Thrive (Addicted, #4)(47)

“I know I don’t fit into this.” Lo motions towards the ballroom and the fancy decorations: gold-leafed lilies, daisies and roses as high-table centerpieces. “But you stick out even worse than me.”

“It’s true,” I nod.

Ryke extends his arms. “I’ve been to events like this one before. I’ve told you both that.” Plus he attended Fizzle’s soda unveiling with me about a year ago. It was just as glamorous.

“You look kind of angry,” I add and scrunch my nose to illustrate.

Ryke frowns. “Are you constipated?”

“No.” I relax my face.

“Then what the fuck are you doing?”

He’s so mean. “Exactly,” I say, not making much sense. But he demonstrated how rough around the edges he really is.

I don’t think anyone has approached him this whole time.

“People don’t have to like me,” Ryke tells us. “I am who I fucking am.”

Lo takes a swig of his drink and pats Ryke’s back with more affection than dry humor. “I guess we’ll find out how well people like you after the show airs.” Then he turns and snatches one of my meatballs by the toothpick.

“How was that thievery for you?” I ask him.

He washes the food down with his soda. “Illicit,” he says with the wag of his brows. I punch his arm and he actually winces. For real this time. “Jesus Christ.”

“I’ve been lifting weights, remember?” I flex to show him my bicep muscle (still tiny, but a bigger tiny than before). The cameras go wild behind me, flashing crazily, and I immediately drop my arm and roast.

“You mean that dinky weight that Ryke bought you?” Lo asks.

Ryke no longer pays attention to us. He focuses on Daisy across the room, who’s being chatted to death by our mom. I should go rescue her…but a run-in with my mom—who acts like I’m a daughter, twice removed—is not high on my list of things I want to do.

Lo waves his hand in both of our faces and we sufficiently face him instead of the gathering crowds. “Maybe we should just bail?” Lo tugs at his collar. He has a point. We’re standing in the loser’s corner with slightly sullen faces, despite a good laugh here or there. And I’ve only thought about bathroom sex once.

Definitely a success on that count.

“Fine with me,” Ryke says.

“No,” I end up declaring, surprising even myself.

Both Ryke and Lo stare down at me like I’ve grown a unicorn horn.

“Rose needs us,” I explain. Across the ballroom, my sister stands next to Connor while he schmoozes some business people. This show is for her, mostly. A little for Fizzle’s reputation. But we’re all here and participating so Calloway Couture will survive the blowback of my sex scandal.

Lo hugs me to his chest like I said some magic words. My dirty plate almost smashes between our bodies, but Ryke swiftly steals it from my hands.

He has quick reflexes.

And then the countdown appears on all the television screens. The boisterous talk dies to soft murmurs.

“I can’t look,” I whisper, my hands flying to my face. Lo keeps his arm around my shoulders. Five seconds.

“No matter what happens,” Lo says, his lips brushing my ear, “I’ll always be here, Lil.”

I’ll always be here.

I inhale.

I think I’m ready to watch myself. Even if I turn out to be one insatiable fool.





{ 20 }

0 years : 06 months

February





LOREN HALE


As the reality show continues, I’m more and more surprised that they’re focusing on the romance aspect of my relationship with Lily, not just making out, but real stuff where I talk about how she’s never cheated on me. Where she says that she loves me more than anyone.

Next to us, Ryke, Rose, Connor and even Daisy didn’t seem that shocked by the good light we’ve been put in. I’m not counting on it to last the whole hour.

“You sure you want to stay for the rest?” I ask Lily who holds my hand.

“Positive,” she says, taking a deep breath.

“Okay.”

Not long after, a montage airs. It takes me a few seconds to discern that they’re all moments where Lily was at the townhouse. Alone.

Lily squirms on the leather couch. And then her hand lowers towards her jeans. She retracts quickly and then checks over her shoulder.

She looks straight into the lens, at the viewers, and stuffs a pillow in her face.

The bottom of my stomach falls.

I didn’t realize…it’s been that hard for her while I’m at my office during the day. “Lil,” I whisper. She drops my hand, her palms pressed to her face. I’m not sure if she’s even watching through her fingers anymore.

Lily lies on the couch, her laptop on her legs. She looks around and then shuts her computer. Her hand descends towards her jeans but remains on top of the fabric.

She reaches the place between her thighs.

Lily almost crumbles in front of me. Christ. I lean down and whisper in her ear. “It’s okay.”

She shakes her head, trembling.

My whole body tightens—my muscles on fire. I speak quickly, words gushing out of me. “You did fine, Lil. You didn’t break any rules. You didn’t do anything that we haven’t done together. You stopped yourself.” I hope that this’ll relieve the pain in her chest, the nearly unbearable kind that slams into me like a thirty-foot wave.