Riot Hearts: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Saints of Crow Book 1)

by Livy North

  She was always more than people expected. More than she needed. Better than she needed. Whilst I, apparently, was never enough.

  “Emory, River, how nice of you to join us.” Mrs. Abernathy smiled brightly when we approached the table. She stood to hug us, but I didn’t kiss her cheek even though that was the common New York etiquette.

  “So nice of you to invite us,” Emory said in a more high-pitched tone than her usual voice.

  I only added a polite nod and a few strained smiles to the table, but neither seemed to mind. I was as involved in the conversation as the vase on the table, except for when some of the ladies felt the need to ask a bunch of questions after we’d eaten.

  “So, you guys, what are you doing? You’re in college, right? I’ve heard so many good things about you, River, from your father.”

  I tensed, and in the corner of my eye, I saw Emory look at me. She knew something, I could tell from the curiosity in her eyes now that his name was mentioned.

  “I’m working toward a dual-degree. I’m pre-law. And I’m assisting my father with the company.”

  Mrs. Abernathy seemed stunned. “I can’t imagine how proud he must be of you.”

  I swallowed. “You have no idea.” Feigning a smile, I took a long sip from my glass.

  “Tell me more. You must be so busy.”

  “Well yes, but I’m finishing my degrees in the regular four years instead of five. The classes aren’t that hard.”

  “That is amazing. Isn’t that impressive, Emory?” Mrs. Abernathy turned to Emory, who looked taken off-guard now that the attention was on her.

  For a moment, she didn’t move, but then she shook her head. “Everyone back in St. Crow knows River to be exceptionally smart.”

  My chest clenched. I was lying. I wasn’t assisting Sinclair Corp. anymore. I had been kicked out. Fuck. If they knew how much of a failure I was, they wouldn’t look at me like that. Mrs. Abernathy looked at me like I was the son she wanted, and Emory looked like she actually tried to like me for once in her life.

  “So, pre-law?” Mrs. Abernathy prompted. “What kind of lawyer do you want to be?”

  I shivered. “A corporate lawyer.”

  I wanted to gag at how dull it sounded. I was going to be one of those fifty-year-old men who committed suicide because he was so sick and tired of his job. And the best of all, I’d be forced to work for my father until the bitter end. Knowing him, he’d live forever.

  “Wow.” Mrs. Abernathy leaned back in her chair. “I would’ve been so proud of you. My son is studying to be an actuary.”

  “How fun for him.”

  She laughed, and I found it amusing that the trophy wives lived in their own world. They never saw through my sarcasm or disinterest, despite doing nothing to hide the fact that the conversation bored me to death.

  “Emory, what are you studying?” one of the other ladies asked.

  “I’m majoring in journalism and business.”

  A double major in journalism and business? That didn’t sound like Emory at all. But like I had told her yesterday, we didn’t know each other half as well as we thought just because we’d grown up together.

  Mrs. Abernathy placed her hand on Emory’s arm and looked between us. “So, Emory, River, how’s your love-life going?”

  “My what?” Emory and I said in unison, and then we leveled each other with a “shut up” look.

  “Oh please,” she exclaimed. “Emory, you’re such a beautiful girl. Perfect for someone handsome like River.”

  I shook my head and so did Emory. “We’re not a couple.” We narrowed our eyes at each other.

  Why were we repeating the same things?

  Clearly not believing us, she winked. “Oh, really? That’s sad. You would’ve been lovely together.”

  I had no answer for her, so I only smiled and raised the wineglass to my lips again.

  This New York trip was beginning to grate even harder on my nerves, and this was only the first full day. We still had three days left.

  New York was like my second home, though, so I’d find something to do.

  The rest of tea-time passed agonizingly slow, and to my surprise, it seemed like Emory wasn’t any less bored than I was. It was midday when we left the restaurant and headed for the tennis court.

  The tennis court was a fancy place—not some sweaty gym but an outside area.

  “Ah, we got so lucky with the weather, didn’t we?” Mrs. Abernathy beamed at us, resting the racket over her shoulder.

