Page 240 of Out of Bounds

“Called at four in the fucking morning about it,” Miles grumbled. “On a Sunday. What other days do we get to sleep in? But he had to call.”

“It wasn’t supposed to happen for anothertwoweeks.”

The more they talked about it, the wider my smile grew. I leaned back in my chair to take a look at Ryan, being accosted by a handful of donors off to the side, and I shook my head, still smiling.

I knew exactly why he’d pushed up the zoo day.

He wanted to tell me he loves me.

I took a quick drink and caught the attention of the whole table. “I have to gorescuehim, I’ll be right back.”

“What?” Adam stretched back. “He looks fine. He looks happy.”

King scoffed. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Tell him he has a phone call,” June urged me. “It’s courteous and gets him thehellout of there.”

“Be right back,” I promised and pushed up from the table.

The others tittered behind me and Adam wolf whistled—the asshole—but I just rolled my eyes and approached Ryan, touching him softly on the back. He glanced back and the polite smile washed away for an actual grin.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized, barely apologizing. “Mr. Cross has an important phone call.”

They wished us the best with the phone call and when I drew him away, Ryan gave me a concerned look. “What’s the important phone call for?”

“There isn’t a phone call.”

“What?” His eyebrows furrowed.

“I just wanted to rescue you.”

A huge smile broke across his face and he leaned down to kiss my hair, the only place he could really kiss me with my makeup. But I had something else to tell him and I knew he’d get a kick out of it that I figured it out.

“I know why you moved up the zoo date,” I whispered.

Ryan froze. He gazed down at me. “What?”

“I pieced it together.”

There was the weirdest expression on his face and Ryan pressed his hand against my back, nodding off to the glass doors that separated the main room from the balcony. “I need to talk to you.”

98

Kassie

Your Future, Not Ours

It was quiet out on the balcony and I could barely keep the smile off of my face. No one else was out here. And I knew Ryan well enough to know wherethiswas going. No funny business though, I knew he had to stay on his best behavior during this.

“It was stupid and a mistake and it won’t happen again,” he assured me.

What?

I glanced up, surprised.

“I figured if I could distract you long enough, you’d forget about the interview, and I’d think of something,” Ryan continued, regret laced in every word. “I’m sorry, Kassie. It was fucking stupid.”

“Wait—” I paused. “You did what?”

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