Quailing, Armie asked, “They’re still here?”
“Five or six of them.” Leese quirked a brow. “Seems your fan club wants to intrude into the rec center now that a camera is involved.”
“Shit.”
With great pleasure, Leese said, “I heard one of them say you were into bondage, but another argued it was threesomes.”
“Who?”
“Blonde, dark eyes. Likes to talk loud.” Mocking her, Leese said, “He’s totally into ménage à trois,” in a ridiculously female voice. “Know her?”
“Yeah, that might be Liv.”
“Might be? How many threesomes have you had?”
Armie pulled on a shirt that said: Sex Instructor. First lesson free.
“That’s not going to help,” Leese pointed out.
“I’ll zip up my sweatshirt.”
“Yeah, that’ll fix everything.”
Tired of being needled, Armie rounded on him. “Do you want to live in her place or not?”
Leese took his time before giving a shrug and saying, “Sure. It’s nice, and if it’s the same as what Cherry paid, it’s plenty affordable. But isn’t that Rissy’s decision to make?”
“I’ll talk to her about it.” After he got her to cool down. Then he’d clear it with Cannon, too. With his sweatshirt zipped up to his chin and his gym bag slung over his shoulder, Armie headed out with Leese. Rissy stood across the room, arms folded tightly, eyes narrowed. Pissed. And no wonder.
The other women remained, too, and they’d obviously been watching for him. Worse, the cameraman had hung around, as had the dude with the nosy questions, no doubt hoping for some extra footage.
The second she spotted him, Kizzie pounced, cutting him off halfway to Rissy.
Walking her fingers up his chest, she purred—like literally purred—as she lowered the sweatshirt zipper. “You haven’t answered my calls.”
Normally, with Kizzie, that particular tone was invitation enough. But that was before he’d hooked up with Rissy. Now Kizzie, and pretty much every casual hookup, just felt smothering.
Armie caught her wandering hand. “Nope, I haven’t.”
“Love the shirt.” She lowered her lashes. “I’ll take a lesson.”
It wasn’t easy not to grin at her outrageous comment. “You’ve had all the lessons you’re going to get.” He tried to step around her, but she hugged up to his arm, so he stopped rather than drag her along. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Kizzie, honey, you’re a smart girl. You know this isn’t happening.”
“But I already promised you.”
Armie sighed. “Promised me for what?”
“My girlfriend had a bad breakup and I told her I knew just how to make her feel better.”
The grin won out. “Me?”
“You do have a way of making a woman blissfully happy.”
“Kizzie—”
Leese gave him a shove, almost knocking him off his feet since he hadn’t been prepared for it. Hell, he’d forgotten Leese was even with him.
Kizzie went wide-eyed in disbelief.
Slowly, Armie turned to his friend. “I wasn’t backsliding, damn it. I was just about to explain.”
“I couldn’t tell for sure,” Leese said with a shrug. “But either way, your time is up.”
Armie didn’t understand until suddenly Rissy was there glaring at him—and thanks to her height, it was a direct hit, her gaze to his. Now what? Kizzie sized her up and smirked. “Don’t tell me this is the reason you’re turning me down?”
Eyes mean and mouth firm, Rissy stared down at the smaller woman—specifically, the way she had her boobs all squashed up to his arm.
“Oh, uh...” Changing her tune, Kizzie rapidly disengaged, which made Leese laugh.
She pivoted her ire to him, looked him over and apparently changed her mind yet again. “Hi,” she said, purring once more.
Leese grinned. “Hi, yourself.”
Rissy rolled her eyes.
Not being a complete idiot, Armie slipped his arm around her and drew her into his side. “I was just coming to get you.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice clipped. “That’s exactly how it looked.”
“One second, okay?” He didn’t turn her loose, but he did lean in to whisper in Leese’s ear.
Kizzie smiled slyly as he did so.
“Got it?” Armie asked.
Leese’s brows went up. “Seriously? You did that?”
“I’m not shy. If you are, run now.”
Gaze glued to Kizzie, Leese said, “No, I’m far from shy.”
Satisfied, Armie said, “Leese, meet Kizzie. Kizzie, meet Leese.” He gestured between them, making a sign of the cross, and waved. “With my blessing.”
Rissy still wasn’t amused. “What in the wor—”
He kissed her. Not because the interviewer watched, even though they had the camera aimed at him and gossip would abound. He kissed her because he had to. Because after all of that, he’d needed the feel of her mouth under his.
Against her lips, he whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”
Appearing a little dazed, she nodded. Armie loved that, how low drama she was, how she could shift from pissed to agreeable without a lot of fuss.
There’d be speculation galore after his public display, but what did it matter? His only real regret was that Rissy, who was so very special, might get lumped in with the other women, who’d been only casual hookups content to have sex, and only sex, from him.
Crisp evening air washed over them as they left the rec center. Armie realized that now, everything he did was different because he did it with her. He wasn’t just leaving the gym for the night; he was heading home with Rissy—to conversation and companionship, things he’d never really valued with a woman until now. Sex. That’s all he’d wanted—all he’d taken and all he’d given.
But with Rissy, he wanted so damn much he couldn’t measure it.
Rissy laced her fingers in his and snuggled closer to his side, much like Kizzie had but with an entirely different result. “Cold?”
She shook her head, too quiet, maybe even pensive.
Armie hated that they were in separate cars, but he’d follow her to ensure she got there safely.
To his apartment, instead of her house.
That was a situation they’d eventually have to resolve. Logically, it didn’t make sense for them to continue sharing the minimal space of his apartment. But for now—
“So.” She looked up at him, and he saw the banked annoyance still simmering in her beautiful blue eyes. “Want to tell me what that was with the girl?”
“Which part?”
She stopped cold and stared at him. “How about all of it?”
Why not? Without bothering to pretty it up, he said, “I used to bang Kizzie and whichever of her friends she dragged around. I don’t anymore, but I guess she forgot that. Or maybe she didn’t care because she wanted a chance at getting on camera. People are funny about stuff like that.”
Incredulous at his outpouring, Rissy blinked at him.
“I tried to warn Leese because Kizzie has some weird preferences not suited to everyone.”