I look over. He’s covering his exposed dick with both hands, knees pressed together and chin tilted upward, like he’s trying to look away.
“What?” he says with a laugh, in response to Damian’s scowl.
“Jesus.” Damian gets up and walks over to the bathroom and throws a towel at Jake. “Cover up, for Christ’s sake.”
Jake indicates his naked body with his hand. “This was your fault, by the way.”
It’s funny, in the way everything’s been funny tonight, but no one laughs. The air is so charged it feels thick.
I look back at Ryder to gauge his reaction and can’t begin to guess what’s happening in his head. He stares at me, eyes so dark he could be anything from furious to wrecked to turned on. Maybe all three.
“Well?” I say finally.
Itwashis idea. I’ve done what he asked.
“Well,” he repeats. He drags in a breath like it’s the first one in minutes. Blinks once. Exhales. “That’s that.”
I don’t know what that means. From the silence, I don’t think anyone knows what to make of this twist. There’s a second where no one speaks. Then Damian says, “Your spin, Max.”
I blink my eyes, and bend forward to spin the bottle. Wyatt’s hand slips from my back as I do. I miss his warmth the second it’s gone.
The bottle turns slowly a couple of times, wobbling over the ugly carpet, and then the neck settles, pointing straight at Ryder.
“Ho ho,” Damian says under his breath, delighted.
I lift my eyes to Ryder.
What can I possibly throw at him that equals what he just asked of me? Something that doesn’t humiliate him, but still levels the field. Something that tells me where he is with all this.
And then I know.
“Okay, Ryder,” I say, squaring my shoulders. “I dareyou…to kissme.”
Charged silence throttles the room again, like everyone’s holding the same breath.
Ryder’s chin tips up the slightest bit. His gaze doesn’t leave mine.
Then he nods once.
Crooks one finger.
Come here.
Heat flares in my core. I push myself off the mattress, stepping across the short space between the beds, and climb onto his lap, one knee on either side of his thighs. His body is solid under me. Strong, hot, all muscle and coiled restraint. His eyes don’t leave mine, not for a second, but his hands slide up my waist, big palms bracing my sides.
The first press of his mouth knocks the air out of me. This kiss is nothing like Wyatt’s. There’s no careful reacquainting. Ryder sweeps his tongue between my lips, one hand coming up into my hair, tightening enough to make my pulse jump. I feel the heat of his touch all the way through me, from my mouth to my knees. He pulls me harder against him, and then lets go.
My lungs are burning. I’m breathing hard. Every place our bodies touch is on fire.
“Better?” I ask, dazed. His hair is knotted back, but a loose strand has fallen forward, brushing his cheek. I reach up and tuck it behind his ear without thinking.
“Yes.” His eyes flick to my mouth, then back up.
I ease off his lap and return to my spot on the bed, legs unsteady. The whole room feels tilted.
“Well, holy shit,” Damian whistles. “I’m probably going to have to tell Jake to get dressed again if it’s gonna keep going like this.”
“Or leave me as I am,” Jake shoots back, “and let me have my turn with Max.”
