I tilt my head and look at her funny. “Ryan?”
Kat nods. “And Daxy’s a whole other kettle of fish. He hates the whole groupie thing—he’s actually always looking for a genuine ‘soul connection.’” Kat shrugs. “So I guess it’ll have to be Ryan or Daxy escorting you, then.” She smiles sweetly. “Any preference between Ryan or Dax?” She arches one of her bold eyebrows—and suddenly, I get the distinct feeling this is a test of some sort.
“Um, nope, no preference whatsoever,” I say, trying to sound sincere, although, I must admit, I’m praying Kat saves me from myself and picks Dax.
“Ryan, then,” Kat says decisively. “I’m sure Dax will want to be at the party when Reed arrives later.” She slides her hand into mine. “Come on, honey. Let’s go ask Ryan to get you safely to your room.”
“It’s really not necessary,” I say, the hairs on my arms standing up.Kat’s gonna ask Ryan to escort me to my room? Oh, God, help me.
“No, honey,” Kat says. “I don’t want you walking alone when you’re wobbly. Don’t worry, Ryan is completely trustworthy and reliable. He’s a real sweetheart, that one—a real knight in shining armor. Honestly, if I were gonna set you up with any of my brothers—or with any guy in the world, actually—Ryan would be the one.” Kat smiles broadly. “Come on, sweetie. Let me take you to Ryan now. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to do it.”
39
Ryan
“What the fuck!” Tessa screams at me the second we’re out of earshot from the party. “Have you told your entire fucking family about us?”
“Of course not. Why do you say that?” I ask.
I’m walking alongside her on a winding pathway that I’m assuming leads to her room, amused as hell at the furious way she’s stomping her feet and swinging her arms as she marches two paces ahead of me.
“Because Kat just made a big point of telling me you’re a ‘knight in shining armor’ and that you’re the brother she’d set me up with, if that were her intention, and, right before that, Keane went out of his way to tell me you’re the ‘greatest guy in the world’ and that ‘any woman would be lucky to snag you’ and that he’dheardyou’re some kind of sex god! What the fuckity-motherfuck did you tell them, Ryan Asshole Fucking Morgan?”
I chuckle. “My brother and sister said all that cool stuff about me? Wow. It’s amazing how far a hundred bucks stretches these days.”
“It’s not funny, Ryan the Asshole! What the fuck did you tell them? One of them singing your praises like thatmightbe sheer coincidence—butbothof them on the same night—right after wehappenedto have fucked each other’s brains out? I’m not a moron, Ryan!”
“Okay, tamp down the crazy a bit, sweetheart,” I say, laughing. “You’re being paranoid. I’ve said absolutely nothing to Kat. I swear to God. Not a word. For whatever reason, she’s been wanting to fix us up ever since she went wedding-dress shopping with you and my mom—the same way my mom wants to set us up, for whatever reason. But that’s based on some shit you did, not me. ’Fess up, Argentina, what the hell did you say to my mom and sister that made them fall head over heels in love with you and think we’re a perfect match?”
“Fuck if I know!” she shrieks. “I’ve done nothing! I’ve said nothing! I’ve been my usual, boring, potted-plant self around them at all times. I have no freaking idea why they’re both utterly convinced I’m some kind of beacon of wonderfulness who’s destined to incubate your babies!”
I laugh. God, she’s adorable.
“Now stop deflecting,” she commands. “If you didn’t say something to Kat, then you definitely said something to Keane. The guy couldn’t stop staring at my tits all night long and yet he’s pimpingyouout? It makes no sense unless you’ve said something to him.”
“You’ve got Keane all wrong. He’s a manwhore but he’s got a heart of gold.”
“Stop deflecting! I don’t care about Keane’s heart of gold. I care about whatever the fuck you told him to make him say all that nice stuff about you. You told him you’ve got dibs on me, didn’t you?”
“God, you’re smart. I really like that about you.”
“Stop deflecting!”
“Okay, okay, yes, I told Keane to leave you the fuck alone because I’ve got dibs. But I didn’t tell him we’ve already fucked, I swear. Actually, when I spoke to him about you, we hadn’t yet fucked and I haven’t said a word since.”
“We hadn’t fucked yet? But we had sex within two seconds of you getting here.”
“I told him right before you came to my room.”
“Whatexactlydid you tell him?”
“I told him to stay away from you because you’re mine.”
“I’myours?” she shrieks. “Ha! You think because you put your dick inside me...” She gasps and looks around, making sure no one’s around to overhear—and then she starts over in a whisper. “You think because you put your dick inside meonceyou own me? Because you most certainly donotown me, sir.Not. At. All.”
“Yes, I do—but not because I had sex with you once. I said you were mine before we had sex, remember? No, baby, I own you because the minute I saw you, I knew I was gonna fuck you better than anyone ever has or will—because our connection is unlike anything either of us has ever experienced before.”
She hoots. “That doesn’t mean youownme. It just means you... I dunno... somehow knew exactly how to turn me into some kind of sex-addict.”
