Addicted After All(65)

Connor rubs his bottom lip with his thumb, winks at me and then spins to Ryke. “We’re even.”

Ryke nods, his brows raised in surprise.

“Did anyone else think that was hot?” Daisy says with a loopy smile, past tipsy.

“It was okay,” Rose says flatly, which prompts Connor to study her with intrigue. I expected her to charge at me or him—since she hates me and she loves him and we just kissed.

But she doesn’t care. I can’t wrap my head around those two most of the time.

“Waitwaitwait,” Lily slurs, and alarm shoots into me. My attention diverts to Lil, her fingers still shielding her eyes. “How hot was it? I need to know this!” My shoulders drop in relief that she’s okay.

“A solid eight,” Daisy declares, though she is staring only at Ryke right now. They’re giving f*ck me eyes to each other. This is all wrong. “It’s masturbation worthy.”

I grimace. “Stop.”

“You’re stroking Connor’s ego,” Rose tells her sister.

Lily is another color entirely—solid red. Stroking. I’m cringing more now than I was during the damn thing.

“All of my sexual encounters are masturbation worthy,” Connor says. “This is nothing new.” He does, literally, have millions of people jacking off to his sex tapes with his wife.

I slow clap and Ryke joins in.

Connor smiles more.

The funny thing—other people in the club start clapping too. I can feel my smile. Fans can be really cool, despite a few hecklers here and there.

“An eight,” Lily repeats, astounded. “I can’t believe I missed it.”

I reclaim my seat on the couch. “It wasn’t like that, Lil.”

Poppy adds, “You’ll probably be able to Google it online.”

“She’s not allowed to look at porn,” Rose says.

“This wasn’t porn,” I announce to everyone.

“So I can watch it?” Lily asks, her hands still shielding her face. She’s picturing it right now. Probably further than anything that actually transpired. “Was their tongue?” she whispers to me, confirming my suspicions.

“No to both.” I pull Lil’s palm away from her eyes. And her gaze darts to my lips, as though imagining them against one of my best friend’s. It’s not a fantasy I want imbedded in her brain.

Connor sits beside Rose, and he kisses her forehead. She seems at ease.

Everyone does.

How could that break the tension in our group? Strain that I accidentally built from a dare.

And then Connor’s deep blue eyes meet mine, and he smiles at me, a genuine one that he only reserves for friends.

He can slice through arguments, lower boiling points and keep our friendship intact, not even remotely awkward after we just kissed.

And he’s a part of my life.

Thank God.

Or rather, thank him. Yeah, I smile, he’d want me to rephrase that.





{ 19 }

LILY CALLOWAY



After the nightclub, we amble along the sidewalk, heading towards the dock so we can return to the yacht. “Spill,” Rose says to Daisy, who is being supported mostly by me and Poppy, our arms around our little sister’s waist.

Rose wants details about the sexual escapade that the guys knew before us. I kinda want more info too. All things involving blow jobs interest me, maybe a little too much.

Instead of answering, Daisy dodges Rose’s request and inhales like she’s breathing in tonight’s full moon and glittering stars. She raises her fists sloppily into the air and shouts, “HELLO, MEXICO!”

The four guys, sauntering twenty feet ahead of us, all turn their heads in unison. Damn. That was sexy. I can admit that without flushing, right?

I check my arms.

Nope. Still red.

Ryke is the only one who remains spun around. He rotates fully, walking backwards with an aluminum-foiled taco in hand. Most of the guys are eating them after we passed a food stand. I chose to go with dessert and eat a churro as a late-night snack.

Daisy focuses on her boyfriend and almost trips over her feet.

“Watch it, Calloway,” he tells her.

“You watch it,” she says, her retort not as good with her drunken state. Poppy and I hold her firmly to our sides.

“I am watching it,” Ryke says, his eyes right on hers, “and she looks like a hot f*cking mess.”