Page 15

T he music pulsates through the club, and unless I’m squinting real hard, I can’t see who the fuck anyone is.

Lights illuminate women’s glimmering chests as they dance, grinding themselves on each other, but the only reason I’m even looking their way is to see if any of them is Saylor.

Because, fuck yes, I want a front-row seat to that.

I’m surprised when I see Gemma and Smith dancing—a bit erotically at that.

I know they live together, and they’re now trying to prove to the press that they are dating, but I’m not buying it.

She still hasn’t forgiven him, and that’s more than obvious to me.

And everyone else who’s been around them.

I don’t see Saylor on the dance floor, so I swing my gaze toward the bar, moving my eyes down the line until, finally, at the very end, in the shadows, I see her.

She isn’t alone though, but I can’t make out who’s next to her either.

I’ll find out soon enough though because, instantly, I’m heading straight for her before I have the chance to stop myself.

The closer I get, the more I can see.

She laughs at something he said before bringing the straw from her drink to her lips, taking a sip.

Even ten feet away, I know that fucker’s eyes are planted on her mouth, no doubt making his own fantasy of what he’d love to do with it.

Dream on, motherfucker.

Not in this life or any other.

When she sees me, her head dips to the side as she wears an expression that tells me I shouldn’t even bother trying.

Walking around Saylor, I stand beside her, invading the shit out of her space, though she doesn’t turn to face me.

The dude beside her quickly excuses himself when his eyes take in the sight of me, and I can’t help the pleased smirk that tugs at my lips.

Leaning forward, I murmur against her ear, “You know you can’t avoid me forever, Sail-On. I know somewhere inside of there, you’ve been thinking about me the way I’ve been thinking about you.” I pause.

“Or should I say … fantasizing? Yeah … that’s more like it.”

She turns toward me, raising both brows.

“Back again, really? Would you stop? I told you that when we hooked up last time.” She playfully takes a sip of her cocktail.

“And guess what. I meant it.”

She’s so cute when she’s pretending to be annoyed.

I imagine pushing her down onto her knees, making her obey me like the good girl she really is somewhere inside.

“Did you not enjoy my company?” I coo.

“Did I not make your pussy quiver the way no man ever had?”

She sucks in a breath, no doubt reliving our time together.

Just like I do every fucking time I’m alone.

In true Saylor form, she shrugs it off and pats me on my shoulder.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, big boy. I had fun, yes. And I may be young and all, but I’ve seen some dick in my day.”

Part of what she just said makes me irrationally mad.

I shouldn’t be because we aren’t connected in any way.

We’ve fucked and fooled around a few times—that’s it.

But thinking about her and the other dicks she’s seen …

I don’t like that one bit.

The other part of me wants to laugh because she says shit like that and doesn’t give a fuck.

She’s not bashful over the fact that she’s no virgin.

I roll my tongue over my bottom lip, my body towering over hers as I stare down.

“Did any of those dicks make you soak your panties just from blowing them?” I cock my head to the side.

“Besides mine, of course.”

Blinking a few times, she widens her eyes and nods.

“Uh … duh. It’s just, like … a thing I do. With all forms of dicks. Kind of like a party trick or something.” She sips on her drink again.

“Not just yours though—sorry to say.”

I watch her lips wrap around the straw to take another drink before my eyes move to her throat as she swallows, making me swallow harshly too.

“Well, since you enjoyed it so much, what do you say, Brat?” I brush my thumb across her lip when she sets her drink down.

“Why don’t we go out back and I’ll be nice enough to let you suck my dick again?” Dropping my other hand, I swipe my fingers across her thigh.

“And if sucking my cock doesn’t get you off, you can sit right on it after you’re done blowing me.”

Her cheeks flush, and she chokes back a few coughs, wiggling around in her seat uncomfortably.

“I—no, I can’t. I have a flight to catch in a few hours.”

I bark out a low laugh.

“Baby, you know neither of us needs a few hours to come.”

Through her dress, her nipples are hard—just begging me to twirl my tongue around them before I bury my face between her large, delectable tits.

Her breathing has changed, and her body language is shifting.

She wants me to take her out back and fuck her just as much as I want to do it.

Looking at me, she tilts her chin upward.

Her lips part, and I know she’s about to say the magic words and give me the fucking green light, making my cock stand tall, ready to go.

“There you are,” Smith says, interrupting his sister from saying whatever heavenly words were just about to come from her beautiful lips.

I hear him before I see him, and his sister’s eyes grow huge before she cranes her neck to look at him.

“Hey,” she says nervously.

“Yeah, we’re just … keeping away from the crowd in the corner. It’s too crazy in here. Figured I’d … hide out.”

She’s overtalking because that’s what she does.

I know she’s scared to upset her brother by letting him catch on that we’ve been hooking up.

I should be a man and tell him myself, but I sense it’s important to her that he doesn’t find out.

