The Hookup Handbook(39)

“You ready to roll?” Ryder asks. “My car’s parked in the turnaround out front, so we should probably get a move on.”

I look out the window and spot Ryder’s car parked in the middle of the turnaround, completely blocking the pick-up lane.

“That’s not cool, Ryd. You better move that or you’re gonna get a ticket.”

Ryder scoffs. “Where was I supposed to park it? Somewhere in that minivan mosh pit? Hell no.”

“The police station is across the street,” I remind him. “And anyone could spot that asshole move from a mile away. You’ve gotta move it.”

“Fine. But get your stuff packed, all right? I think I recognized more than one of those single moms as customers, and I don’t want to stick around and watch them find out they’re Eskimo sisters.”

I don’t know what that means, but something tells me I don’t want to know, either.

He swings the door open, and we all go slack-jawed at the pink tulle nightmare unfolding before us. I watch a ballet slipper fly through the air like a bottle rocket and hit an innocent mom square in the head. Who knew costume day could be such a war zone?

Despite his lack of religious affiliation, Ryder does the sign of the cross before launching himself into the crowd, pulling the door closed behind him. The instant the door clicks shut, Case opens his mouth for the first time since the two of them arrived.

“I see you got new tights.”

His smug tone is like a bolt of lightning down my spine.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ryder told you, we’re getting beers. Catching up.”

“You could’ve met him at the bar,” I point out, busying myself with my usual end-of-class duties. Shut off the stereo, fill out the attendance sheet, all the normal stuff, with the brand-new addition of “try not to look at your boss’s dick.”

“What, do you not want to see me?” Case’s voice is suddenly a little guarded, almost defensive.

“Not in front of my brother. Not after the way you were practically undressing me with your eyes at dinner the other night.”

He shrugs, not denying my accusation in the least. “Well, either way, I wanted to see you.”

“What for?”

“What do you mean, what for?” He moves closer until I can feel his body heat. “You know exactly what I want. I want to fuck you again, Sienna.”

His rich, deep voice washes over me, and a restless flutter builds in my chest. “What about your one-time rule?”

Case smirks. “I made the rule. It’s mine to break, if I want to. And I do want to. That is, if you’ll let me.”

The door flings back open and Ryder ducks in, this time with messier hair and panic in his eyes. “I think one of them recognized me. We gotta get the hell out of here.”

My gaze flicks to Case, who looks as calm as ever, despite the conversation Ryder just interrupted. I want to check his jeans for any signs of movement, but I don’t dare pull a stunt like that in front of my brother. Instead, I scoop up my dance bag and push the OFF button on the stereo.

“C’mon. There’s a back entrance through the office.”

Ryder scowls at me. “You couldn’t have told me that before I left to move my car?”

“I could’ve.” I snicker, unlocking the office door. “But it was a lot more fun this way.”

The drive back to the apartment isn’t as awkward as I expected—it’s infinitely worse. Ryder insists that Case gets shotgun since they’re dropping me off, meaning I can’t even put Case and his little proposition in the rearview. Luckily, Ryder is completely oblivious, yammering away about how he and Case should go to the recital together.

Great. As if I’m not already stressed enough about this recital, now it will be just another situation where I have to face Case in front of my brother and try not to look like the heart-eyes emoji.

The boys’ conversation shifts toward their drinking plans for the evening, and I tune them out. I can hardly hear them anyway over all the competing thoughts in my head, trying to out-scream one another.

Do I sleep with Case again? Lord knows I want to. But is it really worth the risk? Or have we already risked enough that one more time won’t matter? It’s like I’ve got an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, but I’m not sure which is which.

When Ryder rolls up to the apartment, I swear I’ve got one foot out the car door before he even hits the brakes. He lays on the horn as I take off jogging up the walkway. I manage to catch myself before completely wiping out on an uneven crack in the sidewalk.

“Slow down, idiot,” Ryder yells out the window. “Don’t hurt yourself!”

I look over my shoulder and stick my tongue out at him, like we used to do when we were kids. As Ryder gives me a salute good-bye, Case winks at me. That cocky grin nearly knocks me on my ass.

Don’t hurt myself, huh, Ryder? If he only had a clue.

Inside the apartment, I get a bath going, then swing into the kitchen to pour myself a generous glass of red wine. Between the tutu insanity at the studio and that proposition from Case, I definitely earned this.

When I peel off my leotard and tights, all the stress about the recital goes with them. Still, I don’t feel any lighter. I guess the decision to sleep with Case again is weighing on me more than I’d like to admit.