Page 149 of Wanna Play A Game?

Ryder

Cali stays in my room until the evening. I’m finishing cooking a meal when she appears in the kitchen.

She must be starving. She’s so little, and she eats almost nothing.

Not that I’ve been paying attention.

Both men are sitting on the couch on their phones, but they immediately put them down when she comes in.

“Cali,” Sawyer says and stands.

She turns to me like he isn’t there. “What’s for dinner?”

Anger flashes over Sawyer's face.

Fuck if I don’t almost smile. She’s ignoring him to talk to me.

“Burgers,” I say.

“Cool.” Cali slides into the island chair, her back to the men. She looks better than she did earlier. And…shit. She’s wearing one of my shirts.

My dick bobs.

Sawyer stands, but Miles grabs his arm and yanks him back to the couch.

“So,” Cali says, looking at me with those haunting blue eyes. “You like to cook?”

“Yep.” I go back to my work. I feel her watching me closely. The meat is almost done, and I change the paper towel under the spatula a final time to make sure there’s no raw meat on it. The room is full of sizzling meat and tension.

Cali ignores the tension and flips her hair. “I hate cooking. More of a baker myself.”

I watch the action and wonder what it would be like to grab that curly mess while I have her pinned against the wall?

Sawyer and Miles’ attention is locked on us. I keep my victorious smirk down. I know Cali is only talking to me to get back at them, and maybe to try to get in my pants, but I can’t help but enjoy it.

I set a plate in front of her. “Well, that’s not surprising. You were probably raised to bake more than cook, yeah?”

She arches an eyebrow at me in surprise. Then, she gets suspicious. “How’d you know?”

Those were the standard roles taught to the women in my home, so I figured it would be the same with her. If anything she said about her upbringing was true.

I shrug. “Lucky guess.”

She still eyes me like she doesn’t believe me. “Did you stalk me too?”

I raise my eyebrows. I saw Sawyer's tab on my computer. I know he went through her phone.

I lean down, looking her in the eyes. “No, little mystery. I think most people have an expectation of privacy, and I don’t violate that unless I’m asked.”

I look at the men behind her. “I, for one, stayed off your phone.”

I straighten.

Cali looks confused for a second, looking at me and then glancing behind her.

Miles looks appropriately ashamed.

She stares at him, then sputters, “Did you?”