The moment didn’t happen until after we ate and the seniors brought out coolers of beer. She joked around with everyone who walked by her, and each smile she handed out grated on me. She wasn’t grinning at me like that, and I had to make sure I didn’t ruin whatever we had. Rachel wasn’t someone I was interested in, and Ryann needed to know that. Our friendship was too important.
Ryann got up from the chair and stretched her arms over her head for a minute before heading inside. I volunteered to get ice the next second. It was perfect.
She frowned at her phone for a second in the kitchen and shoved the device into her pocket.
I tapped on the wall before entering. “Hey.”
She startled and put a hand on her chest before grinning at me. “You scared me.”
“We need to talk,” I said, unsure what was coming over me. I sounded barbaric. “We didn’t get to finish our conversation earlier.”
“Okay?” she said, frowning, and her brows drew together. “You good?”
Someone’s laughter sounded right by the kitchen, and I took her elbow in my hand and dragged her into the hallway that led upstairs.
She leaned against the wall and looked up at me, concern swirling in her eyes. “Jonah, what’s going on?”
“Are you upset with me?”
“No.” She tilted her head to the side. “I mean, were you going to bring her back to our place?”
“No.No.”
She bit her bottom lip, and heat entered her gaze. She reached up to my shirt and picked a piece of lint off me. The gesture was so innocent yet meaningful because she didn’t touch people she didn’t trust. “Is this why you looked so uptight out there?”
“Yes,” I said, admitting the truth. “I was afraid I ruined everything.”
“You didn’t.” She scrunched her nose again and shook her head with a small smile. “I think it’s safe if we agree to not hook up with anyone else while this goes on.”
Thank god.
I sighed in relief, not caring that months from now she could date someone else and aim all those stunning smiles and joy at them. I’d worry aboutthatlater.
“Agreed.” I took a step closer, wanting to be near her again. Her breathing hitched. She smelled like flowers and outside, and I wanted to feel her skin again. Maybe it was infatuation and it would fade after a week. It would certainly be easier if I wasn’t so drawn to her. Her hair covered her shoulder, and I reached out, about to brush it off when footsteps came out of nowhere.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” Patrick asked, his voice like a shot of Patron first thing in the morning—unwelcome and jarring. I jumped back, slamming my head into the wall. All the blood left my face.
“We had a roommate disagreement, and I didn’t want to hash this shit out in front of everyone,” Ryann fired back, not missing a beat. She had a slight blush on her neck, but that was the only clue.
“Oh, about what?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at me. He wasn’t an idiot. He saw how close I was to her, how I was leaning over totouchher.
How could I be so goddamn stupid?
“His rules. You saw that damn list,” Ryann said, the lie coming off her tongue so easily it almost made me nervous. She was talented and quick on her feet.
Patrick laughed, and his eyes lost the edge, letting me relax just a hair. “What’s J.D. demanding now?”
“He thinks it’s fine to bring girls home, but I can’t bring friends over because of his hockey fame. Double standard.” She rolled her eyes and made a real scene about it. “I wanted to negotiate.”
“Oh, I like that. What are you betting?” Patrick asked, seeming quite content at staying right next to us. It was irritating as hell.
She chewed on her lips and narrowed her eyes at me. “We were mid-discussion when you interrupted.”
“You did look a little close.”
“You meanintense,” she said, her face not giving a damn thing away. I froze my expression.
Patrick nodded, and someone said his name from another room. He gave us a parting grin before taking off. My pulse pounded in my neck, and my head buzzed from the fact we almost got caught.