And truthfully, the woman has been through enough with her shitbag of an ex, and I don’t want to pile on.

Smith eyes both of us over suspiciously, and it’s plain as day that he suspects something.

Whatever it is though isn’t as important to him as Gemma is because, soon, he shakes it off and asks Saylor for a favor.

“Gem stormed off. I think she’s ready to leave, but I don’t think she wants to go with me.” He stares off to the center of the club, no doubt looking for her again.

“You’re headed out soon anyway, right? Can you share an Uber?”

“Sure,” Saylor says instantly.

“Of course. I, uh, really should get going soon anyway.” Slowly, she stands and wraps her arms around her brother.

“Thanks for paying for me to fly out, big bro. I love you.”

He doesn’t really hug her back, but instead, he pats her back with one hand.

“Make sure Gemma is okay?”

Saylor pulls back, giving him an annoyed look.

“She’s my best friend, Smith.” She stops, searching his face before her own softens.

“But, yes, I promise … I will make sure.”

Releasing her hold on him, she gives me a polite yet sneaky smile.

“So good to see you again. Have a good night, Ryder.”

“You too, Sail-On,” I mumble before she saunters off, disappearing into the crowd.

I was so fucking close to having my dick sucked by that goddess again.

Until my best friend fucking ruined it.

“Do you have a thing for my sister?” Smith says, probably because I’m still staring in the direction of where she disappeared like a moron.

I’m not exactly trying to hide it, I suppose.

He’s my best friend.

I should tell him everything.

Well, probably not everything , unless I want to die.

But I should at least tell him the truth.

The trouble with that is, it’s not my decision to make; it’s Saylor’s too.

I’m not going to just tell him something without talking to her.

So, instead, I take a long drink of my drink and shrug playfully.

“Uh … kind of.”

His head rears back, and his eyes harden.

It’s obvious as day that wasn’t the answer he was looking for.

“Kind of?” he snaps.

“Kind of? What do you fucking mean, kind of?”

I might not be able to tell him everything, but I can tell him my side of things.

“Well, she’s hot. And she’s funny. And she’s real. ” I glance at him nervously.

“Don’t worry; she isn’t into me. At all. But you didn’t ask that; you asked if I have a thing for your sister. And the truth? Yeah. Yeah, I fucking do.”

At first, he stands there, stunned for a moment or two.

He doesn’t have the words to say back, and I guess I can see why.

Finally, he exhales sharply.

“Look, Ry, you’re my best friend. I respect the hell out of you as a player and as a man. But my sister gets attached way too quickly once she lets her guard down. She’s already been through so much; I just don’t want to see her hurt again.” He sighs.

“And I really don’t want to lose another friend either. But she’s my sister. When shit goes down, I have to choose her side.” He takes a swig from his beer.

“Please, don’t put me in a situation where I have to do that.”

The chuckle that comes from me cannot be stopped, even though I wish it could have been when I catch him glaring at me.

“Sorry, it’s not funny,” I say, trying to wipe the grin from my face.

“It’s just that … it’s insane that you think I would have the ability to hurt her, Saylor Sawyer. She could chew me up and spit me out, and I’d probably still thank her for it.”

A flash of understanding covers his face, and I know he’s choosing his next words carefully.

“See, man, you say that now, but things change. And when they change … what happens then? I’m stuck between my best friend and my sister, feeling like I have to pick a side?” He shakes his head somberly.

“And you already know what side I’ll choose.” The concern in his tone is palpable, and it’s warranted—that I know.

“You don’t have to worry, man. I told you I have a thing for her. It’s not reciprocated.” She just likes to use my dick—that’s all.

“I can’t help it that I like her, okay?”

“Since when though?” he snaps lightly.

“For how long?”

I drag my hand over the back of my head, stopping at my neck.

“I’ve been intrigued since the first time I met her, but she’s always had a dude around.” I cringe.

“Lots of different ones. But then … I don’t know, man. I just got … more interested.”

He stares straight ahead, finishing his beer and smacking the bottle on the bar in front of us.

“Don’t worry about it, Smitty. Like I said, it’s not reciprocated.” Reaching forward, I smack his arm.

“Now, what the fuck are you doing, sitting here, grilling me about your sister? Go get your girl.”

Sadness and worry fill his eyes.

“She left with Saylor; I just watched them walk out,” he murmurs, clearly distraught.

“So then, go to the hotel.” I shrug.

“What are you so afraid of?”

“A lot,” he whispers, cringing.

“Gemma Jones scares the shit out of me. I don’t want to fuck it up.”

His eyes land on the door again, and I can sense the internal battle he’s having, deciding whether or not to go to the hotel right now.

“Go,” I say, jerking my head toward the door.

It takes him a moment, but before long, he’s strutting toward the exit—on his way to Gemma, I assume.

