Page 105 of Rush

I crawl in beside her and gently boop her nose.

“My beloved,” I coo.

She groans.

“Riley bear,” I sing-song.

Another groan—deeper this time. The universal sound forplease shut the fuck up.

Then, muffled into the pillow: “Who’s that…sounds like a dirty, dirty little whorebag?”

“Takes one to know one.”

She chuckles into the pillow. “Touché, my friend. Touché.”

I sigh.

“So,” she mumbles, voice still gravelly, “how was it?”

“Phenomenal.”

“Well done, Brody.” She rolls over, giving me a slow, silent golf clap of approval as she stretches the sleep away.

“And the appendage?”

“No comment.”

“Tease, was that the first time?” she asks.

“No.”

“When, then?” A small flicker of hurt passes her face and I can’t help but feel guilty, I rarely kept anything from her and I kept this. I knew of all the people in my life she would understand and wouldn’t judge me for it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, it was just so soon after Alex.”

“How soon?” she asks raising her brow, her eyes searching mine, the hurt now replaced with wicked curiosity.

“After the show in New York,” I sigh, remembering what led me running into Broderick’s arms and pants in the first place.

She stretches again, arms overhead, but doesn’t say anything.

I hesitate. “After Alex called me...said he missed me.”

Riley turns her head slowly, like she’s about to explode into expletives—but holds back.

“I remembered what you said, so I went to Broderick’s apartment and blew his brains out.”

Riley shoots upright, eyes wide.

“Girl, you didwhatnow?”

I laugh, flopping back onto the pillows beside her.

“I went to his apartment, propositioned him mid-workout about this friends-with-benefits thing, sucked him off, and then ran out of there.”

She stares at me like I’ve grown a second head.

“Mid-workout?”