Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ryker
I’d definitely freaked Ruby out. She’d run from my bedroom before I’d even had a chance to comprehend what we’d just done.
What the fuck was I thinking?
Not only had she just got out of a long-term relationship, but she’d been crying in my arms about it less than two hours ago. How had I responded? I’d kissed her and fucking complicated everything.
But that kiss. That kiss.
I gently brought my fingertips to my lips, like a teenager committing their first kiss to memory.
I’d hooked up with plenty of girls in the past – so many I’d lost count a long time ago – but none of their kisses had ever lingered.
None had stirred anything in me the way this one had, as if I’d just experienced a completely new emotion.
“Ryker?”
I looked up to find Kyler still hovering in the doorway, the same doorway Ruby had just run through.
“Huh?” I murmured.
“Pat? Jock drama? Help?”
“Right.” I clumsily got to my feet. “Hockey player?”
“Nah. They’ve got a game.”
That’s right. Holloway had mentioned that earlier.
I’d take the win. Whenever the football and hockey teams mixed, drama was a given.
Though since Levi and I had become amicable, the arguments had died down.
Who knew if that would carry over when we both graduated at the end of the school year. Not my problem either way.
The party was fully loaded by the time I ambled back downstairs.
I followed Kyler onto the back deck, preparing for a hostile situation.
It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to stick up for one of my teammates.
But whatever the altercation was, it had already been diffused and the guys were fussing over a keg instead.
Pat waved me over. “We need more beer.”
“Already?”
“Yeah the, ugh, guest list blew out.”
No thanks to him. The backyard was crowded with people, and I barely recognised half of them.
“You’re still sober, right?” Pat prompted.
Unfortunately, I was sober enough to drive. I’d settled down after my few swigs of vodka this afternoon, and Pat’s pour had been too strong for me to finish the whole drink. A beer run was the last thing I wanted to do though, especially knowing Ruby was around somewhere, likely freaking out.
Gretchen bounced over to me, her fitted dress not even slightly suitable for the weather. Her pink nose implied her body could feel the cold, despite the alcohol in her system telling her it didn’t exist.
“Are you doing a drink run?”
“Apparently.”
She perked up. “Can you bring back something other than beer?”
Pat draped his arm around me, resting his head on my shoulder. “What would you like, gorgeous?”
Gretchen chewed her glossy lip. “Hm. I’m not sure.”
“Why don’t you come with us and choose something?”
Us? He wasn’t volunteering to keep me company twenty seconds ago.
I subtly shot him a cautioning glare. I knew his MO. He was about to turn this into something I didn’t have time for.
I needed to find Ruby and talk through whatever the fuck had just happened before I spiralled. Or maybe giving her twenty minutes to wrap her head around it wasn’t the worst idea. If I was rattled, she sure as hell had to be too.
“Is there room for my friend, Lindsay?” Gretchen asked, reaching for an equally gorgeous blonde in an equally short dress.
Pat practically salivated. “There’s always room for Lindsay.”
*
Pat sat in the back with Lindsay, of course. And when we pulled up to the liquor store, he went straight to the refrigerated section with her.
“Do you need a hand with the beer?” Gretchen offered.
“You don’t want to pick out some drinks?”
“Nah. Lindsay will find me something.”
“Ah, sure then. Thanks.”
After I grabbed a cart, Gretchen followed me down each aisle. She wasn’t much help, but she did hold the cart steady as I loaded it up.
It wasn’t until we were at the register that Pat and Lindsay returned, adding several six-packs of White Claws to the mix.
“I can keep these in my room so nobody else drinks them,” Pat offered. “Each time you ladies want a drink, find me and I’ll take you up.”
I snickered under my breath. The move was almost smooth.
After carding me, the attendant scanned everything before reading out the total. “And because you’ve spent that much, you’re entitled to four shots from our shot bucket.”
I was the ultimate party pooper, because while Pat, Gretchen and Lindsay cheered, I groaned.
Gretchen eagerly sifted through the shot bucket like it was the best lucky dip ever, emerging with two cowboy shots, a sambuca and tequila.
“I’ll take a cowboy,” Pat said.
Gretchen took the other and Lindsay chose the sambuca, which left me with the tequila.
As I wearily studied the plastic shot cup, Pat rolled his eyes. “Come on, Ryker. It’s not laced. It’s just one shot. Live a little.”
I’d already made one questionable decision tonight – adding alcohol to the equation seemed risky. Then again, maybe liquid courage would help with the conversation waiting for me when I got back.
“What are we toasting to?” Lindsay asked.
“Football,” Pat answered easily. “America’s game.”
Gretchen winked at me. “To football.”
Though I willingly stepped onto a field each week, risking getting sacked by two-hundred-pound linebackers, I was fucking pathetic when it came to shots. After forcing it down, I coughed for a solid minute. Tequila was the worst.
“Oh no!” Linsday gasped.
“Shit, babe,” Gretchen fussed, dabbing at her friend’s chest.
Some of Lindsay’s dark shot had dripped down her chin and neck, leaving a purplish trail across the top of her dress.
“It’s going to stain,” she whined.
Gretchen’s attention shifted to me desperately, like her friend’s dress needed resuscitation and I was the only person around who knew CPR. “Can you drive past our house so Lindsay can get a change of clothes?”
“I kind of need to–”
“Please, it’s on the way.”
