Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
Amber
I’m lying on his chest, feeling safe and satisfied. And it all feels right and familiar. Far from perfect, but I trust him. He won’t hurt me like Fox or like the others.
I enjoy touching his skin. I didn’t realize how much Fox’s clothes bothered me until now. This is a connection—real, raw, and honest. I could lie here all night, but Ryan stirs and starts to squirm. “What’s wrong?” His phone has buzzed twice now.
He sighs. “Well, for starters, I really have to pee, and I’m ninety-five percent sure my mom has been texting me. If I don’t call her, she’ll send in the Navy SEALs to extract me.”
Swoon—he’s calling his mom. Come on. He’s so wholesome, with a sexy dark side that’s all about getting me off. Seriously, how did I get so lucky? No, I didn’t get lucky. I fucking worked at it, and this is my reward.
“Well, how about I give you some privacy, and when you’re ready, you can meet me back on the couch? I believe you promised to make me dinner.”
His face is a wash of gratitude before he rolls away. “You are the best.”
Sitting up, I say, “This is all self-preservation. I don’t want you pissing the bed, or to listen to your conversation with your mom.”
He mutters something under his breath that I don’t catch as I scoot out from the covers and start to dress. The front door opens while I’m straightening out my hair and smoothing my dress over my hips.
“Yo! I’m home,” Bear calls out.fvcd
I pop my head out of the bedroom to assess the situation. He’s just back from working out—sweaty—and his gym bag is dangerously close to our cake. I move to rescue the confection when he freezes.
“Oh, hey, Amber.”
I wave and step closer. “Tough workout?”
He gives me a sidelong smirk. “You could say that.”
He’s digging through his bag for something as I reach to move the cake box. As he reaches in for his water bottle, I see a flash of green and black. My heart drops to my feet. This can’t be right. Acting on its own, my hand reaches into the bag.
“What are you doing?” he asks as my fingers grip the fabric.
“What the fuck is this?” I yank the mask out of his bag. Black with a green handprint.
No. The disbelief twists into something hotter, sharper. My chest burns, and my hands curl into fists before I even notice. I glare at Bear—is he Fox? “You blew me off just so I could fuck your roommate?”
I thought I’d been chosen. Now it feels like I was passed around, a consolation prize no one actually wanted to keep. I could understand Fox stepping aside if he thought it was the right thing for Ryan. But altruism isn’t exactly Fox’s MO, and it doesn’t seem like it’s Bear’s either.
“Amber, I can explain …” He stammers as all color drains from his face. His voice squeaks and nothing about it reminds me of Fox.
Ryan comes out of his bedroom, cellphone in hand, and freezes when his eyes drop to the mask in my hand. No. Bear is too tall, too broad in the shoulders. But Ryan—he has the same frame, the same kiss, the way he goes down on me.
“No.”
I’m not sure who said it—me, Bear, or Ryan.
“It’s not what you think,” Bear says with an ache in his voice.
He doesn’t know what I’m thinking, but Ryan steps forward the way I saw Fox do on that first night—strong, confident, trying to keep me in place.
Angry tears well up, and I lose the fight for control as I whisper at Ryan, “You?”
“Kitten, I can explain.” His voice switches from Ryan’s higher tone to Fox’s lower tone.
Oh fuck no. “What the hell?” I chuck the mask at him. I need space. Space. I need to get away from him. I back up toward the door. “Was this all a sick joke? Fuck, I trusted you!”
“It was all true. I love you.” Gone is the confidence that once embodied Fox. Now he’s Ryan, weak and scared.
“Horseshit!” Purse in hand, I run to the door. “You used me, over and over. Fuck, why did I let myself believe you were any different?”
There’s a hand on my wrist—Bear’s maybe, since I can see Ryan’s knees give out and he crumples. I twist away from the grip and yank free. The door slams behind me. I cry all the way home, losing all the faith it took me so long to build.