This left them with a twofold problem: how to attract more interest in Mark’s survival skills classes and how to free up Mark’s time so that he actually had time to teach them. Maybe it was time to add another part-time staffer to help Ethan on the zip-line. Another salary might erode their meager profits, but summer vacation was fast approaching, and there ought to be a bounty of local college kids eager and willing to work on a zip-line all day. He’d spend some more time crunching numbers and scenarios and run it past the guys in their monthly meeting on Monday.
Several hours later, Ethan rapped on his door again. “Closing time. Let’s go.”
Ryan exited their accounting software and shut down his computer. By the time he made it to the lobby, Ethan and Mark were already there waiting.
“Trent took off a little while ago,” Ethan said. “Got the feeling he had a hot date tonight.”
“A date?” Ryan shrugged into his jacket. “With who?”
Ethan shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe that chick from the club.”
“She’s four years older than he is.”
“So? They’re both adults.”
Yeah, but twenty-two still seemed a hell of a lot older than eighteen. Ryan followed them outside, where they each got into (or onto) their respective vehicles and headed for town. His thoughts strayed to Emma. What was she up to tonight? He pictured her as he’d left her last night, naked and satisfied.
Desire stirred in his belly. When would this crazy attraction start to fade?
He followed Mark’s SUV into the lot in front of their condo building. Easier to park at home and walk the block and a half to Rowdy’s.
“So, you and Emma, huh?” Mark said, sliding him a look as they waited for Ethan to park.
He nodded, grateful for once that Mark was a man of few words.
Ethan joined them, and they walked down Main Street and into Rowdy’s, where the hostess showed them to their usual table. He glanced at the table in back where he’d sat with Emma last week.
Weird. This whole thing was still messing with his head.
Not that he regretted a single moment. Nope. This thing with Emma, whatever it was, it was one of the hottest relationships he’d ever had.
“You and Emma sure looked cozy last night,” Ethan said once they had a pitcher of beer in front of them. “I hear you two lovebirds have been spending a lot of time together.”
“Yo, since when do we discuss our love lives with each other?”
“Since my fiancée started knowing more about your love life than I do,” Ethan said.
Ryan choked on a mouthful of beer. “Gabby knows—never mind, I don’t want to know.”
“Chicks share everything, you know that,” Ethan said with a grin.
Which was why he didn’t date girls. He just slept with them.Hell.“That’s great, man. I guess you can just ask Gabby about it then.”
Now it was Mark’s turn to choke on his beer. When Ryan turned to glare at him, he looked an awful lot like he was trying to swallow a laugh.
“This is going to come back to bite me in the ass, isn’t it?” Ryan said.
“Listen, I don’t know what kind of kinky shit you two are into, but if it involves ass-biting…” Ethan broke off, laughing himself silly.
“You know what I mean, asshole.”
“It probably is, yes,” Mark said, his expression suddenly serious.
“It doesn’t have to,” Ethan said. “Just keep it casual if you don’t want it to go anywhere. Usually these things fizzle after a month or two. If I were you, I’d try to let it take its natural course so that there are no hard feelings when you break up. I mean, this is Emma we’re talking about. She’s one of us. There’s no cutting her out of the group just because you were an ass and fucked things up.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Ryan muttered.
“So just play it cool, man. Maybe let her be the one to pull the plug. You’re helping her sow her wild oats, right? So once she gets it out of her system…”
Mark looked between them. “What’s this?”
“I heard the girls put her up to it, gave her a dare or some such shit,” Ethan told him. “Emma said she wanted a hot fling, and Ryan was the lucky stud who wiped ketchup off her cheek.”
“Christ. Gabby even told you about the ketchup thing?” Ryan polished off his beer and reached for the pitcher to pour himself another.
“I’m telling you. Chicks love to gossip.”
“And I think you’re turning into one.” Ryan delivered the jab without any heat behind it because truly, the only one he was pissed at was himself. Emma had told him about the dare and the ketchup thing. He knew she was trying to live it up this year and try new things. But to hear Ethan say she was sowing her wild oats with him? That fucking stung. Because now that he thought about it, it was true. So she’d have her fun, get Ryan out of her system, and then find herself a respectable guy to settle down with.
That actually should have suited him perfectly because it would preserve their friendship when all was said and done. But it didn’t. It burned in his gut like blistering hot coals.
