Page 21 of Vegas with my Ex’s Best Friends

Then Andrew turns his glass slowly in his hand and looks straight at me.

“To bad decisions,” he says quietly.

Not joking.

Nobody moves.

Liam doesn't move. Ethan doesn't move. Andrew holds my gaze—steady, unflinching, like he's daring me to look away first.

I don't.

I drink anyway.

Chapter nine

Chapter Nine—Andrew

Night eleven.

Seven years, and I thought I knew what it would feel like if I ever got back here.

I was completely wrong.

She's laughing at something Liam said. I remember that laugh.

I forgot how hard it hits.

I take a measured sip and look away. Anything to keep from staring at how the black bikini clings to her wet skin. When she leans forward to set her glass on the edge of the hot tub, the neckline dips lower than she probably realizes, offering a glimpse of soft curves I have no right to crave this badly.

Under the churning water, my cock is already thick and aching, heavy against my thigh. All these years and my body still hasn't gotten the memo that she's not mine anymore. Not exclusively. Not ever again.

“Careful,” Riley says, tipping her glass toward Liam. “You're going to give me a complex, complimenting me like that.”

“That's the plan,” Liam says easily. “Wear you down. Death by flattery.”

“It's not going to work.”

“It's working a little.”

She laughs—light, teasing—and Liam grins like he's won something. Her cheeks go pink. There she is. The one who knows her timing is perfect. The one I'd burn cities for.

The shift happens so gradually I almost miss it. Or maybe I don't miss it at all. I just stop fighting it.

The second bottle of champagne is nearly empty. Steam curls around us. The city lights flicker indifferently below.

Liam moves first.

He reaches across the water, slow enough that she has every chance to stop him. His fingers brush a damp strand of hair from her cheek and tuck it behind her ear. They linger at her jaw, thumb stroking the delicate line there with aching tenderness. Riley goes perfectly still, lips parting on a silent inhale.

She doesn't pull away. She doesn't lean in either.

She stays exactly where she is. Like she's standing at the edge of something she already knows she shouldn't step into.

Ethan stays perfectly still.

I do the same.

Liam waits. Just long enough that the choice is hers.