Chapter 9
The look on Ryan's face right now is absolutely priceless.
That adorable mixture of amusement and barely concealed terror, like he knows I'm about to give him so much crap but he's powerless to stop me.
I love moments like this when I get to abuse the power of our friendship just a little.
Narrowing my eyes, I give him my best "I'm watching you" gesture, wiggling two fingers from my eyes to his.
His own eyes widen and I have to bite my lip to keep from cracking up.
Oh yeah, he's definitely going to be overthinking every little thing he does around me for the rest of the night. Score one for Addie.
Next to me, Colton is throwing out ideas of his latest genius idea –– a signature coffee drink he wants to call the Molten Colton.
I have to admit, the name’s not half bad.
In Colton's grand business plan, the Molten Colton coffee cups would have his face on it with a hockey stick and a puck.
Because of course, they would. This boy never does anything halfway.
His enthusiasm is contagious though, and I find myself grinning as he throws an arm around my shoulders.
“Ryan!” he shouts, his loud voice in my ear. “I'm stealing your girl, bro. She's my best friend now!”
Before I can respond, Ryan is suddenly right there behind us, his tall frame radiating warmth against my back. “In your wildest dreams, Colt,” he scoffs, reaching out to pry Colton's arm off me. “Get those dirty hands off her.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the playful possessiveness in his tone. I tilt my head back to look up at him, a teasing smirk on my lips. “Careful, Ry, he pitched me a whole brand and drink idea. I might be swayed to the dark roast side.”
Colton nods. “We're gonna have mugs with my face on them. And Molten Colton is a way cooler name than Cryin’ Ryan, just saying.”
Ryan narrows his eyes in warning. “Hey now, don't be dissing Cryin’ Ryan. That's a classic.”
“Yeah, and it's a best-seller,” I chime in, my protectiveness showing now because I gave the name Cryin’ Ryan. Then I smirk. “Well, second to Baddie Addie.”
Colton waves a dismissive hand. “I'd bet big money that Molten Colton is gonna blow both of those out of the water.”
Chase and Ryan exchange amused glances, chuckling at Colton's claim. Andrew just shakes his head. He’s been listening this whole time and keeping to himself.
“Molten Colton, really?” Ryan asks, his voice laced with friendly skepticism.
Colton loves the idea as he slings his arm back around me and I catch a strong whiff of beer and cologne. Wrinkling my nose, I turn to face him and find him waggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly at Ryan, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“What's the matter, Wilder? Huh? Scared of a little competition?” Colton teases.
Ryan just laughs and holds his hand out to me.
I take it without hesitation, letting him pull me away from Colton's arms and into the warm solidness of his side.
“Alright, that's enough of that,” he declares, but there's no real heat behind it.
“In case you forgot, she's mine.” Ryan's arm tightens around my waist as he says it, making my breath hitch.
A shiver zips down my spine hearing him call me his, even as a joke. There's just something about his casual, confident possession. I like it. Maybe a little too much.
I watch in amusement as Ryan pushes Colton back and forth with his free hand, both of them laughing like boys.
Colton pats Ryan on his cheek and says, “I guess I need to practice my game.”
Practice, huh? My mind immediately flashes to a conversation Ryan and I had recently about his frustrations in the bedroom.
Specifically, how he confessed to being tired of vanilla.
At the time, I just laughed it off, not wanting to picture my best friend's sex life.
But now I can't seem to stop picturing it.
What if I offered to help him practice and explore? No feelings, no strings, just two best friends having fun and pushing some boundaries. It could be good for both of us – lord knows I'm in need of some pointers myself. And I'm so not ready for another serious relationship anytime soon.
I barely register Ryan's reply to Colton, “Go find your own girl to practice on,” or Colton's answering laugh.
“I know, I know, she's all yours. I'm just messing around. No offense, Addie!”
I wave him off with a distracted smile, my head still spinning with the beginnings of a plan.
A crazy, impulsive, potentially disastrous plan...but a plan nonetheless. Friends with benefits. No feelings, no drama, just two people who trust each other implicitly helping to fulfill some needs. It could work...right?
I realize Colton is still talking about the Molten Colton drink idea. I nod along, making appropriate noises of agreement, but my mind is miles away.
Andrew, who's been quietly scrolling through his phone this whole time, suddenly stands up with a sigh. “Alright boys, I gotta head out.”
“Ready?” Ryan asks me as if he was thinking the same thing.
Colton is telling us not to go, but I just came up with the best idea and I want to propose it to Ryan tonight.
We all chorus our goodbyes and then we leave.
When we get into his truck, I ask, “So, you told them that we’re dating too?”
Ryan chuckles, shaking his head. “They’re convinced they can make this a real thing between us.”
“Oh,” I mutter, trying to understand what happened in there. “So, they’re just messing with me?”
“Yeah,” Ryan laughs. “I’m sorry. But it was cute watching them tease you.”
I purse my lips, trying to stop the smile on my lips. He just said it was cute, and I’m flattered. I’m also happy that he’s telling me the truth.
We head back to his place, and now I have to figure out how I’m going to propose this outrageous idea to my best friend.