good!" I whisper to myself. "Really not good."

The sound of the door opening grabs my full attention, the noise from the bar temporarily flooding in before the door closes again. My breathing hitches as heavy footsteps sound against the floor.

"Summer." My eyes slowly close at the deep voice.

Just ignore him.

A shriek passes my lips and I stumble back as Dragon looks over the cubicle door. I forget how tall he is. Six foot four, to be precise.

"I could have been on the toilet!"

"No. I know you came in here to have a mental breakdown. The way you were sprinting to the bathroom, it was obvious." His eyes glimmer in amusement and I roll my eyes and pull the door open.

"This is the ladies bathroom."

"I came to check on you."

"I'm fine!"

Dragon chuckles.

"Sorry, have I got a joke written on my forehead or something because why do you keep laughing at me?!" I throw my arms up in frustration and his laughter dies down and a serious expression forms on his face.

"Sorry."

"Whatever." I grumble, hating the hot tension between the two of us.

"You wanna know something?" Dragon questions with a tilt of his head and I raise my eyebrows.

"Not really."

He tells me anyway.

"You're mine."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"No."

"You've always been mine from the minute you stepped into this fucking town, Summer."