Page 95 of The Most Perfect Wrong

I smack my lips together.Damn. He’s so cute.“We can go to that food truck and eat in the lobby instead,” I suggest. “But I promise, if we stay in, I’ll be good.”

“Alright. Go on in and get changed. I’ll wait for you out here.”

He’s so great to me. This isn’t a big thing, but it feels like it. “Thanks. I’ll be quick.”

I change quickly into a heather gray SKIMS jersey set. The tee is fitted and hits just above the waistband of the spandex pants, which hug my ass but flow loosely through the legs.

When I meet him back in the hall, his eyes sweep over me, an eyebrow raised.

“Don’t give me that look,” I say, pointing a finger at him.

“You can’t be serious with that outfit.”

“Of course, I’m serious. It was this, or leggings and the sweatshirt… you said not to wear the sweatshirt. It’s not like I’m pulling from a closet here. I only brought a few things.”

He puts a fist to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut like he’s in agony. “You’re killing me, Coop. This is torture. Actual torture.”

“Oh, come on,” I say, shoving him playfully on our way to the elevators. He trails behind, letting out a low, appreciative whistle, and I can’t help but smile.

Two hours later, I’m laughing my ass off on the bed with Ryan. A spread of plates and room service dinnerware sits between us. I pick at my fries and pour myself another glass of wine. We rentedBorat, and I haven’t stopped laughing. I think Ryan’s laughter is mostly at me, not being able to contain mine.

When the movie ends, I gather our boxes and clean up the bed, setting all the room service items into the hallway. We ordered two bottles of wine—white for me, and red for him.

“Do you want another glass?” I ask picking up the bottle as I pass by.

“Sure,” he says, holding out his glass for me.

Tipsy, I give him an extra-large pour. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen that movie. I haven’t laughed that hard in so long.”

“Well don’t forget about the time we laughed our asses off in the pool with those edibles.”

“Oh, yeah. How could I forget that memorable moment?” I plop down in the middle of the bed, crossing my legs to face him. “The night I went batshit crazy and somehow didn’t scare you away forever?”

Ryan chuckles. “I like your batshit ways,” he says, his voice softening as he looks at me with a longing that makes my insides warm.

“You like when I go batshit?” I raise a brow, eyeing him down.

“Yeah… I think it’s cute when you get all feisty and worked up. It kind of turns me on.” He laughs, as if he knows what he’s saying is insane.

I tip my head back, laughing. “Oh, you’ve completely lost it. Isn’t Leo a therapist?” I tease, nudging his leg with my foot. “You might want to unpack that—it sounds like a weird mommy issue.”

“I don’t have mommy issues.” He moves faster than I expect, tackling me. In one quick motion, he pulls me down and rolls to his back, wrapping his arms around my waist as I land on his torso. Before I can react, his fingers dig into my sides, tickling me mercilessly.

“I have Cooper issues,” he says as I kick my legs, screaming with laughter.

“Are you seriously tickling me? God… You’re such a teenager!” I yell through the giggles. He wraps his legs around mine, forcing them to hold still as his hands continue their relentless attack.

I can’t stop laughing, kicking and flailing like a kid. It’s ridiculous, but I don’t feel like I have to hold anything back. And that feels… good.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to shove my finger up your nose.” I jab my index finger blindly upward, poking at his face as laughter bubbles out of me.

“Stop!” he shouts, laughing as he grabs my hand. I twist, kicking a leg free, but he moves faster, rolling me onto my back. Suddenly, we’re face to face. His breath is warm on my cheek, and the firm grip of his hands on my wrists sends a jolt of electricity through me. His face hovers inches from mine, our lips so close we’re sharing breath. My heart pounds, and butterflies flutter all the way to my chest, making my breath come out shaky and uneven.

We lock eyes, but his gaze shifts to my lips briefly before returning to mine. His expression shifts into something I can’t quite place. He licks his lips and blinks hard.

“Coop, I need to tell you something… It’s been eating me alive, and I can’t keep it in anymore.” His voice comes out low and rough, tinged with something that makes my pulse quicken.

I look at him, my stomach knotting. The energy in the room has shifted—it’s heavy and unsettling. “What is it?”

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