“Yeah.” He shifted on his feet. “It’s just—I hate feeling like I fucked everything up.”
I stared at him. “But that’s exactly what you did.”
He didn’t like what I’d said, but he seemed to know better than to argue. “Look, I can’t undo what I did, but I was thinking—maybe I can make it right.”
“How?” I couldn’t have sounded more skeptical if I’d tried.
“The Sigs are having a party on Friday.”
“Pregame Rush Week,” I said. There was no alcohol allowed at social events during Rush Week, so every year they had hosted a party the weekend before. It was an unofficial recruitment event for the fraternity.
Riley nodded. “All the seniors will be making two-minute presentations on why the Sig house is the best on campus.” He gave a lopsided smile. “It sounds dumb, but it’s actually hilarious.”
Surely my expression screamed at him to get to the point.
“I was thinking I could use my two minutes to tell everyone I cheated and apologize to you and Colin.”
My breath caught. I thought I’d moved past it, but what he was offering was appealing. It was the public vindication I’d craved since that day in the mud, and I had to sink my teeth into my bottom lip to stay quiet.
“But I’d need you guys to be there,” he said.
“Why?”
Confusion made him look at me like I was missing something obvious. “Because I can’t say I’m sorry if you don’t come?”
“No,” I said, needing to clarify. “Why would you do that? What’s in it for you?”
He sighed, and then shrugged as a surrender. “Like I said, I feel like I fucked everything up, and I don’t want to feel that way anymore.”
It was difficult to believe he felt guilty enough to make him want to do this, so the needle on my suspicion meter jumped all the way into the red. It got worse when he took a step forward, closing the space between us. There was a determination in his eyes that caused me alarm.
“What do you say? Will you come?”
Riley had proven he didn’t give up easily when he wanted something, and the way he peered down at me now, I doubted he’d accept it if I told him no.
“I don’t know.” I swallowed thickly. “Let me think about it?”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted, and for a single breath he considered pushing it, but must have decided it’d be better not to. His expression was fixed. “Okay. Talk to Colin and have him let me know what you decide.”
I nodded, and relief coasted through my body as he finally let me by.
Had there been a slight smile ghosting his lips as I went, or had I just imagined it? God, I needed Colin, because that conversation . . .
It left me with a terrible feeling of dread.
TWENTY-SIX
Colin
I made it a solid month of working out with Mads before she got me to crack. She hated working on her core, especially her lower abdominals, and so when I’d told her we were doing leg circles, she’d told me she could think of a million other fun things to do—for example, sucking my dick.
“Nice try,” I said from the mat beside hers. “We’re doing three sets of ten in each direction.”
She blew her breath out in a huff, lay down on her back, and lifted her feet a few inches off the ground. I did the same, and as we stared up at the unfinished ceiling of the gym, we began to rotate our feet in clockwise circles.
“I have an idea to pitch for our next scene.” Her voice was strained with effort.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I’m your girlfriend. Nina is your stepmom.” She finished going clockwise and began to swing her feet in the other direction. “She sees us messing around and,” she had to stop talking for a moment because it was so challenging, “then she joins in to, like, tutor us.”
I finished the set and dropped my feet to the ground at the same time she did, considering her pitch as we rested. I rolled my head toward her and flashed a teasing smile. “You think we need a tutor?”
She let out a short laugh. “No, but I’m sure she could teach us a thing or two.” Her head lolled toward me, making it so I could see the desire in her eyes. “I was thinking about it because I haven’t seen you two together yet. Not in person.” Her voice turned throaty. “I haven’t gotten to watch you fuck her.”
My blood heated as lust grew inside me. “And you want to?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded enthusiastically.
I rolled onto my side, bringing us closer together, and asked it even though I already knew her answer. “Is that your fantasy? Watching your boyfriend fuck someone else?”
She didn’t have to think about it. “It’s one of them.” She chased her breath. “One of many.”