He kissed her forehead. “A triple date with Jared Pink and Soren Sinclair? Fuck yeah, we can go.”
“Yes!” Kay wrapped her arms around Ryan’s waist, resting her head against his chest. “Ness, this is perfect. We can catch up more, andIcan get to know Jared better.”
She raised her brows, issuing a playful challenge. One I met with equal fervor.
“Works for us,” I answered for both of us, even though I knew Nessa would hate it. “Right, angel?”
My hands slid from her waist, roving over the thick, fleshy hips I had spent countless hours dreaming about, though all those dreams had involved a lot more privacy and a lot less clothing.
The things I wanted to do to this woman, for this woman. They started with worshiping every inch of her body (twice) and ended with making her mine.
Preferably while she wore that Roasters hat and nothing else.
“Sounds perfect,” she chirped far too enthusiastically. The high-pitched squeal might have sounded natural coming from Clarke or Kaylani, but not from my sardonic sass queen.
I stole a glance toward our captive audience. June seemed utterly enthralled by the action, almost as if she were enjoying Netflix’s latest K-drama. Ryan and Kaylani seemed none the wiser, Clarke was too caught up in the idea of another friend falling for a Roaster, and Soren was too caught up in Clarke.
Damn, is that what people see when I’m looking at Nessa?
Wonder and reverence colored his half-mast eyes. The tension in his jaw promised something a bit more feral. Clearly, the old man still had it, and something told me that later tonight, he was going to give it to his live-in girlfriend.
I’d giveitto Nessa if she let me. If she asked for it.
Until then, I’d settle for fake dates and flower crowns.
Nessa
“You’re early.” I huffed from my spot on the porch swing.
“Angel, I’m starting to believe that you’ve been dating the wrong people.”
The porch steps creaked under his heavy feet. Mom would have scolded me for not getting up to greet a guest, but I was too cozy, buried beneath my favorite knit blanket. Plus, things were just starting to heat up in the book I was reading, an enemies-to-lovers romance set on a submarine.Talk about forced proximity.
Pink tucked his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket and rocked forward on his toes. He looked . . . different. Stripped down, like an average guy I might bump into at the coffee shop or grocery store. He’d traded out his usual athleisure wear for a pair of forest-green pants and a horror movie T-shirt that hugged his sculpted pecs. A crocheted beanie and denim jacketcompleted the outfit, making him look like a walking, talking advertisement for the Pacific Northwest.
Columbia Sportswear had nothing on Jared Pink.
“Generally,” he said, drawing my attention away from his crotch.Oops.“My dates tend to like it when I pick them up on time. It’s called good etiquette.”
“Oo, is that a big word for Elmo?”
He pursed his lips. I had the sudden urge to lick the crease forming between his brows, but I chalked that up to the spicy blow job scene I was reading. I was just . . .projectingmy horniness onto him, and that was the story I was committed to sticking to.
“Do you mind?” I gestured to the open book in my hands. “I’m almost done with this chapter.”
“What are you reading?” His eyes widened when I flashed the cover at him. “Is that a submarine?”
“Yes, and the captain is about to go down on his brother’s best friend, so I’m going to need you to shush.”
“Fair enough. Far be it for me to stand in the way of queer love.” He pointed toward the empty chair next to mine. “Do you mind if I sit?”
“Just so long as you—”
“Shush. Yup, got it.” I rolled my eyes when he mimed zipping his lips.
Pink dropped down into the seat and pulled out his phone. For the next ten minutes, we sat together in comfortable silence—me with my nose buried in my paperback and him scrolling on his phone.
It took me fifteen minutes to get through five pages, twice as long as my usual reading pace. Even then, I was too distracted by the warmth radiating off his body to really pay attention to the words on the page. That and the delicious waft of cinnamon sugar.
