Chapter 19 Liam
NINETEEN
LIAM
I guess I really am a slut, because one night without even being able to touch my dick is already driving me crazy.
I keep thinking about the way Ryker had bent me over the toilet and fucked me hard, and I’d been so close to coming.
So. Fucking. Close.
That asshole had stopped me, and I hadn’t dared get myself off last night. Or this morning. Or this afternoon.
Hell, I’d wanted to relieve some tension before leaving for the club tonight, but I’d been good. He might call me a brat, but I can behave sometimes.
Mostly.
I scan the VIP area of the club, wondering if Ryker will know to look for me here. I’ve avoided the dance floor, wanting to make it as easy as possible for him to track me down, and I’d left instructions with the staff to let him through.
“I bet he’s not even in NB,” Maggie says while she sips her cocktail. “He’s stringing you along, babes.”
“Nuh-uh,” I tell her. “He’s in town, and he told me he didn’t have any other plans for tonight. That means he’s going to show. You’ll see.” I down my shot of vodka, reveling in the burn, but I’ll need the liquor to get through Ryker meeting my best friend.
I have no idea how this is going to go, but it has the potential to be disastrous.
Somebody approaches us, and I perk up, only for the disappointment to slam into me when I see that it’s Rebecca.
She’s wearing a dress so low cut it’s a miracle I can’t see her nipples, and she has her boyfriend in tow. He’s stupidly tall, but skinny too, with pale skin, bleached blond hair, baggy pants that remind me of a wannabe street thug, a jersey, and a huge gold chain.
I’m not a judging type of person—
No, I am.
I am seriously judging Rebecca’s taste, and now I’m insulted that Maggie thinks I would go for a guy like this.
“Oh my gosh, Liam, Maggie!” Rebecca says as she sits down next to me. She reaches out to give me a quick hug, and I awkwardly return it. “I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure. It’s been a while, Liam.”
Her boyfriend waves awkwardly, but his eyes are narrowed at me too.
Meanwhile, Maggie is glaring at me for being between her and Rebecca.
“You two know Carl, right?” Rebecca says, motioning to him. “Carl, these are Maggie and Liam, two of my high school friends.”
“Yo,” Carl says, sliding into the booth next to Rebecca.
“Yes, you mentioned him,” Maggie says sweetly. “You’ve been together… two months now?”
“Yes!” Rebecca takes Carl’s hand and stares into his eyes. “We’ve barely spent any time apart.”
Carl smiles back. “Well, why would I want to spend time with anyone but you, babe?”
I hear Maggie gagging next to me.
I elbow her.
“That’s so sweet,” I say, managing to sound sincere. Maybe it’s because I get it now. I barely want to spend any time apart from Ryker, either, even though I have no choice when he’s in and out of New Bristol.
“What have you been up to lately, Liam?” Rebecca asks, settling against Carl. “You aren’t on your socials as much as you used to be.”
“Aww, do you miss seeing my face every day?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at her. “You should join me sometime.”
If I thought Maggie was glaring at me before, it’s nothing compared to the murderous look she’s giving me right now.
She quickly turns that glare into a smirk, though. “You wouldn’t believe it, but this idiot went camping. In the woods. Without reception!”
I may have been an idiot, but I don’t regret it for a second.
Okay, that’s not entirely true. I regret that I didn’t get to see Jimmy die. Even having his blood on my tongue hadn’t been good enough.
And the toilet situation had been horrendous.
I don’t know that I actually want to do it again, but then… It would mean getting to spend time with Ryker where no one can interrupt us.
Rebecca smiles though. “Really? I’ve thought about doing a social media cleanse. Where did you go? Would you recommend it?”
“Went on a road trip to Pennsylvania,” I lie easily. “Really nice there. I’d totally recommend it.”
I have no idea what parks are in Pennsylvania, but I can bluff with the best of them.
The servers come by and we order another round of drinks. Rebecca gets flirtier with both Carl and me—and not Maggie—while we talk about the same shallow shit we always talk about.
No Ryker.
Maybe he’s looking for me on the dance floor.
Maybe he got stopped at the door.
I check my phone, but there’s no text from him.
Liam
Where are you?
No response.
After yet another round of drinks, Maggie says, “I don’t think your guy is showing.”
I’m starting to think she’s right, and it pisses me off. I’d done everything right, and he’s fucking with my head.
I don’t like being this desperate for a guy. I’m used to going through them as fast as I change my underwear, and wanting to linger with one isn’t like me.
If he doesn’t show, I’m going to be pissed.
“It’s still early,” I tell her, but all my skill at bluffing doesn’t hide the dejection in my voice.
“What guy?” Rebecca asks. “Are you dating someone?”
I notice Carl’s eyes widen. “Wait, you’re gay?”
