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They had. One Ryan was doomed to lose, because she was right. He’d only entertained the idea of the poker game to try to win back her money. The last thing they needed was his debt to her between them—and okay, denting his pride—but he was riding a thin line. Not just when it came to her trusting him, but when it came to admitting he was in over his head.
“Sorry,” Jules said, nudging Randy’s belly. “We’ll just go back out there and look at the lingerie again.”
“You already picked out three teddies,” Randy said. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“They’re having a moment.”
“No, we are not. This is just a little spat between friends. Means nothing at all.” The look Denver shot him was pure ice before she tossed his phone at him and ducked out through the curtain.
He started to chase after her, but Jules had a funny expression on her face. One that seemed an awful lot like suspicion.
“Just a little thing. You know how it is,” Ryan said, forcing a smile he so didn’t feel. “She’s probably PMSing,” he added, causing Jules to narrow her eyes into slits and Randy to cup her shoulder.
“You sure the little thing isn’t yours?”
Because Ryan wasn’t at all certain she wasn’t referring to his penis—and knowing Jules, that was exactly what she meant—he just shook his head.
When Jules and Randy turned t
o browse the offerings, Ryan snatched a pair of fur-lined handcuffs and a wand of anal beads off the wall. It wasn’t the most careful selection, but he had to hope one was as good as another.
If he even got to use them with her after this.
He chuckled with West and Lo over a few things, and browsed with Michael as he mused about his wife Chloe’s preferences. Molly and Elle were flipping through lingerie.
Denver was nowhere in sight.
On impulse, he stopped to grab a tube of lube and one more item and took the assortment up to the cashier. He truly didn’t know if he’d get to use them with her or if he was just wasting his money. But he wasn’t giving up on her or them.
Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Once his purchases were bagged and he was back in the SUV, he resisted the urge to text her. She knew what room he was staying in at the hotel. She was probably stewing in the other SUV parked up the street as she waited for a ride back to the bus, but he had hope she’d come around enough to at least talk to him. Preferably in his hotel room, where they could have some privacy. For conversation and hopefully more. So much more.
He’d give her some space.
For now.
Chapter Seven
“Sure you don’t want to spend the night at the hotel with us?” Elle asked as the SUV stopped a few feet away from the parked tour bus. “We have room. There’s a roll-out couch—”
“I’d rather not listen to you guys screw all night. No offense.”
Elle flushed. “We’re not that loud.”
Denver had to laugh as she patted Elle’s jean-clad thigh. “Thanks, chica, but I have a date with my bunk. Y’all have fun.”
She waved to the others in the SUV and hopped out before she was tempted to make use of the ride over to the hotel. And not to spend the night on Elle’s roll-out couch.
But she couldn’t give in that easily. Ryan was hiding stuff from her. Worse, he was risking himself big time by thinking he could just jump into another game. He was smarter than that.
Or so she’d believed.
And was he using the money she’d given him for rent to place bets? Her gut said no, but then again, she’d never thought she would have to rescue him from an alleyway either. Addiction was capable of affecting anyone. Even smart, savvy, level-headed, controlled guys like Ry.
And capable of controlling you, just the way you like it.
She forced back a shudder as she opened the door to the bus. Nope, she couldn’t do this yet. Couldn’t go inside and face an empty bus and know that Ryan might be figuring out how to go gamble or worse, maybe hooking up with that redhead. She didn’t truly believe that he’d do that, but then she’d yelled at him and probably hurt his pride. Men did dumb things when they were smarting after a blow.
