Page 189 of Tangled up in You

“Stop fucking touching her,” I growl under my breath.

“Naw, you have no claim over Ry. If she wants to fuck me, I’m not going to stop her,” he says, and if we weren’t standing with our cocks in our hands, I would’ve jumped on him to kick his ass. “You’re the one that’s too fucking scared of Seth to take what you want when she clearly wants you. You snooze, you lose.”

Finishing, I wash my hands and stare at my friend out of the corner of my eye. “You don’t give a shit about the consequences?”

He shrugs and stuffs himself back in his jeans before heading over to the sink. “Why would I? Seth isn’t here. We’re on the road for six months. She’s smoking hot, an adult, and you heard Seth. Ryver is fucking more than him. He seemed almost proud.” Grabbing towels, he dries off his hands and lobs the little ball of paper across the room into the trash. “She’s horny as fuck, and honestly…I’d rather she fuck all of us than go hunting for some sketch guy at one of the venues and get hurt.”

“Wow, you managed to turn having sex with your friend’s sister into a chivalrous act. I’m impressed,” I say and roll my eyes at him.

“Am I wrong? Some of these stops aren’t exactly five-star venues with stand-up citizens. You can’t tell me that some drunk fucker won’t want to get their hands on her and cock in her if given a chance.” I don’t move as Quinn pulls open the door and looks at me. “We’re eating here. We’ll be in the restaurant when you’re done contemplating how to cut your cock off rather than just using it.”

“Fuck you, asshole. It’s not a crime to have morals,” I yell after him and then whip around and punch the stall door, slamming it open with a bang. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The worst part is that he makes it sound so easy, and the part about Ry sneaking off to be with someone else boils my blood to the point of seeing red. It’s easy not to think about her having a life, dating, or having sex when I don’t see her all the time. Now we are tripping over one another, and that one taste last night…has stirred up all the shit I lock up tight.

Taking a deep breath and one foot in front of the other, I make it to the table and slide into the booth beside Koa. Ignoring the looks and silence that fills the booth, I flick the plastic menu up and stare at the options.

“Hi there, how can I help ya,” the waitress says as she sets five mugs down and fills them with coffee.

“I’ll have your cheese omelet with fries,” Finn says.

“I’ll have the waffle with fresh fruit, and can I get extra whipped cream with that?” Glancing above my menu, I stare into Ry’s stormy gray eyes and can’t stop myself from imagining spreading that whipped cream all over her body and licking it off. Her lip turns up just enough that I know she is thinking the same thing, and I quickly look away.

“And what about you handsome,” the waitress asks. I point to the breakfast special. “Perfect. Be right back.”

“We should roll into the area by two, but we’ll be way too early for setup. So, I’m thinking we pass Grayling and head on to Mackinac Bridge to get some pictures. It’ll be good for our social media to post as we travel. We can even drum up excitement for our next stop and get advice on where to eat and take pictures next,” Koa says, laying his phone down to show us.

“I love that idea,” Ry says. “I’m great at getting fun photos and generating excitement.”

“What do you think, Cas?” Koa looks at me, and I have to admit it’s brilliant in the simplicity of it. I nod.

“I like it. I just don’t want to be late for setup,” I say, and everyone laughs. “What? What did I say?”

“Dude, you’re the only person I know who would make sure they are not late for their own funeral. Setup is at nine, and it’s just over an hour to get from the bridge to Grayling. Trust me, we’ll be there on time.”

“Fine, let’s do it.”

“This is amazing.” Finn’s enthusiasm is infectious, and in a blink, all the earlier turmoil is behind us. We are laughing and joking as we start picking out more spots to stop the next two weeks. Even as our food arrives, we don’t stop chatting and making plans.

“Hey,” Quinn says. I look up from my food and almost choke on my bacon as I watch the scene in front of me. Ry hasobviously taken some of her whipped cream and smeared it on Quinn’s cheek, and he now has a hold of her wrist and is sucking her fingers one at a time into his mouth. Ry picks up more, but this time, she licks it off her finger. I struggle to swallow as she sucks her finger all the way into her mouth. The memory of what her lips feel like wrapped around my cock races to the surface of my mind and is quickly followed by blood to my cock.

“We should take this with us. I know a few other spots I’d like to put it,” Quinn says, and as hot as this is to watch, it’s biting my ass.

“Can I get in on this? I like whipped cream and…other things,” Finn joins in, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Can you guys fucking knock it off,” I hiss, my fist clenching. The word mine is marching through my mind, and I want to break all their fingers. I suck in a deep breath. No, she’s not, and I’m lying to myself to think otherwise. I’ll have an easier time claiming that the wind is mine than claiming her. “You know what…no. Do whatever you want.”

Opening my wallet, I toss enough down for all the food and get up to leave. “Where are you going,” Koa asks, but I ignore him, just needing to put distance between Ry and me.

After buying smokes from the gas station side of the truck stop, I step outside. Pulling one out, I light it but then just stare at the little orange glow. On the surface, it looks like I have my shit together and that I have everything you could want, but in reality, I’m an emotional wreck. My parents are getting a divorce but don’t want me to know. My grandmother, who is my biggest cheerleader, has dementia and, most of the time, can’t remember my name. I’m a college dropout, and this tour is the one thing I’m hinging my entire future on. But on top of all that, I battle imposter syndrome every waking moment of a goddamn day and am madly in love with my best friend’s sister. She’s like my fucking sister. We’ve grown up together, and I’ve watchedher learn how to ride a bike and have seen her get her heart broken by the first boy she dated. He may have ended up with a broken nose, but the point is that she is the one thing that can completely destroy me.

Pathetic? Maybe, but I’ve always been wrapped around her finger. I’ve certainly never made any other relationship stick. This is the exact reason why I don’t want her to come with us. I know that I won’t be able to control my feelings with her around all the time. I’m fucked, that’s all there is to it.

CHAPTER 4

Ryver

Shit. Cas walks out of the restaurant, and I sigh. Am I pushing this jealousy angle too hard? Despite the looks Cas gives me, this feels…bratty. I’m not a brat, but Caspian Knight has this way of seeping under your skin and making you crazy. Quinn has been encouraging me the entire time to go for it. I don’t know if I would’ve found the courage otherwise, but the bravery from last night is long gone.

“You’re playing with fire,” Koa says, polishing off his coffee.