Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90475 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90475 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
When we reach my home, I unlock the door and head inside. Ryker’s stretched out on the couch, phone in hand, brow furrowed, earbuds in.
And he looks…freshly showered.
Damn, he really wants to impress her. Plus, holy shit, do I smell hummus and olives and baba ganoush and falafels and lemon herb chicken?
“Did you get food?” I ask once he takes out the earbuds.
Ryker nods. “I picked up takeout on my way back. Didn’t know what you liked, Trina, so I got a little of everything.”
Well, how about that. “Look at you, showing me up with my guest,” I tease, but is there a tiny bit of irritation coming through in my tone?
Maybe there is.
“You offered her a place to stay. I just got dinner,” he says lightly. Then he adds, “And I found a bakery still open that served pound cake. It’s in the fridge.”
With an excited gasp, Trina’s eyes grow wide, and she’s staring at Ryker like he’s hung the moon.
Out of nowhere, a dragon thrashes around in my chest.
I breathe out hard, but my lungs feel like they’re sucking in a hot plume of fire. And I don’t know what to do about it, so I grumble out, “Need to return a call real quick.”
I head to my bedroom and shut the door.
Or really, I slam it.
14
A SECRET NERD
Ryker
After Trina toes off her shoes, she makes her way over to the couch with her dog by her side, and I watch her every move, cataloging her. She wears little flare jeans that show off some ankle, then a crop top that reveals a sliver of belly, and a short sweatshirt.
It’s a fantastic tease, and I want to peel all those clothes off her. But it’s the way she looks at me from behind those red glasses that makes my heart thump faster.
“Pound cake. Seriously. You’re my hero,” she says.
My chest warms. “Just wanted to help. No big deal,” I say, evenly. Not gonna let on how much I like those words—you’re my hero.
She joins me on the couch, patting the cushion. Nacho jumps up, then snuggles next to her. “Chase said he could sit on the furniture,” she explains.
“I wasn’t going to rat out Nacho. I’m also not surprised one bit that Chase gave him couch privileges,” I say, then reach across her to pet the dog’s head. I’m not a huge animal person but Trina clearly is.
“What are you listening to?” she asks, glancing down at my phone.
I’m glad I closed the text thread with my sister, Katie. She was firing off her usual litany of little sister questions I won’t answer like—you should ask out the girl from the VIP night! I could tell you liked her in the picture. I swear, Katie thinks she knows everything about me.
“Wait, let me guess,” Trina continues. “Is it Seven Tips To Be As Scary As Possible When You’re Really A Softie Underneath?”
I’m not sure I want to tell her. Sharing things leads to people knowing you, which leads to them using you. Case in point—Selena. “No, it just comes naturally to me,” I say, evading the question. Just like I’ve been avoiding Josh’s email from earlier today. I don’t feel like dealing with my agent’s latest request of his grumpy client.
Pound cake and dinner were much easier problems to solve.
Trina nods to my phone. “Fine. Don’t tell me you like A Word Play A Day.”
Dammit. The screen locked on the podcast. “It’s not bad,” I say, noncommittally, but better the podcast than my agent’s email.
“Whiskey comes from aqua vitae, meaning ‘life water.’ C’mon. That’s way more than not bad. That’s cool,” she says.
I fight off a grin. “Suppose it is,” I say as Trina studies my face.
“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I won’t let on you’re a…” She stops to lean in closer, her face dangerously near to mine, so near I want to smother it in kisses. “A secret nerd.”
I scoff. “Please.”
“Takes one to know one,” she says.
“You’re a nerd?”
“I work at a bookstore. I read a book a night. There’s nothing else I can be but a book nerd.”
I’m seriously impressed with her page-flipping skills. “A book a night. I’m jealous.”
“See? I knew you were on my team.”
I narrow my eyes, huffing. It’s easier this way. But she’s relentless, so I bend, teasing her too. “Maybe I am, but you weren’t reading a book last night, sweetness.”
She dips her face, that shy vibe returning. “I was otherwise occupied.”
I’d like to occupy her tonight too. If she wants that. If Chase wants that. Speaking of, where the fuck is my buddy? I’d really like to eat dinner and then introduce him to the joys of eating Trina. He is seriously missing out.
That is—if she wants us again. Because I do. Badly. Knew the second I wrapped my arms around her in bed last night that I wanted another night like that. That I wanted to take her to new heights. To make her scream in bliss, to edge her, to break her brain with pleasure.