Page 102 of Out of Bounds

"Thank you," I murmured and took another look at the cameras on the sidelines, still taking pictures. A perfect excuse. I dipped down close to her and captured her lips. Her fingers curled around my shoulder and she kissed me back, leaning up to meet me halfway.

Oh, fuck. This is it.

The best alumni night I’d ever had.

"I…" She gazed up, all lit up and beautiful. "Ryan? Do you want to talk outside?"

"You’re trying to get out of another dance?" I murmured.

Quickly, she shook her head. "No, I—do you want to talk outside? Just the two of us?"

Just the two of us.

"Alright." I nodded and finally pulled back from her. My fingers twitched to touch her again but curiosity overruled that. "Through those doors over there, there’s a garden."

She smiled. "Okay."

"Do you want a drink?" I asked. "I can get drinks."

"I’d literally kill for one right now. I’ll see you out there, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay." The grin hurt my face but I headed off towards the drinks table, feeling lighter than I had in a long, long time.

40

Kassie

The Single Inhabitant Of The Friend Zone

Ryan looked sogood,and his cologne wasmouthwatering,and it was like standing in front of a dessert buffet and I wanted to tryeverything. Enough with the crazy sexual tension. That man gave me the kind of kiss you’d get jeered at a wedding for. It was time to jump his bones. I wanted to see how much was Ryan and how much was football padding.

After grabbing my purse from the table, I snuck another look back at the dance floor. Some donors snagged my fake boyfriend for a conversation. In my walk from the table to the outside gardens, they werestillyammering in his ear.

If I stared at them hard enough, maybe they’d get the psychic feeling that he was needed elsewhere.

Something hit me hard and I whirled back. The patio rushed up to meet me.

"Kassie!"

How did Inotsee King? He caught me in midair and yanked me back to my feet. He looked just about as startled as I was.

"Fuck, does the tag apply?" He wheezed out, stunned.

"The what?" I sucked in a breath, getting my balance back. "The tag?"

"No—sorry—I meant—" King steadied his breathing. "Holy shit. Ryan would’ve killed me."

"Well, he would’ve laughed at me." I dusted off my dress and took another look at him. "Aw, King. You look good."

The football player grunted.

"No, I mean it. It’s a great suit."

He narrowed his eyes at the door. "Adam said I looked like a villain in a kids’ movie."

I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. Especially since that was probably the most words I'd ever heard out of King. We hung out plenty together, but he was a man of few words.

"That’s Adam." I chuckled. "He’s a professional dipshit. But we love him, don’t we?"

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