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“Sass, a man doesn’t come in pussy by accident.”

My face scrunched. “Did you have to say it like that?”

“Forgot you had delicate ears.” He studied me, head tilted slightly. “Or maybe you’ve just never had someone talk to you the way you like it.”

“What?”

“You’re blushing,” he teased, “And all I did was say the word—”

“It’s too dark out here to see if I’m blushing or not,” I interjected despite the warmth in my cheeks. I wasn’t a prude or scandalized by the wordpussy.

It was him saying it that had me reverting to some rosy-faced virgin. And nothing with Ryder was a slip of the tongue.He knew exactly what he was doing. Fortunately, I was a professional at feigning nonchalance. Oscar-worthy, really. Too bad my pulse was currently betraying me in every damn way, and he could probably hear how loud my heart was beating.

“Judge away in silence, but don’t you dare say anything or make her feel bad. Like I said, accidents happen.”

“Wasn’t an accident. I can confidently say neither me nor the boys have ever ‘oopsied’ a nut.”

I smacked his chest with the back of my hand. “You’re disgusting.”

“I’m trying to teach you biology.”

I laughed, but then my smile faded. “No more fighting, okay?” The words were barely above a whisper, as if even saying them too loudly might shatter whatever fragile peace lingered between us.

Ryder’s grin softened into something gentler. He lifted his hands to cradle my face, thumbs brushing along my cheeks. “No more,” he promised.

From the corner of my eye, movement caught my attention. I glanced toward the house just in time to catch the living room curtain shift, my friends’ faces crammed together behind the glass. The second they realized I saw them, they scattered, laughing like the feral children they were.

I sighed, gently pulling away from Ryder’s hold. “I need to go deal with my circus.”

“You better text me.” It wasn’t a demand, but a gentle command.

“You know I will.”

He caught my hand, stopping me mid-step. “As soon as you’re inside.”

I laughed. “Ryder, it’s six steps.”

“Exactly. And I need a text the second the door shuts so I know I was the first thing on your mind.”

“You’re so cheesy it’s borderline criminal,” I teased, smiling at him.

He lifted my hand to his mouth, brushing a kiss to the center of my palm. “I know this hurt more than you let on earlier,” he murmured. “And I heard every word you said in the truck. Now that you’ve had your say, it’s my turn.”

I should’ve known that would be coming.

Ryder was never going to let me speak so freely without coming back with a response, especially when he’d been holding something back for days, possibly weeks, maybe. I nodded, too full of everything to trust my voice. The look in his eyes told me exactly what I needed to know: Whatever he was going to say to me when the time came, I wasn’t walking away from it unscathed.

CHAPTER NINE

SANJANA

I tested the front door and found it was unlocked. Again. I’d told them repeatedly to stop doing that. Just because our part of Hemlock Heights was upscale didn’t mean we should leave our home wide open like it was a damn Bed & Breakfast. I shut the door with a click behind me, the familiar creak of the hinges echoing softly through the small entryway. A fall-scented candle flickered on the wall shelf meant for keys and mail, probably lit by Ari earlier.

A few paces in, the house opened up in every direction. To the right, our living room glowed in the warm spill of fairy lights tucked along the edge of the ceiling and around the sliding glass doors that overlooked a small patio. Throw blankets in burnt orange and deep maroon were draped over the sectional, and our neon pink heart lamp bled into the space.

To the left was our kitchen, the under-cabinet lights casting faint shadows across the marble-patterned counters. A drying rack full of mismatched mugs sat near the sink. Beyond the island, our small dining nook was cluttered with textbooks and someone’s abandoned hoodie. Straight ahead, past the kitchen and the narrow hall leading to the guest bath, the staircase curved upward where we each had our own bedroom. The basement door was cracked slightly, and I could hear the washer going. The garage entrance was to the left of that and shut tight. I bet it was locked too, unlike the main entry point of our home.

The house could’ve fit inside my parents’ place twice over, and inside Roxxi’s estate at least double that, but I didn’t care.

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