Page 16 of Ruthless Blade

His eyes didn’t change, and I didn’t think they would. Being in a relationship was normal, especially when it came to my dad. It seemed he was always in some type of relationship. Hell, that’s why mom left.

He raised an eyebrow. “So?”

I took another sip, and swirled it around. “It’s Jake and Lexi’s mom.”

His whole face changed, “The fuck?”

“Yep.”

“Let me get this straight. Lexi may be your stepsister?”

I swallowed, still not believing it. “If we don’t break them up before they become serious, yes. At this point we don’t know how serious they are.”

He shoved a fried pickle in his mouth. One thing I’d come to know about Dylan was that anytime he became uncomfortable, he would shove food or drinks in his mouth. He did that a lot around girls he liked.

“What exactly is the problem with her being your stepsister?” Dylan asked, and it threw me off guard.

“Everything,” I couldn’t give him the real reason I didn’t want her to be my stepsister, so I went with that hoping he wouldn’t push me for more information.

“What’s your game plan?”

I pursed my lips, that was the one thing I couldn’t figure out. My dad wasn’t one to back down from a fight. I had to be calculated on every level if I wanted to succeed. That’s what he taught me. To be cold and heartless.

Just. Like. Him.

I shrugged and stuffed a pickle in my mouth. The sour, salty, and crunchy taste was what I needed after a long workout.

“Hear me out.”

I grabbed the beer and downed the rest of it. Whatever idea he had thought of, I’ve already gone there.

“Date her.”

I spat out the liquid, knowing I didn’t hear him right. Shaking my head, “What did you just say?”

A wild grin played on his lips, “Pretend to date Lexi to piss your parents off. You can come forward and tell them the reason you were so pissed is because you and Lexi had been dating.”

No way in hell they’d believe that. “Dangerous game you’re playing at. They wouldn’t believe it. Considering Lexi and I can’t stand to be in the same room as each other. She can’t stand me, and I can’t stand her. What makes you think that would work?”

A strange look came over his face, “Believe me, she likes you.”

My gaze narrowed. Dylan knew everything about our teammates, but I wondered if that went beyond to other people on campus.

What did he know about Lexi that I didn’t? And why do I kinda like the idea of Lexi liking me?

He snapped his fingers, “Didn’t you say she owed you a favor? Make her cash in.”

“I don’t know dude...”

“You used to have a crush on her.”

My eyes widened, “No, I didn’t.”

A laugh escaped his lips; the bar was getting busier. “The whole fucking school knew it. You picked on her like it was your pride and joy. Hell, even Jake knew. That’s probably why he tried to keep you busy and away from teasing her. Didn’t want you around her.”

I sat back in my chair and rubbed the back of my head. I didn’t think I was that obvious. That was also then; this is now. Why did she get to live and not him?

I was about to chime in when someone slammed a tray of shots down on the table. A strong arm went around me, and Torin, our goalie, was grinning from ear to ear. “Look at these two, plotting the downfall of the franchise. Or...maybe they’re hiding because we smoked them in practice. Eh, boys? What do you think?”