“I’m sure they are thinking a lot.”

“And you don’t care? They know this isn’t real.”

“I don’t think you understand how little I care about what other people think. Call me self-centered, but I don’t spend my days thinking about how other people see me. You shouldn’t either. Obviously, I care about what my friends think to some extent, but what I do is none of their business. And when you leave with me tonight, that is none of their business, and when you spend the night at my place, that is still none of their business. I don’t know why you think everything and anything needs to not only be on display, but talked about to everyone. That is not how I do things.”

“I guess with Dean, it had to be. He told his friends every detail, shared every intimate thing he could, and then it was just ammunition to use against me when they needed it.” I looked at the fire, and then back at him, my eyebrows furrowing hard. “Did you say I’m staying at your apartment tonight?”

“Yeah? I wasn’t planning on bringing you back to your dad’s after you’ve been drinking. I assumed that was obvious.”

“I mean, I would prefer not to because he’s like a drug-sniffing dog if I have alcohol on my breath, but I didn’t actually think you would want me to stay over.”

“I don’t really care. I have a couch to sleep on or a big enough bed,” he said, the words a normal conversation for him, but it made my stomach flip.

It wasn’t like I went to bed with a lot of people, but I didn’t usually go to bed with guys who seemed so uninterested in me.

“If you want to leave now instead, I can take you home.”

“No, I’m alright. I would rather stay.”

“Whatever you want. I’m just saying be yourself and do whatever the fuck you want to do when you’re with me. No judgment, no anger over it, nothing.”

“Interesting. If that’s the case, I would like another drink,” I said with a smile. He laughed, the deep sound hitting me again and making a shiver run down my spine.

I went to stand, but he pulled me back down, his fingers clamped down on my wrist.

“Ransom, toss me a drink,” he said.

Everyone froze, turning to us and looking at Kye’s hand holding onto me and pulling me back down.

They didn’t say a word, their eyes locked on us, until Kye finally dropped my wrist.

“The drink?” he asked, nodding to Ransom.

They all snapped out of it, going back to their conversations, but still glancing our way.

So much for doing what I wanted. If they thought Kye touching my wrist made them freak out like that, I was pretty sure crawling into his lap to kiss him again was off-limits.

The ride to his apartment wasn’t far, and I was surprised when we pulled up to a four-story brick building.

“Isn’t this the old firehouse?” I asked.

“Yeah. It was a long time ago. We converted the entire place into apartments for all of us.”

“Oh. How did I not know that?”

“I mean, it’s not a secret, but I don’t exactly go around telling people where we all live. I think you can imagine why after the other night.”

“I guess that does make sense,” I said, watching as a garage door opened and he pulled inside.

My stomach clenched, nervous about walking into Kye’s apartment. I wasn’t sure what to expect from what the place looked like, and I definitely wasn’t sure what to expect from him still.

We got out, and I turned to the door.

“Not that one,” he said, his hand moving to my lower back. His fingers pressed against me, turning me to the door on the left. I sucked in a breath, holding it until his hand fell away.

One touch on my lower back and I was ready to throw myself at him again.

We made it up the three flights to his apartment, and he waved me inside, shutting the door and immediately started to throw his stuff on the counter.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“Yes, some water would be great. I don’t drink a lot, so even those three cocktails have me preparing for a hangover.”

He handed me a cup and headed to the bathroom as he pulled off his shoes and shirt.

“Get comfortable however you want. TV, remote, food, bed.” He pointed out each item as though I couldn’t find a TV or fridge in a studio apartment.

I sat back on the bed, looking around. It was all dark. The walls painted a deep blue and nothing bright laying anywhere, but it was comfortable. It was like a little cave, the dark, soft blankets only making it cozier.

“I like your apartment. Even if the only decorations seem to be trophies and pictures of car things.”

I heard the shower turn on, surprised that the door was still partially open. He seemed to hesitate about everything sexual, and I wasn’t sure if this was some sort of invitation from him.

“I don’t really need to decorate more. What am I going to get? Those little signs with sayings on them, throw pillows? I don’t need any of that stuff. I want my bed, a comfortable couch, a nice TV, and enough food to not go hungry,” he said, walking out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Wow, I’m getting the picture come to life,” I said. He flashed a smile and then it really was the picture come to life, down to the dimples that seemed to emerge when he was really smiling.

And it was so much better in person.

“Daze,” he said, stopping me as I headed into the bathroom. “Here.” He threw me a t-shirt. “It should cover everything for you.”

“Oh, thanks.” I went in, cleaning up and changing before coming out to a dark room, the TV on and lighting everything up enough to see.

Kye was already in bed, one arm stretched behind him as he clicked through what to watch.

“Are you naked?”

He jumped, seemingly not hearing me come out.

“Completely.”

“Are you⁠—”

“Kidding? Yes.” He pulled back the covers, revealing shorts on but no shirt.

“Oh, okay.”