Page 72 of Home Game

Zoey: I won’t go out for dinner with someone who is a dick to my friends

Jensen: Ouch

Zoey: Where should I send your phone?

Jensen: Keep the phone. Please?

Zoey: I’ll think about it.

Jensen: I was going to save this for dinner, but you need to know that you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen

I blushed. And shook my head.

Zoey: Bye

I wanted morethan anything to try out the guest bedroom, but I felt like it was an assumption that Ryan would allow me to sleep in there. Perhaps Ryan wanted to keep it fresh and perfect for his future guests. My gut clenched. Perhaps, he didn’t want me to get too comfortable. I would sleep on the couch until he told me otherwise.

After a nap on the couch, I cleaned up all the empties and loaded the dishwasher from the night before. Ryan’s door was still closed. I decided that I would cook dinner. After everything he had done for me, I wanted to give back.

It was difficult with my sling, but I managed to marinate some chicken breasts and put them in the oven. I sat in the kitchen and played with my phone. It was so nice. I took a couple of photographs of the kitchen. Maybe I should take some pictures of the guest room and print them off, so I would always remember what it looked like. Dinner was close to being finished, and I was debating waking up Ryan when he wandered out of his bedroom.

He had on a pair of gray sweats that hung low on his hips. He was looking at his phone and carrying his t-shirt. My mouth went dry. Hischest and core muscles looked photoshopped. His abs had the six-pack and those v-muscles that disappeared into his pants. His shoulders were strong and broad. His arms so muscular. He looked sleepy, comfortable and totally mouth-watering.

Without thinking, I lifted the pink phone and took his picture.

His eyes raised to me.

“Did you take my photo?”

I stood there frozen, unsure why I had done so. "I thought it would be a good shot for Instagram.”

He thought about that as he walked to the island. And then, “Yeah, sure. Are you making dinner?”

“Just some chicken.”

He tapped his fingers on the island. “I told you I would get you a phone. I didn’t even have a chance to go buy one.”

He sounded frustrated.

“I don’t need to keep this one.”

“You realize that phone is worth over a grand.”

“Jensen said he got it for free at a charity event.”

Ryan’s eyes darkened. “When did he tell you that?”

“He told me in a text.”

He went still. “You want to go out with him?”

Did I want to go out with Jensen? In another world, in my old world, I would die to be noticed by someone like Jensen. Now, today, all I cared about was not hurting Ryan’s feelings. “I won’t go out with someone who isn’t nice to my friends.”

“You told him that?”

“Yes!”

He tilted his head and studied me for a long moment. “Can I see the photo?”

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