Page 89 of What are the Risks
Evan was confident in the way I’d expected him to be. He set the pace, and I obediently followed along.
He smelled like the cologne that’d been lingering in the bathroom, and despite all the products lined up on the shelf, his hair was surprisingly soft when I threaded my fingers through it.
When his tongue parted my lips, I granted him the access he was asking for.
If I was looking for a hookup and nothing more, then Evan’s kissing was more than satisfactory. Warmth stirred beneath my skin,but there was no burning desire or intense pull, just the kind of excitement you expect when kissing a guy like Evan.
When he pulled back, his devilish eyes held mine – calm and unchanged. There was no heat in his cheeks, and no racing pulse in his throat. Not only hadn’t I felt an overwhelming rush from the kiss, it was clear Evan hadn’t either... which made me think that Rykerhad.
I had now kissed three boys in my lifetime, each one completely different from the other.
Familiar. Consuming. Fun.
“So? Be honest, Ruby. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
“It was a good kiss,” I said. “More than adequate.”
He laughed. “Ditto. But?”
But Evan wasn’t Ryker. And I wasn’t saying I liked Ryker, or that I even believed Evan’s theory, but I didn’t want to ignorethe kissanymore. I wanted to know what it meant to Ryker.
“It was different again,” I diplomatically answered.
Evan’s smile was full of understanding. “Now that’s settled, do you want my help making Ryker jealous or not?”
I hesitated, uncertain. “I don’t want to play games, Evan. Not with Ryker.”
“It’s not a game, Ruby. Consider it a strategy. Let’s light a fire under his ass and find out once and for all what that kiss meant to him.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
You’ll just have to trust me
Ryker
My arm was beginning to cramp from tossing this godforsaken sock at my godforsaken fan more times than I’d ever thrown a godforsaken football in my godforsaken life.
Taking a break, I glanced at the empty spot beside me – the spot I’d hoped Ruby would be when I woke up. I’d stayed up much later than I’d wanted to, watching Evan’s closed door like it was a defensive end, but it had never opened.
It was a safe bet assuming it’s where Ruby had crashed. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions about what had happened between them, since it wasn’t my place or business. That didn’t mean it wasn’t eating away at me.
Evan had neverjust sleptbeside a girl, and Ruby had never had a one-night stand. One of them must have broken their track record, and I knew which one I was hoping for.
The thought of Noah with Ruby had never phased me, but the thought of her with Evan stirred up so much fucking bitterness I could barely think straight. Jealousy was a new feeling to me, and I wasn’t a fan – not one bit.
When my clock finally ticked over to seven a.m., I considered it a reasonable enough time to get up and make noise – enough that it’d hopefully wake the rest of the house. Maybe I’d start vacuuming thehall right outside of Evan’s room... because that was totally normal at this hour.
I slipped into a pair of sweats and threw open my bedroom door, just as Ruby quietly opened Evan’s. His room was across the hall from mine, so there was nowhere for her to hide.
The outfit she’d worn last night was draped over her arm, hanging loosely at her side. I pointedly ran my gaze along her bare legs until I reached the bottom of an oversized tee that belonged to Evan.
Speak of the devil... he appeared behind her, clad in nothing but a pair of boxers. Between sharing a hotel room with him at away games and after practice showers, I’d seen him naked countless times. But knowing he’d spent the night with Ruby... I clutched the doorhandle so tightly my forearm trembled.
Hurting a friend was something I’d never thought I’d be capable of... until now. The overwhelming surge of jealousy made it impossible for me to even look at him. If I did, I might erase that satisfied expression from his smug face – and him from this universe.
“Sup, man,” he said, his hand closing over Ruby’s shoulder and rubbing gently.
I studied it like a game tape, trying to figure out the play. The worst part? Ruby didn’t brush it off.
