Page 35 of Seduction in Spades

Yeah. I heard her loud and clear the first time. And the second. And even the third. No need to keep hammering how much she doesn’t want anything more than sex from me.

It should be every man’s dream. No-strings sex with a woman who isn’t blabbing about her sex life with all her friends.

“Well, no one told me we’d be blessed with the presence of a goddess tonight.” Ryder stands at the end of the table by Avery and lifts her hand, placing an overly dramatic kiss on her knuckles.

I want to smack his hand away from her and claim what’s mine, only she’s not.

“You’re good for a girl’s ego,” Avery giggles.

Shit. I’ve been on the receiving end of that same sweet giggle, and I don’t like Ryder being the recipient of it. I ignore the pang of jealousy in my chest and order a beer from the waitress as she sets glasses of wine in front of Avery and Nora.

“A woman as beautiful as you doesn’t need my charm to stroke her ego.”

“I’m going to vomit in my mouth if you don’t shut up and take a seat.”

“What he said.” Trey squeezes Ryder’s shoulder and roughly steers him to the seat on the other side of me.

I’m sure Trey shoved him there so he couldn’t stare at Avery from the opposite side of the table, for which I’m eternally grateful.

Nora has Avery’s attention while the guys and I talk football and wager on who will end up in the Superbowl.

Ryder rests an elbow on the table and looks past me to my left, at Avery. “With those long legs of yours, you must have played a lot of sports in school, or at least run cross country.”

I feel Avery’s right breast push against my arm as she leans across me. “I played basketball and ran track.”

“If you ever want to go one-on-one...”

“Shut it, Benton.” Trey tips back his beer.

“Lighten up, Trey. Ryder’s just being his usual flirtatious self.” Avery doesn’t back away and continues to rub her breast against me.

I grind my molars together and stare across the table at Drake, trying to pretend my dick isn’t straining against my jeans.

“I don’t need him being his jackass self to my sister.”

“Avery doesn’t think I’m a jackass, do you?” Ryder reaches across me and strokes the back of her hand with his fingers.

I’m about to haul him off her when I feel Trey’s foot swing out and nail Ryder in the shin. He got a piece of me as well.

“Lighten up, Bax,” Ryder chuckles and pulls back.

Avery leans in closer and stretches her hand out to pat Ryder on the arm. I’m almost certain she’s rubbing against me intentionally. I can see the gleam in her eye from my peripheral vision, and I’m still too scared to make eye contact with her.

Drake, Nora, and Trey can’t take their eyes off the scene between Avery and Ryder, while I’m stuck in the middle, pretending I’m annoyed at the flirting on either side of me and not one hundred percent jealous.

And turned on.

Finally, Avery pulls away and sits back in her seat, chatting away with Nora. It’s harder for Ryder to have a conversation with me in the middle, for which I —and Trey, it seems—am extremely grateful.

Somehow, I manage through dinner, despite Avery’s—no doubt—intentional bumps with her elbow, and brush of her thigh against mine. When the waitress comes back at the end of the meal and asks if we want our checks split up, Drake empties the breadbasket and holds it out for us.

“One check is fine.” We take our credit cards out and toss them in the basket. Drake holds it out for the waitress. “You can pick which card to put it on.”

“Wait. Put mine in.” Avery turns to get her purse on the back of her chair, and for the first time all night, I initiate contact.

I put my hand on her upper arm to still her. “House rules. You don’t put your card in on your first meal.”

It isn’t a rule, but the guys won’t argue with me on it.

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