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Hehadsaved her a seat.
She pushed through the crowd, jogging down the aisle to him. As she slipped into the seat between him and Sophie, she whispered, “Thank you. Sorry I’m late.”
He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “No worries. You’re here now.”
Her stomach filled with an army of fluttering butterflies, all trying to outrun her racing heart. Warmth spread up her neck to her cheeks. If Ryan’s smirk was any indication, her pale cheeks now flamed scarlet. With a mischievous wink, he slipped his hand into hers and settled back into his seat. As the lights dimmed, Sophie’s elbow jabbed into Cassie’s rib.
“What?” she hissed at her friend.
Sophie’s wide eyes went from Cassie’s face to Ryan and Cassie’s clasped hands, then back. The other woman raised an already perfectly arched brow. Cassie shrugged at the unspoken question. When the teacher took the stage, she tried to give the woman her attention. Instead of focusing on the stage though, her gaze kept slipping to her hand in Ryan’s. And although her stomach still fluttered with the excitement of this new affection, her heart warmed with a sense of comfort. Maybe he wasn’t finished with her after all.
* * *
From across the pizza joint, Ryan watched Cassie as she tried to carry on a conversation with Sophie while Ellie climbed her like a tree. Despite how exhausted the woman must’ve felt from working all day, then attending the longest, albeit cutest, Christmas recital in history, she never failed to answer Ellie with a smile.
“So…” Ravi dropped onto the seat beside him. “I guess your little experiment failed.”
“Whatexperiment?”
Ravi smirked. “Thecan I sleep with Cassie without falling completely in love with herexperiment.”
For a moment, Ryan considered denying the truth. “It wasn’t anexperiment. I always knew how it would end for me.”
“And for Cassie?”
He watched as she laughed at something Sophie said. The sound tunneled inside him and squeezed his heart. Truth be told, he didn’t know how their night together had affected Cassie. No denying, she’d left the hotel sexually satisfied, but she hadn’t mentioned it, or a possible repeat, in the two days since.
Glancing away from the woman in question, Ryan lifted his shoulder. “We agreed nothing would change.”
Ravi didn’t bother hiding his eye roll. “Yeah, then we all saw you kiss her. You two looked real cozy during the recital.”
He smiled at the memory. They had been cozy. Cassie’s hand fit just right in his. The woman was tailor-made to fit his side and yet… “She said one night. I’m agreeing to her terms and keeping everything the same.”
“Only now you’re clearly besotted. How can you pretend nothing’s changed?”
Ryan gave his friend his full attention. “Because that’s no different than I’ve felt about her my whole life, man. You knew that before I did.”
Ravi gave a self-satisfied smirk. Yeah, he didn’t often get to tell RyanI told you so, but for this Ryan would gladly let him gloat.
“So what does this mean?” Ravi asked after his moment of self-satisfaction passed.
“What?” Ryan asked absently, his attention already back on Cassie and Ellie.
“Are you dating?”
Dating?That word would never be enough to describe anything between him and Cassie. He didn’t only want her when she had a free night. He wanted all her nights. And her days and mornings too.
“Did she say anything to Sophie?” Maybe he could figure out his next move if he had any idea what Cassie thought about them.
Ravi chuckled. “Just that Sophie could give up on trying to get her laid.”
A burst of triumph surged through Ryan.Hell yeah. Cassie might not be ready to pledge her never-ending love to him, but at least she didn’t plan to sleep with anyone else. Small steps worked for him. Besides, he’d waited on her for five years, he could take the time to win her over and prove himself to her. All he had to do was not fuck up.
Chapter Sixteen
Ryan had fucked up. The realization hit him as soon as the blonde started pulling scraps of silk and lace from a giant bag.
“I brought a few different choices of lingerie. I thought you could help me pick one.” Brooke grinned.
