“No, it’s fine.” I reach down, grab Hunter, and turn to walk out.
“You kept the rat?” Ryan’s voice filters through the room, halting me in my stride.
Swallowing hard, I turn back and nod. “Of course. I named him Hunter, remember? Besides, I wasn’t going to set him free when, obviously, he’s so tame. Plus, he’s cute as hell, and I am happy to have another pet.”
“Jesus Christ, it figures! I try to scare you with a rat, and you fucking adopt it. I didn’t think you were serious when you said you were going to keep it.” He laughs. “Stay for dinner, but don’t expect me to get dressed for you.”
I try to hide my smile. “That’s fine. I don’t need you in clothes,” I say, then open my mouth wide at how that sounded. Ryan raises an eyebrow while Lunar and Danger both laugh.
“Wait, I didn’t mean that how it sound—”
“Sure… sure, Tillie. You always want me naked, and I can arrange that.”
I roll my eyes. “Please don’t. The live stream would crash the server with everyone wanting to see that.”
Danger and Lunar laugh loudly while Ryan softly smiles.
His behavior at the office to this is a complete one-eighty.
Maybe he might be thawing slightly.
“Fine, I’ll keep my shows just for you then. Seeing as you showed me yours, it’s only fair I show you mine, yeah?” he teases.
My stomach clenches remembering him seeing my blouse practically see-through, and I gasp slightly, but not enough for anyone to notice.
Ryan affects me.
I know he does.
I just wish I knew why.
I also think we would get along great if he could accept I’m here to help Recoil, not to replace him.
“Tillie?” Ryan asks, breaking me from my rambling thoughts.
“Sorry… what?” I ask.
“No quick comeback?”
“How ’bout we have dinner and talk less about naked people?”
He tilts his head slightly. “Why, Tillie? Are you uncomfortable?”
“Leave her alone, Ry,” Danger berates, slapping him across the back of his head with a small thump. He chuckles, and we walk to the dining table to sit down, where Lunar brings over a bottle of wine. Danger brings a big bowl of something that smells delicious as Lunar pours me a glass of red. I quickly take it from her with a smile, clinking my glass to hers.
“I hope you like chili con carne.”
Smiling, I nod. “I like things spicy.”
Ryan smirks as he sits down next to me.
I take a big sip of my wine while Ryan piles his plate high with chili. His muscles flex in my line of sight, and I’m distracted for a moment. My wine glass tips further than it should against my mouth, causing the liquid to ripple down the side of my chin and flurry in rivulets onto my chest. I pull the wine glass away from my lips, quickly lurching backward.
“Shit,” I murmur while grabbing a napkin, pulling my top forward, and wiping in between my breasts. Lunar and Danger chuckle while Ryan gawks, grabbing another spoonful of chili from the pot and directing it toward his plate. But he’s too busy watching me wipe my breasts, and the ladle of chili lands right in his lap. He screams out and stands up abruptly. We all look at him as the chili covers his entire crotch and thighs and dribbles down his legs. It seriously has to be burning him. Before I havetime to grab a napkin to help him wipe it off, he grabs the hem of his underwear and pulls it down.
Right down.
All the way down.
