the middle. Her arms went around his neck, he embraced her back tightly, and then he turned, spinning her around in excitement. A smile had taken over her face, and all of the problems vanished in that instant. This wasn't weird. It wasn't awkward or confusing at all.
Until he put her feet on the ground and pressed his lips against hers. For a split second, she froze, and then just went with it. Rhaven leaned in. Psyc's hand cupped the side of her face. There, right in front of everyone - including Braden - she kissed him the way she'd wanted to before he left last time. Their tongues touched, swirled, and then retreated, only to do it again.
And with every pass of their mouths, he relaxed into her. Rhaven pressed her hand to his chest, able to feel his pulse speeding up against her palm, but it didn't matter. He tasted like coffee and smelled like sage and teak. Clean, pure, and so very different from Braden. The chemistry between them was still right there, only fueled by their last convention together and so many months apart. She wanted to kiss him again, to feel this man's hands roam a little, and to apologize for the way they'd left things last time.
And then someone giggled.
Rhaven jerked back, turning to look at Braden when she realized what she'd just done. He stood there behind them both with his arms crossed, but the expression on his face wasn't anger. He was watching Psyc with the stoniest face she'd ever seen, as if he was honestly not sure what to do.
Beside her, Psyc groaned. "That was not what I'd planned," he grumbled.
"So," Braden said, stepping closer. Jason moved away from the front desk to intercept, but Braden just lifted a hand, begging him to wait. "You going to give me the same kind of greeting, Psyc?"
"Fuck, Braden," Psyc muttered, "I'm out of line."
Braden just pushed between Rhaven and Psyc, then leaned in. "What? No kiss? Thought we had a thing."
Before his words could even register in Rhaven's mind, Braden leaned in and planted a peck right on Psyc's cheek. Psyc braced, Jason twitched as if ready to move in, and Zara laughed before turning to the front desk.
"So, um, we're going to need one of those two-room suites for Rhaven Moore, Braden Mathis, and..." She sighed. "Do you have a Psyc or a PsychoCut on the list?"
"Josiah Bachmeier," Jason said.
Psyc leaned his head back and groaned. It seemed he was getting a little louder with each one. "Cyn? Can you kill me real fast? Put me out of my misery?"
"No misery," Braden promised, catching Rhaven's side to pull her beside them both. "Take the room, Psyc. We can sort our shit out behind closed doors."
"Only if Rhaven's ok with it," he said, looking at her.
She looked at Braden. "This is a bad idea, isn't it?"
"It's kinda like a convention. I mean, an extended one. Besides, I like the idea of more eyes on you." Braden leaned a little closer and dropped his voice. "You were third on that list, Rhave. Third, right behind Zara and Dez. How about I put my jealousy aside and worry about your life first, hm?"
"I'm good with that excuse," Psyc said.
"I feel guilty," Rhaven admitted.
Braden dragged the backs of his knuckles across her cheek. "Want to compare numbers? Yes, I mean that number. Pretty sure we're all good. Baby, I'm not looking to be the first. I'm wanting to be the last, ok? Just go with it, enjoy it, and accept that there are going to be a few good things in this insane week we've got planned. I swear I'll deal with anything if it means you can be happy."
So she looked at Psyc, aware that his deep, dark, green eyes were waiting for the rejection. "Ok," she said softly. "If for no other reason than because we do need to talk this out, and I have missed you, Psyc."
Braden popped Psyc's shoulder. "You still owe me a kiss."
Psyc ducked his head and laughed, but Rhaven was mortified inside. She couldn't believe she'd done that, let alone in front of Cyn and Zara! This was supposed to be their weekend. So, hoping to undo a little of the damage, she headed over to the front desk where Zara was setting things up as if this was the most fun she'd had in days.