Looking at Caroline, I might be seeing my future self. Although, I don’t know that I’ll be as lucky to have a husband that loves me the way Ron does her. There’s a high chance kids won’t be in the cards for me either, but unfortunately, I’m an only child with no prospects of nieces and nephews to sublimate my need for a family.
There’s always fostering or adoption, and I’m thankful for those possibilities, but I’m not sure how many adoption agencies are going to pick a single woman over a dual parent household.
“Blue.” Ryan lightly shakes my leg, pulling me out of my trance. “Your marshmallow is black.”
“Oh shit.” I pull it from the flame, blowing out the fire it brought with it. Ryan quietly laughs at me but pulls me in closer at the same time.
Typically, I’m the one to carry the conversation. That’s my self-assigned role in our phony relationship, but I can’t seem to come up with something to talk about after what Caroline said.
Ryan takes the cue. “So, we have Houston tomorrow night. Easton’s been on a roll these past couple of weeks. We should think about double teaming him in the back court. Try to break his rhythm.”
Ethan clears his throat, eyes bouncing from Ryan to Ron in warning.
“What?”
“We talk enough about basketball during the week, don’t you think?” Ron asks. “We like to keep family dinners to that. Family. We came out here to get away from the city. To have a break for the night.”
Ryan stiffens beneath me, and not in the way I want. We’re here, supposedly showing Ron that Ryan cares about more than just the game he lives and breathes. That he understands relationships and camaraderie are what make a great leader, not just the score at the end of a game. And he just walked into basketball talk without realizing.
“Oh,” Ryan hesitates. “I know. I didn’t—”
“I haven’t seen Ryan play in person yet,” I blurt out, hoping to save him.
“What?” Caroline bursts, lightly smacking her husband on the arm. “Ron, did you hear that? Oh my goodness, you have to! He’s so talented.”
“He is amazing,” I agree.
“Are you in town tomorrow night?” Ron asks. “Caroline and I are missing the game. It’s her brother’s birthday. Our seats are yours if you’d like them. Take a couple of friends and enjoy the game.”
“Really? I’d love to. That’s so generous of you.”
“You better dress up!” Annie cuts in. “Courtside at your man’s game. You’ll be photographed for sure.”
“Can you come sit with me?”
“I wish I could, but I’m officially at the stage of Ethan’s career where the girls are going to sleep in our family box by halftime, and I’m trying to stay awake long enough to finish the game.”
“Damn.” Ethan laughs. “I’ve really lost my appeal, huh? Falling asleep watching me play? Don’t let me keep you up, Ann.”
Annie pats Ethan’s chest. “I don’t.”
The energy has shifted once again, and Ryan’s little slip-up is in the past. As chatter continues, I refocus on my s’more, adding twice as much chocolate as I probably should, but needing it to cover up the fact I burnt my marshmallow to shit.
Ryan rests his chin on my shoulder as I sandwich the graham crackers. “Thank you,” he whispers for no one else to hear. “You saved me out there.”
“We’re a team. I’m here to help you out.”
“I like the way that sounds.”
Turning, I smile at him.
“Does that mean the team shares s’mores too?”
I shake my head in disagreement. “They’re reserved for the MVP.” I make a dramatic performance of the giant bite I take right in front of Ryan’s mouth, letting my throat release a low moan in show of how good it is.
“Don’t make those little noises while you’re sitting on my lap.” He grabs my thigh, his lips dangerously close to mine while he speaks. “Otherwise, you’re not going to be able to get up for a while.”
It’s all a show, but goddamn, this version of Ryan is not the same fake boyfriend I went to the fall banquet with. He’s sexy and confident and comfortable out here. I like it far too much.
“You mean you won’t be able to get up for a while.”
“Same thing.”
Turning around in his lap, I swing both of my legs to one side of his, offering him some of my s’more. His lips wrap around it, taking a generous bite, all the while keeping his ocean eyes penetrating mine.
Wow. It feels claustrophobic in this open air.
A bit of marshmallow falls onto his chin, and without thinking, I wipe it off with my thumb. But before I can clean off the mess, he grabs my hand and takes my finger in his mouth to suck off the remnants.
I’m entirely out of breath when the warmth of his tongue swirls and flicks my thumb, very similarly to how I’d imagine he’d swirl and flick something else.
Acting. Fake. Pretend.
He’s getting good at this fake boyfriend thing, and if I don’t keep reminding my romantic heart of exactly what this is, I’m going to be in trouble.
15
RYAN
While Indy is showering inside, I make sure all the canvases are down to cover the glass walls for the night. Needing, at least, to sleep in privacy. The walls are built into an A-frame, the highest point of the ceiling aiming straight to the sky. A separate drawstring is attached to the canvases on the roof, so I test one, tugging to see what happens. The fabric covering one half of the ceiling opens, giving the cabin an open skylight to watch the stars from bed. I do the same to the other half before heading inside and locking the door behind me.
Before I can look up to see the view, I find a much more spectacular one standing naked in the center of the room wearing only a towel and looking up towards the sky.
“Wow,” Indy exhales, her head thrown back. “That’s beautiful.”
I honestly couldn’t care less what’s up north. If she saw how stunning she looked with a light layer of moisture coating her body or the slight flush to her cheeks from her warm shower, she would understand my disinterest in looking away.
“The stars are so bright out here,” she continues. “I never see them in the city.” Brown eyes track me. “Ryan?”
I nod. “Stunning.”
Every fiber in my body wants to close the gap between us and kiss her right now. And if she asked for more than that, I don’t think I’d be able to hold back. It’s a terrifying revelation to have, especially when we’re minutes away from crawling into bed together.
She’s your sister’s best friend. She’s going through a nasty breakup. She’s your roommate, for fuck’s sake.
This room is too fucking small to share with her when she’s naked and smelling clean and tropical from her soap.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Head down, I take two quick steps in that direction, needing to get behind a closed door, only to run into a soaking wet blonde. Our bodies collide, the impact dropping her towel to the floor. I know this because my hands are around her bare back to steady her, and two hard peaks are pressed into my upper stomach.