Over her shoulder, Pat was sternly glaring at me as if to say don’t fuck this up for me. Cockblocking a teammate was dick-move 101. I’d never live it down. Which is why ten minutes later, we were pulling up outside Gretchen and Linsday’s house.
It was so close to our place I could hear the music. I would’ve happily dropped them off and told them to walk back if it wasn’t close to freezing.
“You may as well come in,” Gretchen said as I shifted my car into park. “This could take a while.”
Fighting the urge to groan, I reluctantly followed everyone inside.
While the layout to Gretchen and Linday’s place was similar to ours, the décor was totally different. It also smelt sickly sweet, like they burnt multiple scented candles all day, every day.
“Come help me pick something, Pat,” Linsday said, reaching for his hand and tugging him towards the stairs.
Pat eagerly followed her, clearly hoping pick something was code for more. Usually I’d happily entertain the friend while he got his rocks off, but not tonight.
“Be quick,” I called out before he disappeared entirely. “I need to get back to Ruby.”
“Who’s Ruby?” Gretchen asked the moment they were gone.
I collapsed onto the couch, which was barely visible beneath the countless decorative cushions. “My, ugh, best friend.”
Gretchen nodded cynically, the same way everyone did whenever I mentioned I had a female best friend. It was a sure-she’s-only-your-best-friend nod. Up until thirty minutes ago, that had been true.
“It’s not like that,” I robotically said.
“So you’ve never hooked up?”
“No. I mean...” I dragged a hand through my hair, which was still mussed up from Ruby’s touch. “I kissed her for the first time tonight.”
Gretchen’s sculpted eyebrows rose. “And?”
“She hightailed it out of there,” I reluctantly admitted. “I have no fucking clue where her head’s at.”
“What about you? Where’s your head at?”
“Pardon?”
Gretchen lowered herself onto the couch across from me, getting comfortable. “Did you enjoy the kiss?”
I’d fucking loved it. I hadn’t loved Ruby’s reaction though. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I had royally messed up.
She had kissed me back though, and she’d made the sweetest sound right before I slid my tongue inside her mouth. I was hoping that counted for something good.
“Do you want my take as a girl?” Gretchen offered.
“Sure. Why not?”
“I’d say she bolted because she wasn’t into it.”
My stomach didn’t just drop – it plummeted through the earth’s core and came out on the other side.
“Really?”
“Ryker, as someone who’s hooked up with you before, believe me when I say yours aren’t the kind of kisses you run from. They’re actually the kind you hang around for... hoping it will turn into something more.”
Gretchen leaned back slightly, resting on her palms. If she was purposely trying to accentuate her chest, it was working. My eyes momentarily drifted to her pushed-up breasts before I pointedly raised my gaze.
She had great tits, don’t get me wrong, but her bra was working wonders, because they sure hadn’t been that full when she was naked on top of me.
“How long have you been friends with her?” she asked.
“My whole life.”
“And you’ve always had a thing for her?”
“No. She’s been in a relationship ever since she was sixteen.”
“And she’s not anymore,” Gretchen simply alluded.
Ruby was single for the first time since I’d gone down on a girl. Since one had gone down on me. Since I knew what it was like to want someone.
We’d grown up through scraped knees, braces, and the awkward years of puberty. By the time I’d realised how gorgeous she was, she’d been with Noah. Since there was never a chance of anything happening between us, I guess I hadn’t allowed myself to go there.
That wasn’t to say I hadn’t ever thought about it. For every game of mine she came to, or every morning I woke up beside her, I found myself wondering what it would be like to give in to the natural progression that happened when spending that much time with the opposite sex.
In every way that counted – except physically – Ruby had always acted like my girlfriend. It’s why I’d never felt the need for a serious relationship – I hadn’t needed it when Ruby filled that void, and any intimate needs were easily met with a casual hookup or fling.
“What matters more to you?” Gretchen asked. “Satisfying the itch with a one-night stand, or protecting your friendship?”
I muffled a yawn as I shrugged. That kiss wasn’t just about hooking up, but it wasn’t the start of anything serious either. Honestly, I had no idea what it meant. All I knew was that in the moment, kissing her felt right.
“I can’t lose her,” I settled with. “She’s my best friend.”
As Gretchen leaned closer, blinking slowly, I noticed her lashes – way too thick to be real. Damn. Maybe Ruby had been onto something.
“Then give her some space. Let her come to you on her terms. If you push after she clearly pulled away, you’ll damage the friendship for good.”
Talking this through with Gretchen, a girl I’d slept with, was kind of strange. But she was so sure of herself that she didn’t seem to mind. It wasn’t like she’d hooked up with me thinking it would lead to a relationship either.
As I stifled another yawn, Gretchen picked up on the hint and got to her feet. “I’ll see what the hold-up is.”
As over the top as the mountain of cushions were, I couldn’t deny that they were comfortable.
Nestling deeper, my thoughts drifted to Ruby.
Was she freaking out? Waiting for me? Had she told Tori?
Bri? Jaz? Daisy? Noah? Did she want me to pretend it hadn’t happened?
Would I make things worse if I brought it up?
I hated the idea that I’d shifted the dynamic of our relationship, but I couldn’t bring myself to regret kissing her either. I had enjoyed it. And if I was being honest with myself, there was a part of me that wanted to do it again.
I briefly shut my eyes, replaying the kiss like a game highlight, but before I reached the end zone, I drifted off to sleep.