Right as Julian nears her a little, Daisy stands, teetering, and she sits on the other side of Ryke, away from her “boyfriend.” She whispers something to him that sounds like a slurred mess. But he nods like he understands.
And I realize, in this moment, how much she trusts Ryke to protect her—even from her own boyfriend.
Julian reddens in aggravation. But I have no verbal hostility in my throat to chastise him. Alcohol has softened me into a gooey state. I like it once in a while.
We try to ignore Julian’s silent rage, and a few minutes later, we’re on our electronic tablets, scrolling through gossip blogs forPrincesses of Phillyand trying to find the funniest comments.
Lily squirms on Loren’s lap, having trouble controlling her urges while she’s naked underneath the flannel. Loren tightens his arms around her waist and she stops moving.
Connor’s hand descends down my thigh of my long black cotton dress. The fabric is thin, and I can feel his fingers near a spot that truly begs for him. My lips touch his shoulder, and my eyes flit up to meet his, full of intense desire.
His expression matches mine, and I feel the wetness soak my panties.
He says under his breath, “I’m going to fuck you hard, Rose.” He strokes my head and leans me to his chest. “So hard that you’re not going to be able to walk in the morning.” Why does that sound so good?
I touch his microphone battery pack for a second, realizing that the cameras caught that. But they probably won’t air it anyway. It’s too dirty for network television.
I glance back to the group and notice that Daisy has passed out, her head resting on Ryke’s lap. Julian watches her, but he makes no move to grab her from Ryke yet. I want her to stay with Lo’s brother. I trust Daisy’s judgment, even drunk, and she just chose him.
Connor flips open his tablet, and he scrolls through long lists. I read from his screen as he holds it up to us. The words keep blurring together the longer the alcohol sets in.
“Here’s one,” Loren says. “Ryke Meadows is the biggest jackass.”
“How is that funny?” Ryke asks with narrowed eyes.
“Oh, I thought we were just reading comments.” Loren grins while Ryke rolls his eyes.
“I’ve got one!” Lily clasps her hands together. “Connor is a prick, but I’d bone him.” Lily’s eyes widen at the camera. “Just so we’re clear, I was reading a comment!”
Connor smiles beside me. Whoever that girl is, she can’t have him. He’s all mine. Or maybe I’m his.
We own each other, I think.
I look down at Connor’s screen, and the words don’t make sense to me. That never happens. “What does this mean?” I ask Connor, almost rolling my eyes when I utter the phrase. I can already feel his ego inflate. “Lo and Lily are so my OTP forever.”
Lily lets out a delighted squeal, her hands shooting to her mouth. She bounces giddily on Loren’s lap, and he holds the blanket around her body to keep her covered. “Are you serious?” she asks excitedly. “They called us OTP? Lo, did you hear that?”
“I heard, love,” he says with a smile. “But I didn’t need anyone to say it for me to believe it.”
Her entire face glows at his words.
I’m still stuck on OTP. I turn to Connor and he shakes his head likedon’t look at me for this.
“What does OTP stand for?” I ask my sister.
“One True Pairing. Like couples that fans think are meant for each other,” Lily says quickly. “It’s used for fandoms. I guess, since we’re on a reality show, now we qualify.” Weird. But she would know that information, seeing as how they’re both into comic books and general pop culture things.
“Neither of you knew that?” Loren asks with a grin.
“It’s slang,” Connor says like that explains it all. It doesn’t matter. The fact that my sister and her boyfriend stumped us, the smartest people in the room, literally makes them beam in pure glee.
“Okay, what about this:I ship Ryke and Daisy so hard it hurts. What the hell does that mean?” I end up slurring the end of the sentence.Oh my God. Get your shit together, Rose. He’s going to fuck you so hard. He can’t fuck you if you’re passed out!I swallow, but my throat feels like cotton and clouds…which is one of the stupidest thoughts I’ve ever produced. I really am drunk. Dear God.
Connor runs his fingers across my arm, so light that I shiver. He tucks me closer to him.Please don’t pass out, Rose.
Lo groans as Connor rereads what I said aloud, only more coherent than me.
“What?” Ryke frowns.
