12. Wren
TWELVE
WREN
Seething.
That’s the only description I can come up with as I push past Ridley and head back to the kitchen. He’s right behind me though, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the office.
“What the fuck, man? Did I do something?”
I tug my arm away and move back. “I’m clear that what we have is casual, but it’s pretty fucked up to pick up another guy in the bar right under my nose. At least show me some respect.”
Ridley pulls his head back. “What?”
“We didn’t agree to any kind of exclusivity, I get it, but come on, Rid.”
He blinks rapidly, his mouth gaping open, then he huffs. “Oh man. Dude. You got that all wrong. I wasn’t hitting on him at all.”
I narrow my eyes. “Don’t lie to me. I hate lying.”
Ridley takes a step toward me, but I cross my arms to make it clear I don’t want that. He holds his hands up in defeat.
“That’s not what that was, Wren. He was a guy I ghosted. He saw me and confronted me. I was explaining myself without trying to be a dick about it.”
My defenses want to tell me he’s lying, but I hear the truth, the slight embarrassment, the vulnerability in his voice.
“Really?”
“Not one of my finer moments. I didn’t even remember his name. I tugged him to the side in case he made a scene.”
“Oh.” I drop my arms, feeling pretty stupid now. “Sorry.” I try to push past him again, but he catches me this time, and I let him. “It looked…” My words trail off as I shake my head.
“I would never, okay?”
I meet his gaze.
“Never. I’m not gonna pretend I’ve been the most upstanding guy when it comes to this stuff, but I’m not a dog.
First of all, I have no reason to be chasing anything else.
” He brushes his fingers across my cheek.
“And second, even if you didn’t want to do anything again, I’d never be in your face about it. Not my style.”
I nod. “Okay. I think there’s some leftover shit from Trent.”
“Fair.”
“Not to you.”
“I’m alright, rabbit. As long as you know I’m all about this right now.”
His comment softens my defenses even more, which is kind of scary, but it also feels good. I believe him. Maybe that’s the benefit of messing around with someone you already knew as a person. Ridley has always been a forthright kind of guy.
“I should get back out there.”
Ridley nods, but pulls me closer instead of letting me go. “You got me wrapped around your finger, Chef. Just remember that.”
“I’ll try.”
I exit the office, pausing in the hallway to exhale slowly, his words replaying in my head.
I decided I was going to do this with Ridley so I could finally shake off the remnants of my old relationship, and I’m doing that.
I trusted Ridley because I know he’s a good guy, and the way he handled my outburst proves that.
A smile tugs at my lips as I head back to the kitchen. I made the right choice with Ridley. I’ll remind myself of that every time I project old wounds onto him.
By the time I drag my tired ass across the threshold to my bedroom and peel off my clothes for a shower, I’m already praying to the sleep gods to show me some mercy tonight, but part of me feels like I should check in with Ridley.
The rest of the night was a blur of final orders, cleaning the kitchen, and prepping for tomorrow’s summer kickoff.
I need sleep, but I want to make sure things are cool after my little outburst earlier.
Maybe he’s had time to think about it and decide I’m too much to deal with.
Or maybe I should take the advice I’ve read in some online forums and finally go to therapy.
But as I stand under the hot, pulsing water of the shower, my cock shows interest in yet another interlude with my sexy, tattooed roommate-slash-boss, and I already know I’ll seek him out tonight.
After I finish my shower and throw on some shorts, I open my door, glancing across the hallway at his, then listening closely for the sounds of anyone up and about.
The house is silent, so I creep downstairs, smiling and exhaling softly when I see the flickering light of the TV coming from the living room.
Ridley is sprawled out across the couch, wearing nothing but black sweatpants. He turns his head in my direction as I enter the room, smiling as he makes room for me on the couch.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey.” I settle on the couch in between his spread legs. “Are we good?”
“Yeah, Chef, we’re good.”
I nod, and even as my mind swirls with words I could say, maybe even should say, I swallow them down and focus on the man before me.
“Can I suck you off?”
“You can do whatever you want to me, rabbit.”