I arch a brow. “Is that a problem?” I ask him, then I smile at him. “Are you bi? Looking to explore?”
“Fuck no!” Carl says, shaking his head. “No, I just thought…” He looks at Rebecca, then shakes his head. “Never mind. I like gay guys. It means there’s more ladies for the rest of us.”
Maggie huffs loudly. “That means the lesbians have to work overtime to ensure the pool of available women is kept low.”
“I don’t think it works that way, my friend,” I tell Carl.
“It should,” Maggie grumbles. “There should be no more fucking women for—”
Another person approaches, and I hold my glass up. “Another margarita for me.”
“And do the rest of you have any orders?” Ryker’s voice responds.
My head jerks up, and the size of my grin is ridiculous. “Rider!” I say happily, shoving at Maggie so that I can get out of the round booth and greet him properly. “Move,” I whine. “You’re in the way.”
Maggie scoots out of the booth so I can get out, and she wastes no time sliding back in to take the spot next to Rebecca.
Ryker looks at everyone in the booth before his gaze settles on me. “I had some things to take care of. I’m sure you weren’t waiting long, right?”
“Nope, not at all,” I tell him, ignoring Maggie’s scoff as I go up to Ryker and wrap my arms around him. I lean in for a kiss.
Ryker gives me a quick peck, which is completely at odds from how he’d kissed me in the filthy toilet stall last night.
“Are you going to introduce us, Liam?” Ryker asks.
“Who cares about them?” I ask flippantly. But I grab his hand and turn around. “Maggie, Rebecca, and Carl. Guys, meet Rider.” I beam at them. “He’s my not-boyfriend.”
Maggie doesn’t look impressed, but Rebecca smiles. “Hi, Rider! Nice to meet you. Come on, sit down with us. I’m so glad Liam’s found somebody.”
Ryker subtly nudges me toward the booth, and I slide in so he can take the spot at the end. The round booth feels crowded now, with five people here, but I don’t mind being pressed in close against Ryker.
“Huh, you’re the odd man out, Maggie,” Carl says. “Do you have a boyfriend who couldn’t make it?”
Ryker chuckles to himself while Maggie huffs.
“No, you clod, I’m a lesbian.” Maggie shakes her head. “Anyway, we’re here to vet Rider. What do you do for a living? Liam said you aren’t a truck driver, but that’s about the extent of it.”
I glare at her. “He’s not here to get the third degree from you,” I tell her. “He’s just here to hang out. Hey, you want something from the bar, Rider?”
“Of course he’s here for the third degree,” Maggie argues.
Ryker holds up his hand. “It’s fine, Liam. Maggie is looking out for you. I get it. And I work as an IT consultant for businesses. I talk to clients about how they can improve their setups, and then I help implement the systems on location.”
It’s a different story again. Close to the truth, but with fudged details.
Except I don’t really know what the truth is, do I?
“Oh, that’s cool,” Carl says. “I work at one of the Asteroid stores. Y’know, tablets, desktops, all sleek and modern vibes. You ever recommend our stuff to the corpos? If you send business my way…”
Ryker smiles. “Unfortunately, no. I try to keep people away from the closed software systems. Better to go with the open-source stuff. But from a consumer electronic standpoint, I understand why your brand is popular.”
Rebecca nods. “Yeah! That’s how Carl and I met. I needed a new phone, and I walked into his store…”
Ryker asks questions about their boring, mundane dating, and somehow there are ten entire minutes of conversation that don’t include me or Maggie.
“What the fuck?” Maggie hisses at me while Ryker and Rebecca and Carl chat. “He’s nice?”
I’m shocked, too.
He’s never nice to me, not in private. I mean, I get off on how he treats me, but I’d expected him to be a dick to everyone here and to have to work to get Maggie off my back.
“Um, yes?” I say. “Just because he’s an animal in the bedroom doesn’t mean he’s not a nice guy outside of it.”
Of course, I say that right as there’s a lull in our conversation.
Everyone turns to stare at me.
“Wow,” Ryker says, his mouth crinkling at the edges. “And here you told me you don’t gossip.”
“I never said I didn’t kiss and tell,” I say. I can’t help but feel apprehensive about the whole thing. What if he gets pissed? But he’s the one who left marks. What was I supposed to say?
“Good thing he does,” Maggie adds. “Because I saw what you did to his wrists. And his neck. You ever hear of safe, sane, and consensual?”
Ryker’s smile widens. “I have. I think we covered those boxes, but there’s also risk-aware consensual kink, for people who like to go a little harder.” He ruffles my hair. “If I was too rough, I’ll tone it down next time.”
“Nope,” I say instantly. “I have a safe word for a reason.”
I absolutely do not have a safe word, and even if I did, well… I’d been willing to let him murder me, so my lack of self-preservation would get me killed since I wouldn’t use it.