  “We sure did,” River said, and while Abernathy didn’t notice the sarcasm in his voice, I did and couldn’t help but scoff and shake my head.

  We’d changed into some tennis outfits we’d spontaneously bought in the overpriced shop out front. I was in a light purple matching skirt and tee set. River was in a white polo shirt and shorts, with light purple hems.

  We fricking matched.

  “You two look so lovely together right now. I have to take a picture of you.” Mrs. Abernathy smiled, pulling out her phone from her little clutch. “Get close together!” She ushered us to where she wanted us. “River, don’t look so stiff! Emory, smile!”

  Involuntarily, I stiffened when River slipped an arm around my waist. His arm against me tingled like low volts of electricity. Forcing my brain not to think about how close we were and how good he smelled, I forced a smile.

  The moment seemed to last forever until Abernathy was finally satisfied with the result. “And now one of all of us.” She smiled and squeezed in between us. Her partner came over and stood next to me. She turned the phone around and smiled as she took a selfie.

  When she finally turned away, the feeling of being smothered went away too.

  “Righty, let’s play some, yeah? Emory and River against me and Dorothy. Do you know the rules?”

  Before I could reply no, River nodded, and Abernathy smacked the ball toward me. I hit the ball with my racket, a sense of accomplishment filling me for a split-second before the ball got trapped in the net and River’s dead eyes were on me.

  “What was that?”

  Already insulted, I didn’t have it in me to tell him the truth, so instead, I said, “I just have to warm up. Shut up and look at my serve.” I picked up the ball that came rolling my way.

  “It’s not our time to serve.”

  Ah, damn it.

  The other rounds didn’t go much better. Most of the time, I swung my racket as if I were hunting flies and not trying to smack a ball.

  “Hit the ball, Emory!” River shouted, already stalking over to me while clutching the nape of his neck. He lowered his voice. “It’s not that hard.”

  Well on our way to lose for the second time, he wasn’t in a good mood. I could understand him, because even I was frustrated at myself, but when he got like that, I got stubborn.

  “I have never set foot on a tennis court,” I grumbled. “Cut me some slack.”

  He laughed, pinching his brows. “It’s almost comical how bad you are.”

  Of course, he’d say that. I was pretty sure he’d be irritatingly good at anything he did.

  Stepping into his face, I stared at him with a silent challenge in my eyes. “Insult me again and I’ll practice hitting balls, but they won’t be tennis balls, they’ll be yours.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he almost looked amused. “I don’t see why I have anything to worry about because you always miss.”

  “Your balls are non-existent and that’s why I won’t ever manage to hit them.”

  I knew he was right. It couldn’t be this hard. I should have improved by now, but I hadn’t.

  River’s nostrils flared. “Hit the ball. It’s really not that hard.”

  “It is!” I hissed back. “I’m trying my best.”

  He rolled his eyes. “New tactic. I’ll cover front, you’ll cover the back. Serve now, and please, for the love of God, get it over the net. This is embarrassing.”

  Jesus. This boy was annoyingly com
petitive. So was I, but he was so competitive it seemed he’d forgotten that he hated me. He constantly reminded me why I disliked him, though.

  “I’ll show you serve, asshole,” I muttered under my breath, watching as River stepped into position in front of me. The sun made me squint and I widened my stance to prepare.

  I threw the ball and swung, then watched as it hit my target.

  “Ah!” River groaned, grabbing the back of his head and twirling around to face me.

  I offered an innocent smile while he looked like he was about to catch fire. “The other side, Emory! The other side! You were supposed to aim for the other side, not me!”

  “I’m sorry. I must’ve miscalculated.”

  With a set jaw, River lifted his arm and smacked the ball back to me. “Try again. I know I’m distracting, so please refrain from looking at me. Clearly when you do, you see nothing else.”

  The way he said it like it was the most matter-of-fact, casual thing ever made my blood boil, and I clenched my hand around the handle of the racket until I’d squeezed my knuckles empty of blood.

