“But it’s someone.” His smile widened. “Is she hot?”
Lexi shoved Ryan’s shoulder. “Stop thinking about other girls.”
“I’m not,” he said, rubbing her thigh. She was wearing booty shorts and a crop top, and Ryan took full advantage of all the exposed skin. He looked at me. “Is she, though?”
Ryan laughed as Lexi shoved him again, harder that time.
Not knowing what to say, I smiled and averted my eyes. Ryan was completely clueless. Blissfully so. Just the thought of coming out to him had my palms sweating. So I said nothing and let him assume whatever he wanted.
***
With Larry tucked inside my jacket, I approached the front door. I was more excited than nervous, though I was definitely nervous too.Just breathe.Emery said we were only going to talk, but I wouldn’t mind speaking in other ways.
Like with his body over mine and our mouths crushed together. I’m sure his touch could tell me much more than his words.
The door opened and I stood dumbfounded on his porch. Emery’s black hair hung in his face, and he held the door with one arm, his bicep bulging. My gaze hadn’t even made it farther down his body because I was locked onto his blue eyes.
“I have the package,” I said, turning to humor since my nerves were high.
Emery’s lips twitched, and he stepped aside to let me in. “Is Larry harmed?” he asked, closing the door behind me.
Facing away from him, I let myself grin. I loved how he played along with my stupid game. Then, I cleared my throat and looked at him with indifference. “He’s safe. For now. Is there somewhere we can discuss the matter?”
“Come to my office,” Emery said, his voice low and fucking sexy as hell.
I followed him down the hall, admiring the way his broad shoulders stretched the material of his gray shirt. And yeah, I checked out his ass too. Being so comfortable checking out a guy wasn’t as weird as it probably should’ve been after struggling for a while about whether I was gay. But once I’d accepted the truth, I felt free.
Well, free to an extent. The door to the cage was open, but I remained inside the bars, only sticking my head out. With Emery’s help, maybe I could be brave enough to finally take flight.
“After you,” he said, stopping in the hall and motioning to a room.
I passed him in the doorway, my skin tingling at his proximity. His gaze remained fixed on me. Once in the room, I looked around, impressed. His office was nice. A leather couch was in the corner, along with a coffee table and a tall lamp. A large desk sat in front of the bay windows, and bookcases lined the walls.
“Have a seat,” Emery said, grabbing the armchair beside the couch and pulling it over to sit in front of his desk.
I did as he said and couldn’t help but smile as he walked over to the chair behind the desk and sat down, his expression too serious. Like this was a real business meeting. Role-playing took some of the pressure off, though. It helped avoid the subjects we might not be ready to discuss yet.
“First things first,” Emery said, resting his hand beside his mouth and studying me closely. “Show me Larry. I need to see if he’s okay before we continue.”
It amazed me how he kept a straight face while saying that.
“Of course.” I reached inside my jacket and grabbed the bottle of lube before bringing it out and placing it on the desk. The duct tape and eyes were still on it.
Emery looked at the bottle, a smile spreading across his face. And then he started laughing. I laughed too. It was the first time we’d been alone together where it wasn’t awkward or tense. My stupid game had been an icebreaker.
“See?” I said, petting the top of the bottle. “He’s okay.”
Emery shifted in his chair, bringing it closer to the desk, and grabbed the bottle. He turned it in his hands. “This was unopened when I left it.” Blue eyes lifted to me. “Did Larry have some fun before he was captured?”
“Just a little,” I answered, sticking my tongue between my teeth as I grinned. Remembering the jerk-off session that morning made my face heat. “Things got a little sticky.”
Emery pushed back from the chair and calmly rose to his feet, walking around the desk to stand in front of me. My smile fell as I met his angry gaze. Crazy how the mood in the room could shift so suddenly, going from light to heavy.
“What, did you invite some other guy to the room after I left that night?” Emery asked through clenched teeth. He squeezed the bottle tighter before tossing it on the desk.
What the hell?
“Huh?” I stood up. “Where did you get that idea from?”
