Page 37 of Wicked Temptations
Ryan didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he just didn’t care. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“I’m already ordering.” I gestured at the bartender, who was lining up bottles on the bar.
“The next one, then.”
I should have shut it down and made it clear I wasn’t interested, but the whiskey had loosened my inhibitions, and I found myself wondering if maybe this was what I needed. Someone uncomplicated. Someone who didn’t make me feel like I was constantly walking a tightrope between wanting too much and getting nothing.
Someone whowasn’tJude.
“Maybe,” I said, which was stupid and unfair, but I was drunk enough not to care.
Ryan took that as permission. He leaned in, one hand coming up to rest on my forearm. The touch was warm and confident and nothing like the way Jude and I touched each other. “So, what’s it like working with that crowd? They seem pretty weird.”
“They are.” I could smell his cologne. It was too strong. “But good people.”
“But you’re not part of it yet.”
That was such an accurate observation that I almost flinched. Was I so obviously the outsider? So clearly removed?
I glanced at him, trying to figure out if he was just perceptive or if I was that far out of my league with the crew. “It takes time.”
“I get that.” His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist. “But what I mean is like, you seem pretty normal. You don’t seem as crazy as they are.”
Was that meant to be a compliment?
“Yeah,” a familiar voice said from behind me. “We’re fucking insane.”
I went rigid. Ryan’s hand was still on my wrist, and suddenly that contact felt like a live wire.
Jude appeared at my shoulder, close enough for me to feel his body heat, and his presence, tall and looming, sent a shiver down my spine. He looked completely relaxed, one hand in his pocket, the other holding an empty glass, but there was something threatening in the way he smiled at Ryan.
“Oh, shit!” Ryan’s enthusiasm kicked up several notches. “You’re the other hunter, right?”
Jude’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, that’s me.”
Ryan’s grip on my wrist loosened slightly. “I was just telling Ash how great your act is.”
“Were you?” Jude’s gaze dropped to where Ryan’s hand still rested against my skin. “That’s generous of you.”
The tension stretched between the three of us. Ryan seemed to sense it because he released my wrist entirely and took half a step back. At least one person in this conversation had their wits about them.
“I mean it,” Ryan said, trying to recover. “The whole crew is talented, but you two are something else.”
“Appreciate it.” Jude’s tone made it clear he didn’t. He shifted, positioning himself between us. Not obviously, but enough that Ryan had to take another step back to maintainthe conversation. “You should catch the show again sometime. We’re better on dry nights.”
The dismissal was obvious. Ryan glanced between us again, and his gaze locked on mine, searching for answers I didn’t want to give. When it became clear I wasn’t going to send Jude away, Ryan took another step away. “Well, uh, I should probably get back to my friends.”
“Probably,” Jude agreed.
Ryan hesitated another second before retreating into the crowd.
I watched him disappear, then turned to Jude. It was easier for me to find my voice when it was just the two of us. “What the fuck was that?”
“Could ask you the same thing.” He kept his voice low even though his eyes were narrowed. He raked his gaze over my body, settling not on my face, but on my arm where Ryan had touched.
“I was having a conversation with someone. You know, like normal people do.”
“You let normal people grab you?”
