When Caid simply goes back to whatever it is he’s doing on his cell, I ready myself for the day. I dry my hair, apply alight swish of makeup, and dress in that nifty and talented way women can when they’re only in a towel and don’t want to show off the goods. Not that Caid won’t see them eventually, but we have things to do, and accidentally seducing the man when I have an active stalker ex is probably a little lower on the to-do list than heading to the station is.
Dressed and ready to rumble, I head toward the bed and smack Caid’s hard thigh. “All done. Let’s bounce.”
Blinking away from his phone, Caid looks up at me and freezes. His mouth falls open a little, and I’m convinced I hear him gasp, but I’m distracted by the way his gaze runs over every inch of me from head to toe and back up again. Hell, he might as well physically touch me with the way my body reacts, my nipples hardening beneath my bra and my vagina perking up like the little hussy she’s become. One dick is all it took, and now she’s a cock-hungry maniac.
Swallowing hard, I brush a hand down my dress and peer down at my outfit, asking, “What? Do I look stupid?”
Almost in a daze, he shakes his head in answer, right before he licks his lip and informs, “I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’m seeing you in a dress. Holy shit, Blue.”
I frown even as my body fills with delight at his perusal and appreciation, because there’s no way I’ve known these guys for two months and haven’t worn a dress once around them. I think it over, sure I’ve at least worn a skirt, only I come up completely empty of memories that include me in a dress.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I guess this is the first time I’m wearing a dress around you,” I chuckle, eyeing the pretty blue flowers printed onto the fabric. “What a waste that I’m wearing it to the police station.”
Just then, Ryan appears in the doorway, leaning around the doorframe with his hair styled as usual and his charming smile in place. He’s wearing casual jeans, sneakers, and anoversized shirt that looks like it would fit snugly on Baxter’s body. He looks the most relaxed and casual I’ve ever seen him, and it warms my heart just as much as Caiden’s blushing does.
“How about we do something after visiting the station?” he suggests, moving to lean against the doorframe.
Caid sits up on the bed like he’s dead and Ryan’s words have risen him from his eternal rest. His phone is discarded, and he asks, “Like a date? As in, take Maddie on a date?”
Ry shrugs as though it’s no big deal, but I see the way he watches me, as though he’s trying to find any ounce of discomfort in me at the idea. He won’t find any, because going on a date on what is meant to be a beautiful day sounds like the perfect way to spend my time.
So, with a giddy excitement building in my chest, I grin and nod. “A date sounds perfect. Have any ideas where we could go?”
Ryan thinks about it for a second before he looks over at Caid. “When does that food festival at the park end?”
Those words light Caid up like a Christmas tree, and he scrambles for his cell as he answers, “I’m pretty sure it lasts another week. At least, I think that’s what I read. Let me check.”
Ry nods before he finally makes his way toward me, his hazel eyes running over my outfit much like Caid had, only with a less dazzled look on his face and a softer, more intimate expression painted over his charming features. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
It’s my turn to blush, the heat filling my cheeks so fast that I feel a flush of warmth spread through my face. I offer him a little twirl, slow enough that I don’t flash my panties, and strike a pose the moment I’m facing him again. “Thank you. It felt like a dress kind of day.”
“I stand by the choice,” he says, reaching out to tug at the frilly skirt, smiling when I laugh at the flirty tone in his voice.
“I’ll be sure to find more days that deserve dresses,” I tease, just as Caiden leaps off the bed and almost shoves his phone in Ryan’s face.
“It’s ongoing,” he declares, wiggling his phone, making it impossible for Ryan to read whatever is on the screen. “Let’s go, people. We have a report to make and food to eat. All the food, health be damned. We’ll worry about the gains and shit later.”
Before Ryan or I can say much of anything else, Caid latches his hand around mine and drags me straight toward the front door, Ryan’s laughter following after me. Caid doesn’t skip a single beat, leading me out of the apartment before I can reach for my purse, and I’m thankful for Ryan when I spy him reaching for it before he shuts and locks my apartment door for me.
I guess Caiden’s taking the lead here, and I’m all too willing to go along for the ride.
***
“I’m just saying, it’s bullshit that they can’t do anything more than what they’re doing. That freak is still wandering the streets freely, terrorizing Maddie, and walking through life as if that’s totally acceptable,” Caid continues to gripe, his Korean corn dog waving around in Ryan’s face as he passionately complains about the police and their systems and processes that, and I quote, are doing diddly shit to get rid of that glory hole with fake muscles and teeth.
A creative insult that stunned me silent, my own corn dog forgotten for a moment as I stare at the blond-haired man in awe. There’s every chance I store the insult away in my brain for future use, already over the annoyance our trip to the police station infected me with.
We handed over the receipts of Toby’s incessant badgering, and the officer promised to add it to the open report Imade, apologizing when he informed us there was nothing more that could be done just yet. Caiden wasn’t too happy, Ryan didn’t look at all thrilled, and both Rayne and Baxter had plenty to say via text after I relayed what happened to them over the phone, but I can’t say I expected a different outcome. It seems I’m simply gathering a plethora of evidence against the man before anything actually happens, and so the world keeps turning, the day continues, and the food waits patiently to be eaten.
“How about we let it go for the day?” I suggest, right before taking a bite out of my corn dog and moaning at the burst of flavor that practically fucks my taste buds. “Oh my God, this is heaven. Try yours instead of swinging it around in Ryan’s face.”
I take another bite, humming under my breath, and it takes me a second to realize the conversation has stopped and Caiden has fallen silent. I have no idea when my eyes closed, but when they reopen, I find both men watching me with heated gazes and looks that declare their hunger, but not for the copious amounts of food Caid and Ryan both bought for us to share.
Swallowing my bite harshly, I lick my lip before I ask, “What? Surely it’s not that sexy watching a woman enjoy a corn dog.”
Caid breaks first, his mouth forming a devilish smile before he says, “I’m struggling to think of anything sexier, especially when the woman is making sounds much like the ones I heard coming out of the bedroom yesterday.”
Ah, hell.