I look around the club, pissed at how this night has ended for me.

But then I remember …

her flight isn’t taking off for a while.

I put the Starbursts, Sour Patch Kids, and Pringles up on the counter.

I need a drink for the flight, too, but I’ll have to get it once I go through security.

This store had too much candy for me not to take advantage of it.

“Is this everything?” the older lady says unenthusiastically.

I suppose if I had to work the night shift at the airport, I’d probably be the same.

“It is,” I answer politely, though my eyes bug out at the computer as she begins to scan my items.

Most expensive candy, it seems.

Now I know why my mother always made us buy our snacks before we went to the airport when we were kids.

Then again, she used to do the same thing at movie theaters too.

Dad always made fun of her for it, but in a playful, teasing way.

She didn’t care though.

Him calling her cheap wasn’t stopping her from bringing out her large purse from the closet and loading it up.

Once I pay and she begins to throw my items into a bag, a deep voice startles me from behind.

“That’s a whole lot of sugar for a red-eye flight,” he drawls, and I’d recognize Ryder’s deep voice anywhere.

“Figured you’d be trying to sleep during it. Then again, you may go into a sugar coma.”

“Thank you. Have a wonderful night.” I smile, taking the bag from the lady before I spin toward him.

He’s wearing a ball cap pulled low and a sweatshirt with the hood up, no doubt not wanting to be recognized.

After all, they won their game in Florida tonight, so there could be some fans who aren’t too happy with the Bay Sharks.

“Following me to the airport, Cambridge?” I tsk him.

“I mean, on a scale of one to a hundred, just how obsessed are you with me?”

“A thousand, obviously,” he quips back, jerking his chin toward the candy.

“Don’t ignore me; that’s a lot of sugar for a late-night flight.”

“I can’t sleep on an airplane,” I say as we begin to walk out of the small store.

“So, instead, I plan to make myself sick on candy while I watch Desperate Housewives .”

“Solid plan,” he says, clearly amused.

“How old is that show? I swear my mother used to watch it.”

“Like … twenty years old,” I say, shrugging.

“And yet it’s still one of the best.”

When we make it out into the large part of the airport, where there are rows and rows of seats, he waves his hand toward one for me to sit in before collapsing in the one beside it.

Reluctantly, I do before slightly turning my body toward him.

“So, what are you doing here? I know you’re not catching a flight because the team has to fly back together tomorrow.” I grin, nudging him.

“Are you picking someone up, Mr. Ryder Cambridge? Are you being a dirty dog tonight?”

“I hope so,” he says, his eyes fixated on my lips.

“Your brother asked me if there was something going on between us.” He pauses, thinking for a second.

“Well, actually, he asked me if I was into you.”

My eyes must grow large as the panic sets in my stomach.

My brother got me a brand-new car when I moved and then paid my way so that I could come to Florida to see my best friend.

I don’t want to betray him.

He might have been a dick to me when we were kids, but now that he’s grown up …

Smith is way too good to me.

“And?” I whisper. “What did you say?”

“The truth,” he says matter-of-factly, and by this point, my eyes must be bugging out of my damn head.

“Well, my truth, not our truth. Don’t worry; I wouldn’t tell him what we’ve done. I don’t feel like being murdered.” He stops, exhaling quickly.

“I told him that I’m into you. That’s all.”

Out of all the things I thought might come from Ryder’s pretty lips, that wasn’t.

it. For a moment, my heart flutters, but that’s until the self-doubt that fills my body and mind creeps in.

Or perhaps it’s just that part of me that can’t stand serious conversations.

Whichever it is, I hate it.

“Wow,” I say, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re working really hard to get that blowie tonight, huh?”

“Please.” He chuckles darkly.

“I could have any woman in this airport drop to her knees and suck my dick simply by telling her who I was, Brat. So, no, that isn’t it,” he answers coldly.

“Did I love the way my cock fit in your throat? Yes. Did I almost come when you got so turned on from sucking me off that you came undone without me even touching you? Fucking right. And do I get my own hand wet in the shower and picture it’s your lips? Yeah, I do.” He pauses, reaching over and stroking his thumb across my chin.

“But that’s not why I’m here, Saylor. Not in the least.”

All his words assault me at once, and I’m somewhere between sweating, squeezing my thighs, having a stomach full of butterflies, and melting into a puddle on the floor.

All while being distraught too.

“So then, why are you here?” I whisper, searching his face.

“Honestly.”

“Because I can’t get you off my mind,” he says straightforwardly.

“Because … I might have had a crush on you since the first time we met, but now, you’ve fucking invaded every ounce of my brain, and it makes it really hard for me to concentrate.” His hand moves up to my face, cupping my cheek.

“I wanted to fuck you out of my system, but it’s not as easy as that.”

I sit here, completely frozen.

Maybe it’s because I truly am shocked—I thought it was just about the sex for him.

