“And you sit around discussing the men’s… narrative structure?” He waggles his eyebrows. “Their character development? Theirbutts?”
Carter nearly chokes on his drink, laughing. “Okay, I need to hear more about this book club. Are applications open?”
My face floods with heat, and not just from the fever-like sensation that’s been building all evening. Across the table, Seth just grins at me, slow and knowing and infuriatingly smug.
“Oh, I knew you and your friend were checking me out today,” he says casually.
“You did not.”
“Why do you think it took me so long to pick something up?” He takes a leisurely sip of his drink. “I could’ve been done in two seconds. But I had an audience, so I figured I’d give you something worth watching.”
I stare at him. The quiet, brooding cowboy who barely spoke at the photo shoot is sitting across from me, looking like he just won a prize. So much for mysterious and reserved.
“You’re shameless,” I manage.
“I’m aware of my assets.” He lifts his chin slightly, and there’s a cockiness there I haven’t seen before. “We’re used to being watched. Might as well make it memorable.”
I remember the night I picked him up from jail and how different he’d been with his guard down. Sweet and vulnerable and absolutely adorable. Right now he’s all confidence and control, but I’ve seen underneath that armor. I know what’s really there.
“You’re all used to the attention, aren’t you?” I tease, pushing vegetables around on my plate. The heat under my skin is getting harder to ignore. It’s spreading from my core outward, making my clothes feel too tight, my skin too sensitive. “All that practice being gawked at by adoring fans?”
“It’s really not that much attention,” Carter says modestly. “A few fans here and there.”
“And the Reddit posts?” The words escape before I can stop them, and I immediately want to crawl under the table and die.
Kai’s eyes light up. Seth chuckles under his breath. Carter looks surprised, then delighted.
“Well, shit,” Carter says, grinning widely. “Sounds like someone’s been doing research. Should I be jealous that Kai’s getting all the online love?”
“So you saw the posts,” Kai says, practically glowing with pride. “All of them?”
“I… heard about them.”
“She’s lying,” Seth observes. “Look at her face. She saw everything.”
My mind flashes to the image Hazel showed me, the very detailed illustration of Kai’s cock with the Jacob’s ladderpiercing that apparently has its own devoted fan following. I’m blushing so hard I might actually spontaneously combust, and the heat already building in my body isn’t helping.
“Fine,” I admit, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. “I may have seen one illustration.”
“Of what, specifically?” Kai is preening now, leaning forward with obvious delight.
“Oh my God, stop. I’m not discussing this at the dinner table. Or ever. Can we please talk about literally anything else?”
“But you brought it up?—”
Carter kicks him under the table. “Let her eat in peace. You can interrogate her later.”
Kai laughs, holding up his hands in surrender.
The ache that’s been simmering in my stomach sharpens, and I press a hand to my abdomen without thinking. The heat is constant now, waves of warmth rolling through me, making my skin feel too tight for my body. I pick at my remaining vegetables, trying to act normal, but there’s sweat beading at my temples and my hands aren’t quite steady.
What is wrong with me?
“You okay?” Carter asks, studying me with sudden concern. “You look flushed.”
“Just full.” I wipe my forehead with my napkin, trying to play it off. “Think I’m going to sit on the couch for a bit.”
“Do you want dessert?” Seth offers. “There’s apple cobbler. Ice cream.”
