“There are pictures of us kissing?”
“Just come over here, Felix. This is on me. Let me look after you. No funny business. You can stay in the spare room.”
Felix felt a wave of disappointment from him saying that. Despite everything, he would love to be wrapped up in Ryder’s powerful arms right now.
“I need to let Laura know I’m okay, then I’ll come over.”
“Okay, baby. Put Mason back on. I’ll see you soon.”
He handed the phone back to Mason, who spoke to Ryder, but he zoned them out. Why was he going round there at night? Because it was Ryder, and he couldn’t say no to the pull there was between them. He looked at his phone again,which felt like a grenade in his hand. Once he opened it, there’d be no putting the explosion away.
“We’re going back to yours first. Ryder said Laura would want to see you were okay in person. He suggested you pick up clothes for a few days.”
“Days? Am I being kidnapped?”
Mason chuckled. “I’m sure Ryder would like to kidnap you.”
Felix flushed and felt nervous. He remembered the warning Mason gave him and wanted to ask him about it, but kept quiet. He didn’t want to think about Ryder just using him for sex. That didn’t feel like the man he’d had the two wonderful dates with—three if you counted the evening at his apartment. Even with those bitches getting under his skin at the end of it, nothing could take away the memories of how it felt to be touched and kissed by Ryder. Something they would never experience.
They pulled up at his apartment building. Mason offered to go in with him, but Felix needed to speak to Laura alone. He hadn’t even looked at her messages, or listened to her voice notes. She loved sending those. He found them irritating, which is probably why she kept doing it.
“Take your time. I’ll wait here for you.”
“I can get an Uber.”
“No chance. Ryder would kill me.”
Felix wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just nodded and got out. As soon as he opened the door to his apartment, Laura barreled into him with a hug.
“I’ve been so worried about you.”
She squeezed him tighter, and then when she broke the hug, she slapped him on the arm.
“Ow. What was that for?”
“Ignoring me all day. I’ve been worried sick. If Ryder hadn’t called me, I would have marched over to that wedding myself.”
“Ryder called you?”
“Of course. He was worried about you. How are you feeling anyway? It’s fucking crazy, isn’t it? How something like two guys on a date can go viral.”
“You need to tell me because I haven’t even looked at my phone. I’ve got thousands of notifications and my followers have gone down. How bad is it?”
“You haven’t even looked?” She looked nervous, which was not like Laura.
“Just give me the highlights. How much do his fans hate me?”
“Probably about thirty percent. The rest are on your side.”
“Side? What are they even saying?”
She hesitated.
“Just tell me.”
“It’s mostly that they don’t think you’re right for Ryder, and that you’re only after his fame to build your own business.”
“That’s it?”
