“Mason, huh? Will you finally let me hook up with that fine piece of ass you keep all to yourself?”
“You and Mason are adults; you can do what you want.” Bitter jealousy coursed through me. I didn’t care who Mason had sex with, but I didn’t want my bed-hopping roommate to steal my best friend.
“Please. He will never sleep with me until you tell him it’s okay.”
“Do this for me and I’ll tell him I don’t care if he sleeps with you. But I can’t make him do anything, you know?”
“I know. That’s my job. You just need to give consent.”
“Whatever. Ten minutes.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The call ended.
I made my way to Noah’s suite and knocked.
Ryder opened the door and eyed me from head to toe. A small smile played around his lips.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted.
His smile faded. “I live here. And since you clearly didn’t know that, there can only be one reason you’re here.” He dropped onto the couch.
I closed the door behind me and I stared in disbelief. How in the world did I not know they were roommates?
“He’s in the shower.”
“Yeah. That’s why he told me to meet him here.”
He nodded slowly.
I could fit my entire room into this living and dining area. The suite felt huge, especially now that it wasn’t full of people, yet when I was sharing the space with Ryder, it shrank. His presence sucked all the air out of it and there was a good chance I might faint.
“Sit,” he said.
“I’m okay.”
“Why are you going out with him?”
That was none of his business, yet my mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. “He helped me with calculus. This is my thanks. We’re just friends.”
“That’s not what he thinks.” The muscle in his jaw clenched. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch.
A door popped open.
“Good. You’re here.” Noah stepped out in nothing but jeans. To my surprise he had a bit of muscle going on. Nothing like Ryder seemed to be packing, but nice enough. “Let me get dressed. Go ahead and sit. Won’t take long, I promise.”
Noah walked off and I glanced at a scowling Ryder as I eased onto the couch. He wouldn’t stop staring so I stared back. He was really starting to tick me off and I could give the evil eye just as good as he could.
Noah walked into the living room and broke the stare-down.
Ryder turned to him. “Cassidy’s on her way over and she’s bringing pizza. I didn’t realize you were going out so I had her get way too much. Want some before you head out? We have beer too.”
“What do you want to do?” Noah asked me.
Part of me wanted to run from this place but another part wanted to stay. “I’m good either way.”
He glanced at Ryder. “You sure we wouldn’t be imposing on your alone time?” Noah’s tone was teasing, but in some ways, it seemed a legitimate question and concern. One I didn’t like. A mental image I could have lived without.
Ryder typed something on his phone as if too preoccupied to even really justify an answer. “Nah, man, it’s cool.”
Noah turned to me. “Well, I guess if we stay, we don’t have to argue about who gets to pay.”
“True,” I answered.
Noah sat on the arm of the couch, next to me. “So you want to stay in?”
Ryder glanced up, his eyes briefly making contact with mine.
“Sure.”
Noah shrugged. “Okay.” He slid down from where he sat, wedging himself beside me, and rested his arm on the back of the couch, which pretty much meant around me.
Ryder lowered his phone and stared, like he was trying to burn holes through us. His phone beeped; he read the screen then typed a reply.
I hopped up. “May I use the bathroom?”
“Yeah, it’s the first door on your right,” said Noah.
“Thanks.” I stepped inside and shut the door. With my palms against the counter, I leaned forward and tried to catch my breath. Every part of my body wanted to be near Ryder but my logical side was in panic mode.
In. Out. In. Out. My breathing slowly leveled.
My stomach fluttered as I remembered our conversation in the coffee shop. I brushed my fingers over the spot where the cool metal of his lip ring had grazed the corner of my mouth. God, I wanted to kiss him. Which was dumb. Some other girl was on her way over to see him.
With a deep breath, I stepped out of the bathroom. A girl’s voice drifted down the hall. I expected Cassidy to be the cute blonde whose mouth benefited from the onslaught of Ryder’s tongue, but it wasn’t. This girl was still cute. And blond. He must have a thing for them. Too bad I was a brunette.