Page 31 of Settling the Score

‘You don’t like him?’

‘He’s been a good friend to Blake,’ Aiden contradicted.

‘But you and Blake are separate people,’ she drawled, as if speaking to someone who didn’t easily comprehend. ‘At least, last time I checked.’

Aiden’s nostrils flared. ‘My point is, it’s not my place to like or dislike him. He’s been good for Blake.’

Sienna bit the inside of her cheek, considering that. Aiden had always put a premium on what was best for Blake. Only a few minutes separated them in age, yet Aiden had naturally slotted into a sort of protective, older brother role.

‘Yeah, but?—’

‘Stop driving.’ Aiden put a hand on her knee to grab her attention, and she was so shocked by the contact – which felt much more intimate than it should have – that she slammed on the brakes, which meant they jerked in their seats.

‘What?’ she demanded, turning to face him, breath burning in her lungs, eyes huge in the reflection of his glasses.

‘Look.’ He leaned forward, removing his hand from her knee so he could point at a tree.

‘I don’t see…’ she said, scanning the direction he was pointing in.

‘Look.’ He reached across and touched her jaw now, tilting her face slightly. ‘There.’ He pointed now and his arm brushed her whole side. She shivered, despite the balmy heat of the day.

‘I don’t… Oh!’ Her gaze landed on a green flag. ‘A flag, finally! It’s not one of ours, but at least we know what we’re looking for now.’

‘Sienna Mastrangelo, you really are a good girl, aren’t you?’ he said, in a tsk-tsk-tsk tone.

She stiffened. ‘What’s your point?’

‘There’s more than one way to win the game.’ And with that, he was stepping out of the vehicle, all big, broad strength as he strode easily off the path and into the wooded undergrowth, reaching up and removing a flag that must have been placed by Blake, given how high and well lodged it was in the limbs of the tree.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked, when he returned to the cart holding the flag as if he’d secured some kind of victory.

‘Making sure no one else can win.’ He grinned at her. ‘It’s a solid plan.’

‘Aiden, you play dirty,’ she marvelled, wondering why she was surprised. He’d promised he loved her – the first person ever to make her feel secure and safe in the world, since her mom had died. He’d promised he’d stay with her. He’d promised they’d be together forever.

And then he’d left.

Just like that.

Because it had served him. Because it had been right for Aiden, and that was the person Aiden cared most about.

Yeah, of course he played dirty. When it came to winning, Aiden would always do whatever it took. Sienna was just glad she’d learned that lesson – she’d never be collateral damage again: not his, not anyone’s.

‘The point is to win, right? Well, we’re going to win, no matter what. Deal?’

She felt as though she were getting into bed with the devil, by double-crossing her friends. But she nodded anyway, because Aiden was smiling, and she realised that her revenge would be all the sweeter if she lulled him into a false sense of security.

‘Sure, deal,’ she agreed, reaching for the beer he’d been drinking, taking it from the cup holder. ‘May I?’

His smile slipped. His back straightened. He stood just beside the cart, clutching the flag until his nails turned white, staring at her, so Sienna figured she might as well make it count. She made a show of wiping one fingertip (perfectly manicured courtesy of the Cinderella treatment the girls had subjected her to) over the condensation on the side of the bottle, before lifting it to softly parted lips and placing the head there. She took her time, tilting the bottle slightly, and angling her head back, letting a sip of liquid land in her mouth, before swallowing exaggeratedly, removing the bottle and gently dabbing at the corner of her lips.

Aiden just stared at her.

Sienna’s heart soared.

‘You… drink beer?’ he asked, his voice a different pitch to usual. It was an inane question, and Sienna almost laughed.

‘Sometimes. It’s hot.’