Page 57 of Slay Ride

Everyone at our table stops eating. Their eyes fall on me as their mouths close in unison. It’s like the world’s weirdest flash mob.

Noticing everyone’s shock—and my inability to voice my reasoning for showing the cretin some kindness—Bennett saves the day once again. He pushes the plate in front of me and shakes his head. “I’m just fucking around. I’m not that hungry, anyway.”

His stomach burbles beside me, but I pretend I don’t hear it. Surely they’ll at least give him dessert.

Satisfied, everyone resumes their conversations. The attention shifts away from us, and I return to munching on the food.

“You won’t miss the party on the last night, will you?” Eve whispers as she leans closer. “I’ve been doing a little reconnaissance, and I think Maverick might be up for that kiss after all.”

The third lollipop becomes a glob of flavorless lead in my mouth. If she’d said this to me only twenty-four hours ago, I’d have been a bouncing ball of uncontainable excitement and questions. Now?

Now I’m just fucking confused.

“I thought he wasn’t interested,” I whisper once I’ve wrestled the damned wad of meat past my gullet. I wash it down with a gulp of water.

Bennett clears his throat and leans over me. “I want in on the secret sharing, ladies. What are we talking about?”

“Weare discussing something private.” Eve motions between me and her. “Youcan fuck off.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” He gives her his devilish smile. The same one that used to make me want to punch him in his smug face. Now I just want to clear the table andsiton his smug face.

“There’s a partner activity after lunch,” Eve says, ignoring Bennett. “Any chance you’d want to team up?”

Kindra leans forward. “I’m partnered with Ezra, so I won’t be jealous,” she says with a wink.

I’m about to open my mouth and say yes, absolutely, but Bennett speaks before I can.

“She’s partnering with me.”

So much for trying to keep this thing quiet.

I turn and look at him, telepathically willing him to take it back. If anyone gets the slightest whiff of what we’ve done—what we’re still fucking doing—I don’t think I will ever live it down. This wouldn’t open a can of worms. This would lay each worm on a table with a diagram pointing to and describing each segment.

They’ll know.

“Remember the bet you lost in the cabin?” He looks at me and winks. “You said you’d agree to do whatever I want for the rest of this trip if you lost.”

I made no such bet. I know I made no such bet. Bennett knows I made no such bet.

But the others don’t know that.

“Oh, right,” I say as I try to look disappointed. “Darn that...lost bet. Hey, Kindra, are you gonna eat your last lamb lollipop?”

Kindra pulls her plate away as I reach for food to shove into the hole that doesn’t know how to work without Bennett’s dick inside it. “Wait, you didn’t tell me about a bet. How’d you lose so horribly that you’d end up Bennett’s pet?”

Her word choice brings up visions of me with a collar around my neck as Bennett cracks a whip across my ass for pissing on the rug.

I’m sick. I have a problem.

“Go ahead,” Bennett says with a wide grin. “Tell them the story.”

“You’re the one who made the stupid bet, so I think you should tell it.” I level him with an equally wide grin.

Bennett raises his scarred eyebrow, silently questioning me.Are you sure you want me to come up with the story?that look seems to say.

I’m not sure. Not at all. But what choice do I have? Everyone at the table is focused on us again, and I seem to put my foot in my mouth every time I open it.

“Okay,” he finally says. “She bet she could stay in the cold longer than I could. Naked, too. She thought she had it in the bag, seeing how I hate the cold and all that, but I beat her by a solid three minutes.”

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