1
ROWDY
Kess: Where are you?
Kess: How can my brand-new house be properly warmed when your hot ass is missing?
I smiled evenas nerves burbled in my stomach. Cursing my pathetic heart, I tapped on the message field and went with my usual sass.
Me: You need a hottie for your housewarming.
Me: The naked guy in the next room needs a hole.
Me: Must I do everything?
His reply was satisfyingly immediate.
Kess: OMG. Spare me the details of your slutty ways.
Me: Whatever. You like my slutty ways.
Kess: Impressed is not the same as liking it.
Kess: Are you seriously missing my housewarming for some last-minute ass?
I’d contemplated skipping his party, but he’d noticed my absence, and that made my pathetic heart thump with foolish hope. The pull of his easy smile was simply too strong to resist, and I was a weak, weak man.
Me: Nah. I’m just running a little late.
Me: Save some of Mama Bash’s sangria for me.
Kess: She and her husband are already making out on the couch.
Me: I’ll be right over.
Kess: Drive safe.
Me:
There was no naked guy, of course, but for the better part of the last two years, Kessler and I had sustained a sort of ante-upping, back-and-forth flirtation that was entirely unserious. I blew out a guilty breath as I scrolled up to re-read our previous conversations—a steady thread of crass jokes and inappropriate innuendo.
Kess: Warwick invited me to an orgy at his bunkhouse.
Kess: What exactly does one wear to an orgy?
Me: Babes, do you not understand the purpose of an orgy?
Me: Hint: It’s to get naked as quickly as possible.
Kess: So...T-shirt and sweats?
Me: Exactly. And don’t bother with underwear.
Kess: Any tips for an orgy noob?
Me: Take the amount of lube and condoms you planned on bringing and double it.
Me: And if Roly shows up, kiss any thought of a Colt DP goodbye.
