The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

40. Sunday Week Fifteen (the promise.)

40. Sunday Week Fifteen (the promise.)

The door closed behind them both with a soft click and then it was just me and Eli. I stayed where I was, facing the door, waiting for him to speak.

"When did you and Cayd become friends?" He grunted out

Abruptly, I spun on my heel to face him, he was still leant against the breakfast bar to the left of the door, "excuse me?"

He motioned to the door, "you and Cayd."

"What about us, Ryker?"

He growled in frustration, "you're playing coy, Reillyn."

Inside I was jumping up and down with happiness because I loved it when Eli was put in a situation he had no control over.

Of course, nothing was happening between me and Cayd or me and anyone else. Everyone who knew me knew I was still in love with Eli but the idiot only saw what he wanted to see and in this instance, he saw me hugging his best friend and not him.

Deciding to let this play out, the only response I gave him was a careless shrug as I made my way into the kitchen. Sauntering past him, I ignored his heated gaze and the anger he was shooting at me with his eyes.

"Hmm," I mumbled, "I'm thinking pasta for dinner, lasagna maybe?"

"Reillyn," he growled out.

"No?" I continued playing dumb as I scoured the kitchen, I found some ice cream in the freezer and pulled out a spoon, "screw dinner then," I opened up the tub and scooped up a bite, "I'm just going to have ice cream."

I jumped, startled, when his hand slammed down on the countertop and I span around to face him.

Holy shit — he was a sight for sore eyes.

The already bright blue of his eyes glowed even brighter in the moonlit apartment due to anger. His knuckles were no longer red but white from how tightly he gripped the edge of the counter between us and his muscles were bulging from him tensing up in his unnecessary rage. The black silky strands of his hair were splayed in all directions and his nostrils were flared.

Boy, he was pissed.

I couldn't help but smirk and lean against the counter behind me, "careful, you might burst a blood vessel."

He was not amused, "you and Cayd, Reillyn."

My smirk grew on my face and I slowly pulled the spoon out of my mouth. I licked away the ice cream from the spoon a little too obviously and delighted in how his eyes followed the movement, darkening as his whole body tensed even more.

Carelessly, I shrugged, letting the spoon fall to my side, "what about me and Cayd?"

"What is going on?"

I stuck the spoon into my mouth again and slowly pulled it out drawing a growl out of him which made me smile even wider, shrugging carelessly again, I challenged him with my eyes, "I like him, Ryker, he's very very nice."

"Nice?" Eli practically spat, "he's nice?"

"Mm-hm," I nodded in agreement around another spoon of ice cream, my tongue flicking out to lick the ice cream off my lips, "it's all very exciting."

Pushing off the counter, he rounded to where I was stood and snatched the spoon from my hand, "you've had enough ice cream."

I snatched the spoon back and swirled my tongue around the spoon, licking the ice cream off the back of it, "there," I said, handing it back to him, "all clean."

Another growl, "I won't ask again, Reillyn. What is happening between you and Cayden?"

Every word was spoken through gritted teeth, they moved like a smooth caress as he uttered them as quietly as possible, like he didn't really want to know the answer but he needed to anyway.

I sighed and leaned on the kitchen counter behind me, "Nothing's happening, Ryker, but if it was, it's not your business. You fucked it all up."

He peered at me for a second before moving forward and placing his hands on the counter behind me, caging me in until all I could see, hear, smell was Eli.

His gaze was heated as he spoke in a deep husky rumble which was thick with desire, "is that why you're licking that spoon like you want me to fuck you, tigru? Cause I fucked it all up?"

A short breath of air was sucked in through my lips as desire shot through me. It took everything in me to not hook my arms around his neck and kiss him, but I was still angry, still hurt. My head tilted down and my eyes flickered away from his, instead scanning the room behind him, "I don't know why I did that," I whispered.

"Look at me," he demanded in his hoarse rumble.

My only response was a shake of my head.

"Look at me, tigru."

My hands shot out to push him away and in his shock, he stumbled back enough for me to slip past him and face the lounge, giving him my back.

"Stop it," I whispered, "stop calling me that. Stop looking at me like that. Stop protecting me. Just stop, Ryker. Leave me alone."

His voice was hard behind me, "no."

My head shook as I spoke, "why not? You had an easy job of it before."

"Easy?" He questioned, "you think that is was easy for me. Fucking hell, Reillyn, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. But I did it to protect you."

"Protect me? You said horrible things, Eli, things that flash through my mind constantly, and you did that to protect me? Every time I see you, all I can hear is you calling me pathetic and broken. I can't get over it."

"Fine," he grunted, he grabbed my hand and tugged me around to face him. His hands travelled up my arms until he cupped my face in his hands. "But know that I didn't mean a single thing I said to you that day and I am going to prove it to you. Because you aren't pathetic, your strong-willed. And you aren't broken, you're the toughest person I know. Every horrible thing I said to you, I am going to replace it with who you really are until every time you look at me, all you can see is everything about you that I am completely fucking in love with, tigru," he released my head and stepped away, "I don't care how long it takes."

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I didn't really wanna split this but it was like 3500 words as one chapter sooo...yeah

I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate the comments and reviews I have been receiving! It means so much to know that people aren't just reading my book but enjoying it as well so thank you!!

ALSO, The Fighter and His Tiger is at #150 in the 'SUMMER LOVE CONTEST' on Inkitt. Ahhhhhh, thank you, I know it's not high but it's 1000% better than I thought it would do !!!

I WOULD APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH IF YOU COULD LIKE MY NOVEL ON THE CONTEST PAGE (on inkitt) !!!

but anyway...

Thank you for reading, amazing people!

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