“Not a chance in hell.” She sticks her tongue out and dives beneath the water, swimming right through his legs. I feel her brush mine, so I widen my stance, and she surfaces right between me and the side of the pool where I’m holding on. “Hello there,” she says, waggling her eyebrows.
“Hello yourself, Baby.” I peck her lips and try to catch Ryder’s reaction without being obvious. I still don’t believe he is all about this. He looks…fine. What the hell? Did someone body snatch Ryder?
Gage makes a grab for her around me, and I cage her against the side of the pool, protecting her, which is fucking laughable.
“That’s not fucking fair,” Gage pouts. “Two against one.”
“Aw, poor baby,” Alessa pouts back.
He jumps up and pushes us both under. We spend the next fifteen minutes wrestling in the pool until Evander and Mateo start saying their goodbyes.
It feels so normal that I can’t help but wonder when the other shoe will drop.
Chapter 24
Holden
I’m watching TV in my room when the door opens slowly. I look up expecting Ryder, but Alessa walks in. Her hair looks damp, and she’s wearing an oversized shirt that looks like Gage’s. She softly pads over to the bed. “Can I watch with you?”
I nod, and she slides onto the bed beside me. I haven’t seen her since all that happened by the pool, but I know she’s busy, and I’m deliriously happy she’s in here with me now. I’ve never jacked off so much at the thought of anything, but I couldn’t stop after getting a small taste of Les.
She snuggles into my side, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “What are you watching?”
“Peaky blinders.”
“Oh. Good one. Nothing like old-school English gangsters,” she laughs, and the sound goes straight to my heart. She seems so happy today, even after everything that went down with the Morettos and her finding out about a potential stalker. I’m running everything on Ryder’s phone I can think of, and Iwillfind this asshole.
“I have that file for you.” I go to move from the bed to grab it, and she pulls me back down.
“I’m not here for that,” she says softly, rubbing her hand down my bare chest. “I just wanted to be with you.”
“Oh,” I say lamely. I’m so used to people coming to me for work-related stuff that it’s hard to separate the two, and Ryder’s the only one who will hang out with me in my room or office. Thinking about Ryder with Alessa makes me feel guilty. I think I see Ryder as more than my best friend, but I also think I’m confusing myself because Ryder helped me out so much when I first got here.
“What’s on your mind?” she asks, and I look down, noticing she’s staring at me.
“Nothing,” I say too fast, then remember what she said about honesty. “Ryder.”
“Ryder?” she asks in confusion. “Is everything okay?”
“Uh,” I clear my throat, “Yeah.”
“You can tell me anything, Holden.” I look into her blue eyes and know she’s telling the truth.
“I look at Ryder…differently than the other guys.”
She nods. “I could see why. He took you under his wing when you got here.” I can feel my face heat, and her mouth forms an ‘O’. “You mean you don’t see him as just a friend?” I nod, unable to speak. “Does Ryder know?”
“No,” I whisper. “He’s my best friend.”
She giggles. “He’s mine too, and you see where that went.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, but you’re you.”
“And you, Holden Jones, are you.” She runs her thumb over my bottom lip. “I’ve never known Ryder to be attracted to other guys, but that doesn’t mean anything. Look at Leo.”
“What about Leo?”
“Leo and Gage have developed certain feelings for each other. Up until now, Leo has been straight.”
