Page 29 of More Than a Spark

“Yeah, sure.” I brushed by him and fell into one end of the couch. Ryder looked scared. Why would he be scared? “How was your training at the academy?” Maybe it would help if we caught up first. Neither one of us had texted all week. Neither one of us probably knew what to say.

“It was fine. Demanding, but I learned a lot about acid spills.” Ryder sank into the couch, maybe a foot away from me, and planted his elbows on his knees. “Listen, I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you this and just now, Silas told me to quit being a pussy and just say it.” He choked out a small laugh.

“Sounds like Silas.” Finally, I’d know what everyone else seemed to already know. I snuck a glance at him. Apparently, he’d had a talk with Silas while he waited for me. Not that I was surprised.

His fingers trembled and he twined them together.

“Ryder, whatever this is, I’ll still be here for you. We’ll still be best friends, okay?” I shifted closer to him and rested my hand on his shoulder, my chest aching for him.

“Milo, a few weeks ago, I hooked up with a guy I worked with. Another firefighter.” He winced as he fixated on me.

My heart thumped hard for a second and my breath caught. “You did what?” I grabbed at my chest and hopped up from the couch, then paced behind it. Was he trying to tell me he had a fucking boyfriend up in Flag? I shook my head, saying, “No, no, no, no…” If he had a boyfriend, it should beme.

“Milo, I think I’m queer. Bisexual, actually.” His gaze chased me as I stalked back and forth.

I halted and threw my arms at my sides. No wonder he didn’t want to hit on Simone. In a croak, I asked, “Do you have a boyfriend?” My lips bowed down and my chest heaved. This wasn’t fair. I was the one who’d loved him forever. Me. My eyes stung.

“No, we just hooked up.” With his forehead creasing, he patted the cushion next to him. “Milo, please sit down. Talk to me.”

I blinked, then stared at him. No boyfriend. Good. I took careful steps to the couch, then sat beside him again. I needed to listen to him and stop assuming stupid shit. “I’m sorry, Ryder. I-I thought you were telling me…” I shook my head, then pressed the heel of my palm to my forehead. “Nothing.”

He shimmied closer to me and leaned in, then grabbed my hand and held it on my thigh. “Milo, I pretty much lost my shit on Friday night after seeing you with Archer. That’s how I knew, how I know the thing I had with Tate wasn’t just being bi-curious.”

My gaze crept to his. He’d been doing some Googling, using terms like that. Or maybe he’d been talking more with Gabe and Jeremy this week than I’d known about. “Okay, so you’re coming out to me as bisexual.”

“I am.” His gaze fell to our hands, and he skimmed his thumb over my knuckles. “How are things with you and Archer? Are you going to date him some more?”

“I don’t think so.” I drew a slow, deep breath. Why was he so concerned about Archer? Fuck, did he like Archer? A pit formed in my stomach. No fucking way. Archer had kept telling me what a great guy Ryder was on Friday night. Had the two of them made a connection while they were sitting at the bar, watching me play? With my voice cracking, I said, “I told you I wasn’t feeling it with him, and we didn’t hook up Friday night.”

“Well, if you’re free to date, would you date me?” As Ryder’s brows lifted, he chewed his lower lip.

I dropped my mouth open, my gaze darting over his gorgeous face. Was he? Did he? “Fuck yes, I will.” Was this really happening right now, or had I fallen asleep at my desk at work?

“Y-you will?” Ryder’s lips twitched at the corners and his eyes glistened.

“He said yes, for fuck sakes. Would you two hug it out already?” Peeking out from the hallway, Silas chortled and rolled his eyes. “How about a kiss?”

“Get out of here, Silas!” I snatched a throw pillow from behind my back and chucked it at him.

The pillow ricocheted off the corner of the wall and bounced under the front window.

“Jesus, dude, almost hit me in the face.” With a scoff, Silas disappeared down the hallway.

I tutted. “God, he’s such a?—”

Ryder grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in, his mouth slanting over mine and his tongue sliding along the seam of my lips.

As heat tingled over my skin, I parted my mouth and tangled my tongue with his in hungry kisses. My heart flooded with emotion and my jeans grew tight. He tasted sweet with a hint of pine, as if the woods up in Flag had somehow become a part of him.

As he floated a soft moan into our kisses, he squirmed and shifted closer, his thigh touching mine. Breaking the kisses, he said, “Shit, I’ve wanted to do that since Friday night.” He pressed his forehead to mine.

“You have?” I gulped hard, my gaze searching his face. Should I tell him the truth about my feelings? No, that should wait. “I had no idea.” Oh, the stupid things I’d been worried about. Remy had realized he was bi with Axel and even Jeremy had done that with Gabe. Why had I thought I didn’t stand a chance with Ryder? But, our friendship. “We need to talk about how this is going to work.”

“I know.” He freed me, then edged in next to me and flung his muscled arm around my shoulders. “Come here.” He pulled me into his side.

As I rested my head on his shoulder, he placed his cheek on the side of my head. This wasn’t very different from how we’d been before. We’d always been affectionate with each other. But it felt so much better now.

He curled his finger in a lock of my hair. “We have to be open, and honest with each other. We can’t let this stop us from being best friends.” He kissed my hair. “I can’t lose my best friend and I’ve heard something about best friends making great romantic partners.”

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