Page 54 of Playboy For Hire

“Definitely.”

I did my best to look thrilled that my fake boyfriend was becoming besties with my ex-boyfriend’s fiancee, who happened to be my cousin—like nothing could make me happier than for our ties to get even more tangled—but it was hard to keep a grin plastered to my face, and by the time brunch was over, I was tired enough to sleep for twelve hours.

“Ready to go, babe?” Ryder asked as people were finishing up. He could see that I was flagging.

“Yeah.” I nodded weakly. “I think I’m entering a food coma. If I’m not in my bed soon, I’m just going to fall asleep right here.”

“Mmm, any room for me in that bed?” he asked with a grin. Then he leaned in, his lips swooping close to mine, and I jumped back.

“No, don’t,” I said, putting a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Why not?” Ryder’s tone was still playful, but his eyes were a little tight.

I realized that about half the table was watching us now. My parents were looking at me with gentle concern. Brandon and Julie were flat-out staring. Even Auntie Thea had gotten in on the action, though she looked more suspicious than confused.

“Oh, I just—I have onion breath, is all,” I stammered. “No one should be kissing me right now.”

“Hey, if someone really loves you, they’ll kiss you no matter how your breath smells,” Brandon said. Then he leaned in and kissed Julie deeply, as if to prove his point.

When the party finally broke up, Ryder and I headed outside with the rest of the family. When we reached Irving Street, I gestured to the east—the direction his house was in.

“Did you walk here?”

He nodded.

“I did too.” My apartment lay to the south. “So I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Let me walk with you for a bit,” he said. “It’ll look better that way.”

I frowned. Most of my family had already left. I didn’t think anyone was looking. But I couldn’t find a great reason to object, so he fell into step beside me. As soon as we reached Sixteenth Street, he shot me a questioning look.

“Why did you stop me from kissing you?” he asked.

My chest tightened. I didn’t want to talk about this.

“Just what I said. My breath must smell pretty bad right now.”

“So does mine,” Ryder said easily. “So did both of ours, the night of your grandparents’ party.”

“And I told you you didn’t have to kiss me that night. Or today.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Well, maybe I do.”

“Why?”

His tone was so innocent, his gaze so guileless, that I actually laughed. Did he really not know? Could he really not figure it out?

“What?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Just forget it, okay?”

We were quiet for a moment, but then Ryder spoke again.

“So what’s the deal with you and Brandon? Something about him clearly bothers you.”

It was like he had the cheat codes to making me want to curl up and die. Why did everything he said make me want to crawl out of my skin?

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