Page 91 of No Rhyme or Roughing
“That.” His eyes held mine, unyielding. “What are you doing, Sydy?”
“Nothing.” I squirmed under his gaze. “It just… got out of control, okay?”
“What part? You sleeping with my best friend, or you making him fall in love with you?”
“He isn’t in love with me.” That wasn’t possible. I’d been clear about what this was. Even if my heart did a weird little flip at his words, it meant nothing.
“Lord, you’re an idiot.”
“Hey!” I swatted his arm. “Don’t be a dick.”
“You made me.”
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“You’re having sex with Ryder, Syd.”
I cringed. “Ew, don’t say ‘sex.’”
“You can do it but not talk about it?” His smirk was so irritating I wanted to smack it off his face.
“This conversation is over, Ted.” I stood abruptly. “My sex life is not a topic of conversation for my brother.”
“It is when you’re going to crush his best friend.” His voice had risen, and his eyes widened as a throat cleared near the doorway.
Rowan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Who the hell is in here burning bacon? I could smell it upstairs.”
Teddy and I both pointed at each other.
Rowan sighed dramatically. “Ted, pal, how many times have I told you the stove is not a toy? Don’t touch.” Grumbling about burnt bacon, he opened the fridge and started pulling out ingredients for omelets.
His presence forced us to shove our sibling bickering into our back pockets. I flipped him the middle finger when he smirked at me.
Rowan quickly and easily made four omelets, setting them on the table. When Teddy reached for two, Rowan slapped his hand. “Ryder will be up soon. No one can sleep through this lovely conversation you were having.”
I glared at him, but he just patted my head and carried two plates to the living room, where Ryder was probably already awake.
The guys had today off before leaving for a long road trip tomorrow. I’d have the house to myself for two weeks. It was about to get weird.
Not like it wasn’t already.
Teddy stared at me.
I stared back.
Neither of us broke.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “You might not want to believe it, but Ry cares about you more than he should. For his own safety, he should step away.”
“You sound like you think I’m going to murder him or something.”
“His soul, maybe.”
“You’re so dramatic.” I stood, eager to escape the conversation. Teddy knew me too well, knew what I was and wasn’t capable of.
He grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “I don’t want to sound like the harsh big brother right now, Syd. I promise I don’t think you’re cruel, but you need to be careful. Ryder isn’t like me or you. He and Sullie… they grew up believing in love, wanting to find their person and thinking love would be enough to keep them. We know it’s not real—those emotions. We’ve seen firsthand how they break and destroy.
“But he’s an optimist. Don’t take that from him.”