  Surprisingly, and only by sheer will, I got the ball over the net, but Abernathy’s medieval partner smacked the ball right back. I wasn’t prepared for the ball to go over, so I wasn’t prepared as it came toward me. I smacked it but missed, and it knocked me straight in my nose.

  Stumbling back, I stifled a groan and cursed under my breath.

  From next to me came a laugh. “God, Emory.” River rubbed his forehead. He’d snagged up the ball and held it in his other hand. But then he noticed the widened eyes coming from the other side of the net and he sighed before walking over to me.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice softer. I refused the urge to shove him off when he grabbed my hand and guided it away from my face. Reluctantly, I let my arm drop at his request, not wanting to make a scene in front of the others. “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve got a scratch on your nose.”

  “Ah!” I winced when he poked the sore spot with his finger.

  “It’s not broken.”

  I smacked his hand away. “Why would it be broken?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, but you suck at tennis, so I wouldn’t rule it out.”

  I scoffed. “Thanks for the diagnosis, Doctor River.”

  His eyes narrowed but his lips twitched.

  “Are you okay there?” a high-pitched voice called from the other side. Mrs. Abernathy and her partner tripped over the court. “Maybe we should take a little break. It’s hot.” She fanned herself with her hand, although not a single drop of sweat was visible on her.

  River stalked over to the bleachers with flexed arms, where he grabbed his water bottle and downed the content. He was obviously tense.

  “We’re losing out there,” he commented.

  “I know that.”

  “And then you know it’s also your fault, I take it.”

  “Not everyone can be good at everything in the entire world like you.”

  He smirked. “So you’re saying I’m perfect?”

  “No,” I growled. “I’m saying you’re—” Shit. I guess I was calling him perfect. “Sure. Fine.” I threw my hands up in defeat. “You’re perfect. You’re good at sports, like every kind—you’re even good at horseback riding! I know because I remember the lessons our parents signed us up for last year. What guy in the twenty-first century is good at horseback riding? You’re annoyingly smart with your dual-degree and straight A’s. And you’re probably a cover model on some magazine. Happy now?”

  He grinned devilishly, his eyebrows raised. “Yes.”

  I crinkled my nose and scowled. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Lots of things.”

  I clenched my teeth together. “You drive me crazy.”

  “Ditto.”

  “You… You’re… argh!” Steam had to come out of my ears because my blood was boiling. “Why can’t you be normal?”

  He shrugged.

  I realized then that I didn’t know what was worse, when he never shut up and continued to drive me crazy with his words or when he drove me insane with his sophisticated silence and apparent maturity.

  God. He deserved to get hit by that ball.

  My head jerked up when Mrs. Abernathy’s high-pitched voice sounded. “Oh, hey, sweetie! I didn’t know you guys were here.” She beamed at someone coming from the building. I turned to see a blond guy come toward us holding a blonde girl’s hand. They were both in shorts and T-shirts, and the girl had her hair in a ponytail.

  “Hey, Mom,” the guy greeted with a smile, walking over to hug his mom and kiss her cheek. He looked like the definition of a nice guy. “We’ve been running laps at the field.”

  Mrs. Abernathy was suddenly radiating with pride. “This is my son that I told you about, Austin,” Mrs. Abernathy said, smiling. “Austin, these are our friends from St. Crow.”

  Austin turned to where River and I were standing. “Hi. I’m Austin Abernathy.” He came over and shook hands with River before giving me a hug and air kiss on the cheek. “This is my girlfriend, Hannah Santori.”

  Hannah gave off extremely friendly vibes when she reached her hand out for River to shake and he gave her a cheek-to-cheek hug and she chuckled. “Nice to meet you.”

  “River Sinclair,” River greeted with a nod. “This is Emory Lauder.”

  “Hi.” I smiled at them and Austin smiled back. It was clear he was Mrs. Abernathy’s son—they gave off the same vibes.

