Page 63 of How to Lose at Love

dallas

“Honesty is the key to a solid relationship. If you can fake the honesty, you’ve got it made.”

– Eli Cohen

Ryann doesn’t wantto bone me.

Ryann doesn’t want to bone me?

Why does this grate on me every time it comes up?

I’ve never had a girl use that word before to describe sex, but nothing about Ryann Winters surprises me anymore.

“Don’t you think we should at leastlooklike we’re into each other? A little?”

Jesus. Every time this girl is within ten feet of me, her words make my dick and my ego shrink twenty sizes. It’s the opposite of the Grinch—instead of my heart, it’s my cock that should be growing.

“How are we supposed to practice?”

Seriously, I’m curious. How are we gonna do that?

I at least don’t mind looking at her nice tits and perfect round ass and the cute way she gets irritated. Or the way she’s constantly rolling her eyes as if she cannot fucking stand me. Doesn’t she know if she keeps doing that, her eyes will get stuck in the back of her head? Least that’s what my mama always said.

“I don’t know.” She thinks about it. “Try hugging me. Let’s see how that goes.”

“Huggin’ you? What good’ll that do?”

She holds her arms out wide. “Just hug me and quit arguing.”

I walk into her embrace, have to lean down because she may be tall, but she’s not nearly as tall as I am—most people aren’t, except for my brother Duke, who I can look dead in the eye.

When our bodies press together and her arms wrap around my waist, something happens to the inside of me. A shock? Tingles?

I shiver despite myself.

Ryann pulls back, shaking her head. “Ugh, nothing.”

Nothing? She felt nothing?

Not a shock, not a tingle?

What the fuck…

“Yeah, nothin’,” I repeat for lack of anything more clever to say. “Now what?”

“Try flirting. Like, what’s your best move?”

“My best move?” I scratch my head. “It’s been a long time. Normally I…” Take a girl back to my room and fuck her? There isn’t much small talk; both she and I know what we want, and the only thing I want from anyone is sex. Even that’s been few and far between, and I haven’t hit on anyone in the bars since…well, shit, I can’t remember.

“Hello?” Ryann is waving her hand. “Seriously, Dallas, it’s not that hard.” She stands up straight, hip hitting the counter behind her. Picks up a glass and holds it, glancing at me and fluttering her long lashes. Bites down on her bottom lip.

“Hey,” she finally says. “My name is Ryann.”

“I know.” Why is she telling me this?

She smacks my arm. “I’m role-playing! Pretend we haven’t met yet.”

“But aren’t we supposed to be practicing flirting?”

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