Which, I guess, it still could be.

I’m a good lay; he might just be hungry for more.

But he’s at the airport right now …

chasing me down.

So, either he likes me—like …

really likes me—or my vagina is some top-tier, gold-type of shit.

It’s probably the latter.

Either way, I’m flattered.

It’s almost as if my mind won’t allow my lips to speak, and for however long, I just stare at him.

“I’m not dating or hooking up anymore,” I say quickly.

“I mean, not, like, forever. I don’t want to be old and alone or anything. But for the time being, I need to work on me.” I inhale, telling myself to calm down and stop blurting out a bunch of random things.

“So, while I’m flattered, the last—oh, I don’t know—ten guys I’ve been attached to practically ruined my life by killing my self-esteem.” I look down.

“And then there’s the whole thing with Rowan and the drama that created on the team.” Not to mention the sex video, but I’m not telling you about that.

Before I can say anything else, his hands grip my cheeks, and his mouth captures mine, holding me hostage.

I don’t kiss back—at least, I don’t think I do, but who really knows?

When a guy like Ryder Cambridge lands his lips on yours, trust me …

everything gets a little fuzzy.

And that’s exactly why I need to be careful when it comes to this man.

Just like the others who have loved and left, he won’t be any different.

I suppose it would be fun, a bright, burning flame.

But everyone knows that flames burn out.

Leaving behind nothing but cold.

Tearing away from his hold, I quickly stand up.

“Stop it!” I hiss, thankful that the airport is a ghost town tonight so that no one else can watch me make a fool out of myself.

“Stop what?” He smirks.

He freaking smirks, only pissing me off more.

“Saying dirty things to me. Talking to me. Kissing me!” I drag my hand over the top of my head, inhaling a sharp breath through my nose.

“You are my brother’s best friend. You were friends with Rowan.” I hold my arms out at my sides.

“I cannot do this with you, Ryder. It was supposed to be a one time thing, and you’ve made it into a whole entire shit show.”

“Flight 7310 with service to Charleston—we will begin boarding momentarily. Please make your way to the terminal if you haven’t done so already,” a voice says over the intercom.

My heart begins to pound.

I thought I gave myself plenty of time, but I still haven’t even gone through security.

Reaching down, I grab my stuff.

“I have to go. Security takes too long,” I say, glancing behind me at the security line, thankful there are only a few people in it.

Pushing off the chair, he stands, hovering over me.

“If this is really what you want—space—then I’ll give it to you. But just so you know, space isn’t what I want. I want you to miss your flight and come back to my hotel with me right now so that I can fuck you until the sun comes up tomorrow.” When he takes in my glare, he holds his hands up.

“Fine, fine. Just tell me, Sail-On, what would make you happy?” His eyes roam my face.

“Do you really want me to leave you alone, or can I, at the very least, be your damn friend?”

“Guys like you aren’t friends with girls,” I scoff.

“That’s impossible.”

“I am plenty capable of being your friend,” he deadpans before holding his hand out.

“Give me your phone.”

“What? Why?” I frown.

“Because I’m putting my number in it,” he says, taking my phone from my hand after I pull it out of my pocket.

He types on it for a minute before he smirks, handing it back.

“I texted myself, so now I have yours too, Brat.”

“Oh great .” I roll my eyes but smile.

“Now you’re going to go all stalkerish on me, and I’ll end up having to change my number.” I point my finger at his chest. “Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“I mean, it could be that magical pussy of yours”—he winks, taking my hand in his—“or maybe those big ol’ tits. Sorry, babe.” He shrugs.

“We can be friends, and I can still think about motorboating them.” He nods toward security.

“Now, if you’re going to catch that flight, you’d better haul some ass.”

When he releases my hand, I take a few steps backward toward security.

“Have a good weekend, Ryder. Congratulations on your win.”

Spinning away from him, I walk away.

But my cheeks must turn bright red when he yells behind me, “Just so you know, real friends let their friends play with their titties!”

I don’t turn around, but instead, I hold my middle finger up to him.

And even then … I’m smiling like a fool.

I don’t like the way my stomach is tingling or the way I’m grinning, but it’s all okay.

I’m still in complete control of the situation with me and Ryder.

It’s all going to be just fine.

Really.

Never in a million years did I expect Ryder to tell me that he liked me.

I especially never thought he’d chase after me and come to the airport—that’s for sure.

If this were another time, I would have leaped into his arms and told him to take me back to his place.

That’s right … I would have totally missed my flight.

Or the old me would have.

That was before I got burned to the point of no return and stepped away from dicks altogether.

I have to be strong for myself right now.

How am I ever going to be comfortable in my own skin if I always need a man around to make me feel whole?

So, even though it’s hard, I’m going to keep this boundary in place.

We can be friends, but that’s all it will ever be.

At least for a good long time anyway.