“Sounds like there’s a but in there to me. You jealous?”
“I’m not—” I stop myself because he’s right, I am.
How could I not be?
“Makes me a pretty awful person, doesn’t it?”
“Nah, darlin’. Makes you human if you ask me.”
“I can’t even get one guy to like me, let alone three.”
My mind flashes back to what happened at Envy over the holidays. I’d dragged River to a costume party at the club where Styx works. I’d gone with the intention of seducing him. Of making him finally give in to the attraction between us.
But I’d gotten more than I bargained for that night.
“What are you thinking about?” Ryder asks me.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.” He smirks. “You’re blushing, figured you were thinking about me naked or something.”
“You’re so full of yourself, Montrou.”
“You’d be full of yourself too if you looked this good.” He waves a hand down his body and I laugh. A real honest-to-God laugh.
“There it is,” he murmurs, and I frown.
“What?”
“Your smile.”
“Ryder—” My cell phone vibrates and I snatch it up off the rickety old coffee table, my heart stalling at the familiar name there.
Styx: How are you doing, Kitty Kat? You know, you can’t freeze me out forever.
That’s what he thinks.
Asshole.
“Who is it?”
“No one,” I rush out, quickly. “Just a friend from school.”
I turn off my phone without replying and stuff it in my pocket.
“You didn’t want to text them back?”
“Nope.”
“Fair enough.” He shrugs. “It’s getting late. You want me to give you a ride home?”
“I’m a big girl, I think I can handle it.”
“Didn’t say you couldn’t, but I’m not sure D would appreciate me letting you walk home alone.”
“How do you know I walked over here?”
His brow quirks up. “I have my ways.”