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Ryder laughs and I feel his hard cock press against me.

“Need some help with that?” I murmur against his ear, my hand already slipping between us.

“Yes,” he groans and pulls off his underwear.

I slide down his body, pressing kisses down his chest and stomach, until I’m exactly where I want to be. He shifts his hips like he can’t wait another second, so I give him one teasing lick from base to tip before taking him into my mouth. The sounds he makes are my favorite as I suck him slowly, teasing him, even though I know how badly he needs to come. I pop off briefly and his cock slaps against his stomach as he groans in frustration.

“Logan—” he starts to huff.

I grin at his protest.

“You know I got you, baby,” is all I say before I take him to the back of my throat and swallow around him. I bob my head up and down, adding my hand to really send him over the edge, and in no time, I feel his fingers tighten in my hair.

“Gonna—come.”

I moan around him until he’s shooting down my throat. I swallow everything he gives me, taking every last drop, giving him one last suck before I finally pop off.

“Damn,” he chuckles. “That was fast. Guess I really was pent up from you.”

I crawl up his body and claim his mouth, letting him taste both of us on our tongues. He groans, but before we can go another round, I break the kiss.

“Shower,” I whisper against his lips.

“Mmm, fine,” he reluctantly agrees.

We hop in the shower to get ready for the night, even though with how much he’s touching me, I can’t understand why we have to leave the house in the first place.

“Do we have to go?” Ryder asks, echoing my thoughts.

I chuckle, running my hands down his back. “That’s up to you, this was your idea, remember?”

His face twists into something between regret and exhaustion. “Fuck past me for making plans.”

I laugh, reaching past him to shut off the water. “Come on, let’s get dressed. We’ll save round two for after the bar. Maybe that flip fuck I’ve been promising, huh?”

Ryder grumbles under his breath, but lets me pull him out of the shower anyway and wrap a towel around his shoulders.

“Be honest,” he says in a low voice. “You think this is a terrible idea, don’t you?”

I glance up, meeting his gaze.

“No,” I say simply. “I think it’s a big deal for you, but I also think you’re ready. You’ve been doing so well in therapy, and you know I would never push you. If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to go yet. It’s that simple.”

Ryder swallows hard and nods his head.

I am so proud of him and the work he’s been doing in therapy. It’s only been about a month, but the shift is already there.

I’ve been going to therapy too. At first, it was to deal with the guilt and feeling like I failed Ry, but I’ve been learning that I didn’t cause what happened. Kyle did. And even if I’dseen every sign, I couldn’t have predicted what he’d do. Therapy helps me process it all, so I don’t weigh Ryder down with my guilt. He’s got enough to process on his own, and I’m so proud of him for doing the work.

Tonight will be our first time back at Pine Bar since everything happened. I don’t know exactly how much people know, but I know it’s enough. I’m sure there’ll be whispers, sideways glances, speculation from people trying to fill in the blanks.That’s one of the downfalls of small towns; everyone knows everyone’s shit.But we’re not going to survive all of this only to shrink away from the world. So we’re going.

The case was all over the news, and what happened to us isn’t a secret. At first, the headlines started vague, “Local Man Hospitalized After Stabbing,” and “Local Man Kidnapped, Suspect in Custody,” but it didn’t take long for everything to unravel publicly.

Enough people know what Kyle did and what Ryder and I went through. I can’t even count how many calls, emails, and messages I got from coworkers, especially after Sierra, who found me bleeding out and called the ambulance, shared what she’d seen. I know she was scared and panicked and needed to process, so I don’t blame her for talking about it. I’m just glad she called 911 before it was too late.

Still, I can see Ryder’s mind moving through all the possible scenarios and conversations before they happen, so I move behind him, sliding my arms around his waist and pressing my lips to his bare shoulder. “We don’t have to go,” I murmur against his skin. “If it’s too much, say the word, and we’ll stay in.”

Ryder exhales, tilting his head to the side, giving me more space to kiss down his throat.