Page 188 of Tangled up in You

Stepping outside, I’m thankful that it hasn’t started to snow yet, even though the sky is gray and overcast. Glancing at Ry, she gives me a wink, and it’s fitting that the sky is ready to open up and dump all over me. What the hell am I thinking? I’m never going to be able to keep this secret from Seth.

Waving to my mom and giving the house a final look, I slide into the front passenger seat. The poor van is stuffed to the brim with luggage and equipment, and I can almost hear it groan as we pull away from the curb.

We haven’t been on the road for more than five minutes, and Ry’s giggling from the back is already setting my teeth on edge. Not because it’s annoying…it’s not. But because Finn and Quinn are teasing her and tickling her, causing the sexy sound.

“Okay, enough back there. Koa is trying to keep the van on the road,” I bark and shoot them a glare.

“It’s not bothering me,” Koa says, and I’ve never wanted to punch my friend in the face so hard as I do right now.

“Not the point. We don’t need to drive off the road before we get to our first gig.” I cross my arms and stare out the side window, but I still know the precise moment Ry moves. Hermouthwatering cherry scent gets stronger a second before she places her hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry, Daddy Cas,” she says, and my head whips in her direction, catching her as she drags her lip through her teeth. I’m worried about corrupting Ry, but it is becoming very clear that I’ll be the one who is corrupted. Either that or she’ll kill me with an unquenchable need. “We’ll behave like good little children,” she says, running her hand down my arm before turning on the radio. I’m stunned into silence and left staring like an idiot. “Does this van have a place to plug in a phone?”

“Yeah, here you go,” Koa offers and pulls up a white cord for Ry.

Ry glances at me as she plugs in her phone. “Give me your phone.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Why?”

“Just do it. Where am I going to go? Or do you have a bunch of dick picks you don’t want me to see?” The challenge is dancing in her eyes. My teeth clench. Fuck my life. Pulling out my phone, I hand it over. “Unlock it,” Ry sighs, and I hold it up to my face and then hand it over again.

There is some serious trepidation as she begins going through my apps. I have no idea what she is looking for, and I can’t think of anything that’ll be embarrassing, but I won’t put it past her to send a message to Seth from my phone about our extracurricular activities. Not anymore. Consider my eyes open after last night.

“What the heck are you doing?” Ry holds up the phone and begins making sexy faces. I go to snatch it from her, but she sits back, laughing. “Ry, give me back my phone.”

“Untwist your boxers, geez.” She hits a few buttons and then holds my phone out. I stare at her and then look at my phone and glare at the image of her making a kissy face as my new background.

“I can’t keep my phone like this,” I say, but the next words out of her mouth stop me.

“You will unless you want me to blab to Seth about last night.” A cold sweat breaks out as all the guys look in my direction.

“What?” Not really an intelligent comeback, but it’s all my brain can come up with.

“Oh, this is getting good. What the fuck happened last night?” Quinn scoots closer, and Finn follows like they are moving in for storytime. Koa keeps looking over when he should be keeping his eyes on the road. Trapped…that is the only word to describe how I feel.

“Nothing. Stop staring at me like that,” I blurt. Quinn laughs.

“Did you two fuck,” Koa asks, his tone holding a thread of worry, which doesn’t make me feel any better.

“How the hell did I miss that? I was holding you all night…wasn’t I,” Quinn asks Ry, and the fear turns green in my stomach. Jealousy bubbles as I glare at my friend.

“Maybe it was immaculate fucking? Or is he like the invisible man,” Finn offers, and I shake my head at him and his ridiculous response.

“No! We did not have sex. Ry, tell them.” Pointing to the guys, my eyes plead with her to keep what happened between us. I mean, she snuck into my room and technically assaulted me in the middle of the night. I’ll never call it that because I would do it all over again, and she knows it. But that’s not the point. You haven’t seen me slinking out to the living room in the dead of night and whisking her off to fuck. Not that it hasn’t crossed my mind. This is too confusing.

“Not until you agree to leave the picture as your background and lock screen.” She crosses her arms over her chest, and I know her so damn well that I know when she’s serious.

“Fine, I’ll leave it, at least for as long as we are on tour,” I say in total defeat. One fucking night and she’s already holding it over me. I’m going to be blackmailed for the rest of my life to keep Seth from finding out. I can already see it.

“There, was that so hard? No, we didn’t have sex,” Ry confirms, and the guys groan like they’re all disappointed with the lack of gossip. Assholes. “All I mean is that I can tell Seth anything. Who do you think he’s going to believe?”

“What the fuck, Ry,” I swear and look away from her devious eyes. Whatever this game is that she’s playing, it’s dangerous. I should’ve just said no. I should’ve kicked her out last night.

“Well, that’s boring. I was hoping the two of you stopped dancing around your overly obvious want to do the bump and grind and finally did the deed,” Finn says, and I lock my jaw to keep from commenting. How the fuck do I get out of this mess? Nothing intelligent is coming to me.

Four hours later, I’m ready to kill Quinn. If he pulls Ry into his lap one more time, I’m going to lose it on him. This last time, he lays her across his lap and spanks her while she laughs hysterically. Just as I’m getting ready to break my silence, we pull into a truck stop.

Jumping out before the van comes to a stop, I march for the front door, yank it open, and head for the men’s room. Quinn is next in and stands beside me at the urinal.

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