Page 115 of Champagne Fizz

“Why the hell would you two not be happening?” Connor pries. “That girl is ga-ga over you. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. I mean come on, you’re a popsicle she’s been waiting all summer to pop in her mouth.”

My dick feels that comment, wishing those plush lips of hers were salivating at the chance to lick my stick. Butthat’sthe kind of thinking that got me into trouble in the first place.

Connor’s eyes narrow at me. “Plus, you’re in love with her, so—”

“For the record,” I cut him off. “I never said I was in—”

“For the record,” Connor cuts back, “I was the last asshole who didn’t want to admit he was in love with someone, but it turns out I’m in love with Arie. And when I realized it, it was stupid obvious. So deny your feelings all you want Sherlock, but all the clues are there, even ifyoudon’t want to see them.”

“Well it doesn’t matter, I fucked it up.” I start shucking cans onto the shelf.

“How?”

“That’s the part you’re not allowed to know about!” I hiss, only to find Connor stalking toward me. “Hey man—” I flinch, putting up my hands, afraid he’s going to throw me in another headlock. But Connor doesn’t touch me. Instead, he starts shelving the cans with me, only he’s chosen to be in my personal space as he does it.

“Tell me the parts you’re allowed to tell me then.” He stares me down as he restocks food without even looking.

“You’re not going to let up on this, are you?”

“Call me a romantic.”

“You?”

He gives me a mock-grin. “I guess I’ve become a softie since your best friend decided she wanted to ride my cock every night like I’m the only man in the universe who could get her off.”

“Now you’re bragging.”

“I’m sure Kendall will feel the same way about you after you pop her—”

“That’s not happening.”

“Because you’re a dipshit who doesn’t know how to fill a room with candles and rose petals.”

“Because Kendall can’t handle having actual sex.”

“Cause you’re treating her like a porcelain doll you’re going to break. Newsflash, Simon, women like to fuck.”

“Your version of the world is completely skewed by the fact that Arie is in heat twenty-four hours out of the day.”

“Oh, and she’s a bitch I like to spank,” he says half to rile me up, but half because it’s probably true.

“Right,” I nod, not wanting to argue with him. “And I already took thingstoo far too fastfor Kendall, and that’s the problem!”

“Romance and candles fixes that stuff,” Connor replies. “She just needs to know you aren’t going to ditch her to the curb after she’s let you put your fingers in the candy jar.”

“She knows I’m not going to do that. I like her too much to do that.”

Connor raises an eyebrow and smirks at the way I saidlike. I roll my eyes at him.

“Then clearly you just need to make the girl orgasm,” Connor says, shrugging like this isn’t that complicated. “The second she gets a taste of what she’s missing, she’ll be sitting on your doorstep batting her lashes and asking you to ream her again.”

Oh, the irony.

“That’s not the problem,” I grumble.

“So you’ve made her orgasm?”

I nod.

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