Page 109 of Hat Trick

“None.”

“The second one of us starts to?—”

“Stop talking.” Riley lifts me off the counter, careful to put a hand behind my head so I don’t knock my skull against the cabinet. “You don’t want me to fall in love with you. No lovey dovey shit. We’ll fuck, and you’ll leave. I got it.”

He walks down the hall, his pace slow. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, only that we’re doing this.

Again.

And I’m really fucking excited about it.

“I know you told me to stop talking, but should you be carrying me?” I ask. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine. It’s a short walk, and throwing you over my shoulder is way more dramatic than making you do it by yourself.”

I laugh. Riley pushes the door to his room open. He walks me to the bed and sets me on the mattress. As soon as he does, unexpected nerves hit me square in the chest. The last time we did this, we were in a hotel room. An unfamiliar place where we could pretend like we didn’t have an attachment to one another.

Now I glance around and see pieces of him everywhere I look: a jersey over the back of the chair at his desk by the window, a second pair of glasses on his nightstand, his phone plugged into a charger.

“Are you okay?” he asks, and I nod.

“Yeah.” I point to the bottom of the dresser, heart thundering. “I want you to use those ropes on me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“You said you’ve never used them before?” He opens the drawer and pulls out the long ropes I held earlier. “Have you ever researched Shibari?”

“Once or twice,” I admit.

“It focuses on friction and wraps instead of knots. The rope is made of jute.” Riley holds out the rope for me to touch, and I run my fingers along the natural fiber. “The middle point is called the bight.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Anything.”

“With this… are you into the BDSM lifestyle?”

“No. Not my thing. I like being in control, but I don’t like dominating or denying. I like for things in the bedroom to be, ah, collaborative? And I like being told what to do too.”

“Okay.” I nod, and he takes the ropes back. “Can I get out of it if I don’t like it?”

“Absolutely. And I have safety shears.”

“I don’t want my whole body tied up. Only my wrists. Is that okay?”

“Lexi.” Riley grimaces when he lowers himself to the floor and kneels between my legs. “None of this is a requirement. I don’t want to use bondage every time, if we’re being honest. Occasionally is more than enough for me. Not even frequently. Like I mentioned before, I get off great without it. Better than. You made me finish with yourmouth,and I’ve been thinking about it every day since. Ropes are a bonus. Something fun to add every now and then.”

“You’ve been thinking about it?”

“More than I’m allowed to admit.” He cups my cheek, thumb stroking along the curve of my jaw. “Don’t worry. I’m not in love with you. I’m playing by the rules.”

“Shut up,” I murmur, tugging on his hair and bending my neck so I can kiss him. “Speaking of mouths, I don’t like when my friends with benefits use their mouths to talk.”

“What do you want me to use it for?”

I grab the hem of my shirt and tug it over my head. I unhook my bra, smiling when Riley groans and rests his forehead against my collarbone, a mumbledfucktumbling out of him. I’ve always been proud of my body, but hearing his reaction strikes a match inside me.

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