Page 50 of Fall Hard

“Where are we going?”

“Dinner,” was all she said, texting someone on her phone and I couldn’t have replied even if I’d wanted to because the egg started vibrating. It was clearly on the lowest setting, a barely perceptible tingle that made me want to squirm. It was enough to make my hands clench, to keep me on the edge, but not enough to make me fall.

“You alright?”

I looked at her for a long moment, my face carefully blank and met her own cultivated stare. “Of course.”

She nodded and we set off out of the apartment and through the strip of bars until we took a turn that was familiar. It was the same italian place I’d been to with the redhead Bryn had set me up with. A date then. It had to be. But why all the secrecy?

It was cozy inside, the lighting brighter than candlelit but still warm, and the smell of garlic bread had my stomach grumbling. Bryn smiled at the hostess who led us to a roomy booth in the corner of the room. The table and benches were all solid dark wood, cushioned with olive green fabric and deep purple pillows. How had I not appreciated it the last time I’d come here? I glanced at Bryn, busy on her phone again. I suspected my current company had something to do with how present I now was, everything felt heightened around her.

I’d just got settled when the egg seemed to crank up a notch, making my leg twitch under the table and knock into Bryn’s.

“Sorry,” I murmured. “Leg cramp.”

Her eyes flashed and I bit my lip, not willing to be the first to lose face. I casually looked over the menu but my eyes slid shut when another increased vibration seemed to be flowing through me in waves that made my hips want to rock. A bead of sweat slid down my back and I clenched my hands around the faux leather booklet. I would not beg for relief. Or pleasure.

Bryn watched me carefully, noting the determination on my face, and a slow smile spread across her lips that baffled me.

Then the hostess was back, with two people in tow.

“Now you’re all here, I’ll be back in a moment to get your drinks order.” She beamed at us and I watched in shocked silence as Jamie and Ryan joined us.

I said a quick hello and then lapsed into silence as I tried to focus on the menu and not the sensations that were slowly driving me insane.

“Liv’s eaten here before, so maybe she can recommend something good,” Bryn said cheerfully and I glared.

“Actually, we come here a lot.” Ryan smiled at Jamie and I watched them curiously, waiting for a surge of bitterness that never came. “We had our first proper date here.”

“Oh yeah, he brought you flowers,” I said absently as I looked over the menu for the hundredth time.

The hostess came back and I couldn’t have said what I ordered. Not when the vibrations of the toy had reached a new high and I was barely keeping it together.

“Are you okay?” Jamie leaned across the table to look at me, concern pinching her eyes. “You look a little red.”

“And sweaty,” Bryn added and I wanted to hit her. Or kiss her. Or pin her to my bed and ride her face until—

“I’m fine,” I practically snarled. “It’s just a little hot in here.”

I just had to get through this one meal. I could do this.

Our food came out and I concentrated on picking up the fork and mechanically putting it in my mouth. I was pretty sure it was bolognese, but it was hard to appreciate it when my thighs were clenched together so hard it was almost painful. I contributed to the conversation as little as possible, until it was unavoidable.

“So Jay says you’re leaving your course?” Ryan’s big blue eyes peered at me gently and I realized that to a psych major I probably looked insane right now.

“Yeah, I hate it.” I laughed sharply and bit it off when the toy swapped from constant vibrations to an intermittent pulse that made me curl my hand around my drink for a second before I looked back to Ryan. “Sorry, what was I saying? Oh, yeah. The course isn’t for me. Bryn’s been helping me work out where my interests might lie instead.”

“Oh really?” He looked between us and then raised half a brow at Jamie—did he think I couldn’t see him? “What sort of things have you guys been doing?”

The flash of amusement on Bryn’s face was so fast I almost missed it as she opened her mouth. “Well—”

I cut her off. “We went skinny dipping, I bought some scary lingerie, I had my first driving lesson, and I smoked a joint. Oh, and I might be training to work at the animal shelter.”

“That’s great,” Ryan said, his eyes lighting up.

“Sounds productive.” Jamie smirked and I didn’t respond other than to flip her off.

“You’re seeing your parents soon though, right?”

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