Page 43

As I limp to the car with my head bowed, uncomfortable from the lube drying between my legs, I make a decision that’ll probably affect my grade and degree, but I don’t care. I can’t do this. I didn’t know before, but I do now.

Casual sex is not for me.

I’m quitting. As soon as Thanksgiving ends, I’m done.

Ryann

The Miami sun beats down on my exposed skin, its warmth welcoming after the torrential downpour I’d left behind in Washington. A cool breeze rustles the palms above my head, salty Atlantic air clearing my senses. The beach is crowded, vast ocean teeming with bodies, a stark contrast to Seattle, where the coastal waters are only warm enough for swimming one month out of the entire year.

Would Shilo like it here?

Sighing in exasperation, I lean back in my seat and glare at the glass of whiskey on my table. It’s been three days now since I took his virginity in my backseat, like a fucking teenager, and I haven’t been able to get him out of my damn head.

Lord, have I tried.

The look on his face when I practically kicked him out of my car—after promising him I wouldn’t treat him like that again—has been keeping me awake every night since Friday. But after what we did…the sex we had, the emotions tied to it, I couldn’t look him in the eye. It’s why I had him sit with his back to me after he’d asked to fuck face to face because that’s something I’ve never done before. Never plan to.

But then I’d wrapped my arms around him, held his hand, talked him through it. Something shifted between us in that moment, and I don’t like the vulnerable way it made me feel.

Raw. Exposed. Guilty.

I couldn’t handle it.

“Callahan! As I live and breathe.”

A booming voice jolts me from my thoughts, and my gaze snaps up to the towering figure of Darius Hunt, forward-center for the Miami Heat and my former college teammate.

His grin is wide and easy, flashing straight white teeth against skin a shade darker than the last time I saw him. Before I can react, he hauls me up into a hug, and I find myself grinning back just as earnestly.

“How long has it been since you visited me? Three, four years?”

“About that, yeah.” With a few slaps on the back, we take our seats, gesturing to the waitress for his order while I take a hefty swig of my drink. “How’ve you been?”

“Same, same.” He runs a hand through light brown curls, eyeing me up and down with an assessing gaze. “You seem to be keeping in shape. I thought desk life would have turned you soft by now.”

“In your dreams. I can still run circles around you on the court.”

He barks a laugh that could always be heard over the cheering crowd. “And yet, one of us is a professional athlete while the other makes spreadsheets.”

The jab hits a tender spot, but I mask the sting with a scoff. I was never popular on the team, thanks to my charming personality, but Darius never let that bother him. Much like a certain purple-haired boy I know, he annoyed the hell out of me until I begrudgingly tolerated his friendship. As far as he’s concerned, I wasn’t lucky enough to be drafted like he was, and I’ve never told him the truth—that I was forced to turn down a guarding position with the Celtics to help Ronin run CalTek.

“So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?” He asks, casually sipping a tequila sunrise that the waitress sits in front of him. His eyes spark with interest when she smiles, and I’d bet a thousand bucks that he has her number by the time we leave.

Shrugging, I fold my arms over my chest. “Just needed to see an old friend.”

I wasn’t lying when I told Shilo that I had a meeting with a client. Some new company out here is partnering with us to utilize our tech, so Liza and I will be helping their IT guys set it up all week.

“Uh-huh.” He gives me a knowing look, licking sugar from the rim of his glass. “And what’s the real reason?”

Lifting a brow, I watch him smack his full lips. Darius has never been my type, but I can’t deny his features are striking. Back in college, I used to proposition him regularly—half as a joke—but he’s as straight as they come. Not that it ever stopped him from teasing me about it.

Setting down his glass, he snickers with a devious smile. “Come on, Ry, I know you. Social visits aren’t your thing. Spit it out. What’s up?”

Fuck, here we go.

Blowing out a breath, I avert my gaze, focusing instead on the sun kissing the horizon. Words tumble from my mouth before I can second guess them. “I have to get a girlfriend.”

Out of my peripheral, I see his jaw drop while I casually lift my whiskey and take a gulp.