Page 95 of Kept

My head twists. “You can do that?”

I always loop it around my waist, but Ryder nods. “When I was working in some of the clubs, I used to do the girls' hair sometimes, when they were in a rush. Got pretty good at it too.”

I stay silent for a few minutes as he works, forcing down the yawning pit of envy that’s opened up in my stomach.

Don’t be stupid, I tell myself firmly. Ryder hated that time. I know that.

It takes him a while to work though, but he finally sets his hand on my shoulders and turns me towards the mirror. “What do you think?”

My hand raises up, tracing the layers he’s woven into my braid, layer upon layer of hair that runs down my back and ends just below my thighs. “Wow. You weren’t kidding.”

“I have magic hands.” Yawning, he throws himself down onto my bed, propping his head on his hand. “Time to get dressed, princess. The others will be waiting for us.”

“Right.” I move over to the closet, pulling it open and inspecting the contents like the right outfit is magically going to appear. I pull out the gold sequin top, since Ryder mentioned it earlier. And then… I stare at the rest.

Warm hands slide around my waist, and I jump. “Need some help?” Ryder murmurs, and I nod.

“I feel very underprepared for this,” I admit. He leans in, pulling open a drawer and fishing around until he pulls out some underwear.

“Pop these on,” he tells me, pointing to the top. “That goes over the top. I’ll find you shoes.”

I stare down at the very small piece of material. “What about the bottom?”

I swear he hides a smile as he kneels down, inspecting the shoes they ordered for me. “That’s a dress, princess.”

My eyes widen. “This isnota dress.”

Despite my misgivings, I duck into the bathroom. I’m still awkward about changing in front of Ryder, even though he’s seen every part of me.

When I look in the mirror, my cheeks flush a deep red. He’s going to be seeing most of me tonight too, judging by the length of this top.

“This is definitely not a dress,” I announce, stepping out of the bathroom. Ryder makes a choking sound, and I watch with interest as the tips of his ears turn red.

“My mistake,” he says quickly. “Here, I’ll find you something else.”

He throws himself into the closet. “Maybe a snowsuit,” he mutters.

I glance down at the length of leg on show. Maybe I should wear this. I want to see if Enzo and Maverick look at me the same way Ryder did.

“Actually, I like this one,” I announce. “What shoes should I wear?”

Ryder groans. “Princess.”

“Ryder,” I say, mimicking him. “Come on. I don’t want to be late.”

He reappears, looking flustered with a pair of gold strappy shoes in his hands. “Sandals,” he says, passing them over. “I don’t think you’re quite ready for heels yet.”

As I bend over to slip them on and tie the long ribbons around my legs, I think I hear a groan, and I bite my lip in a smile.

This is going to be fun.

35 – Ryder

Enzoisstillstewingas we pull up to the club. His hand flexes on Zella’s thigh, and she gives him alook.

It’s not a look I’ve seen from her before. Half pissed, half flirtatious.

“It’s a dress,” she tells him patiently for the fiftieth time since we dragged him out of the house, and he snarls.

---