  “I hope my mother hasn’t bored you to death yet,” Austin teased with a chuckle and Mrs. Abernathy slapped his shoulder while laughing. “She told me she was meeting you guys for brunch.”

  “Yes. It’s been lovely.” I smiled at him. He was a handsome guy.

  “So, where are you staying?” He glanced between me and River.

  “At the Abernathy Plaza, actually,” River said as he subconsciously took a step closer to me.

  “Nice.” Hannah beamed at us. “You should come to the club tonight; you know the one on the top floor? Austin’s friend is hosting a party there at nine.”

  I thought River was about to decline, but I talked over him. “We’d love to. Thanks for the invitation.”

  Hannah’s lips pulled up into a wider smile.

  Alcohol, music, and fun were what I needed after a day like today.

  Austin wrapped his arm around Hannah’s waist and smiled at us. “Then I guess I’ll see you guys later.”

  I hadn’t been this exhausted in ages. An entire twenty-four hours with River was wearing on my everything. The first night I hoped we could get along, but I think every time we did were exceptions to the rule. River and I pushed each other—that was how we were wired. But I think, if possible, Mrs. Abernathy and her friend annoyed me even more.

  At least with River there was some substance. He was smart after all. A conversation with him wasn’t all bad all the time. He was a good debater, if not anything else. Few could keep me engaged in a conversation like he did—because few provoked me like he did.

  Being forced to spend the entire day with River changed my perspective. When we got home to St. Crow, I’d still be forced to work with him when preparing for Founders’ Day. It would be so much easier if we could get along like normal people. I wasn’t a child anymore, and I needed to be mature about it.

  River and I were back in our suite after eating dinner in the hotel restaurant, and I was in the bathroom getting ready. I’d decided to be the bigger person in the situation when I stepped out of it.

  I was met with River’s back as he was putting a belt through his black tapered pants. He was shirtless and his muscles rippled under his smooth tanned skin.

  “Listen,” I said, clearing my throat. “Today was—”

  “A nightmare?” River finished for me, not turning around.

  “You could say that. Anyway, I’ve been thinking and… All I’m saying is that things would be a lot easier if we got along.” Sucking in a dee
p breath, I swallowed my pride. “I’m sorry if I ever offend—”

  In seconds he was over, covering my mouth with his hand. “No, Emmy.” His eyes glinted with something fierce. “You’re not. And don’t say you are either, because then I’d be forced to say it back. And we both know I’m not sorry about anything.”

  I breathed slowly, my brain momentarily paralyzed by his proximity. His authority radiated from him, even if he didn’t mean to.

  “I guess not,” I muttered, too lost in his eyes to look away. “But you and I need to stop. We live in the same town, our lives intertwine. We can’t avoid each other, and we can’t act like two spoiled brats, either. We’ll both get burned.”

  He tilted his head to the side, his eyes calculative. “But isn’t that the thrill of it all?”

  I blinked at him and swallowed. “I don’t get you.”

  River pulled away. “I don’t expect you to.”

  But why did I want to? So very badly?

  “So, what are we doing with Founders’ Day?” I asked, wanting to change the suffocating mood that had been set.

  A vein in his neck ticked. “Surprisingly enough, we’ve been together for twenty-nine hours and we haven’t killed each other yet.”

  Twenty-nine hours. No one but River would have that kind of precision.

  I snickered and studied him as he ground his jaw and his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. Slowly, his eyes slid over my body and the off-the-shoulder, skintight, red dress I was wearing.

  “My eyes are up here,” I mocked, even though I knew River wasn’t checking me out. He was scrutinizing me, trying to find something to tick me off about.

  His eyes slid right back up to mine and they were cold as ice. There was something fascinating in the fact that he had icy blue eyes that hid a fire within them.

  “Let’s get this thing over with, shall we?” River held out his arm and I took it with a smirk.

  I knew he didn’t want to go, which made me want to go even more.

  “Just so you know,” River whispered in my ear as we stood in the elevator, “you owe me for this.”

  Arriving at the party, we greeted Austin and Hannah, but they quickly disappeared into the growing crowd.