Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,5

for three months of hell.

As the night carries on, my boys continue to drink, but I switch over to water. It’s go time, so I need to keep my wits about me, keep Miss Stephanie interested. As if she can read my thoughts, she yawns.

“I’m so sorry.” She hides her mouth behind her hands. “I’ve been up since five this morning, and I’m worn out.”

“What do you do?”

“I work in interior design. I had a final staging today for a house we just completed.”

Beautiful and holds down a job. “Let me take you home,” I whisper in her ear.

“I-I . . . um, would love to, but I have to be up again early tomorrow,” she says while looking down at her clasped hands.

“As much as I would love to share your bed with you tonight, that’s not what I meant. You’re tired and have been drinking. Let me drive you home, make sure you make it there safe.”

She hesitates. I’m sure she’s trying to gauge if she can trust me. She looks around at our friends, who are obviously paired up.

“Steph, Mark is coming home with me. You ready to go?” her friend asks. I didn’t bother to try and learn their names.

This could not have worked out better. I brought Mark, her friend brought her. She needs a ride.

“Just a ride,” I whisper against her ear.

She nods. “Ridge said he could take me,” she tells her friend, who is draped over Mark.

Mark grins.

I fight the urge to flip his ass off. Instead, I stand and offer Stephanie my hand. She takes it, any hesitation she may have had now gone. I wave to the table and lead her out to my truck.

Helping her inside, I wait until her seatbelt is on to shut the door, and then stop at the rear of the truck and take a deep breath. She seems chill, but who knows what the next three months will hold. This may be the first bet I ever lose. Shaking my head to remove that thought, I pull up my boxer briefs and make my way to the driver’s side. “So, where are we headed?”

“It’s not far from here, actually.”

I listen as she gives me general directions before pulling out of the lot. “You lived here long?” I ask.

“No. The girls and I just moved here about three months ago. Carla’s parents own the firm we work for. They’ve been planning to expand for a while, so when we all graduated, that’s what they did. The three of us had instant jobs right out of college.”

“That’s a pretty sweet deal.”

“We were lucky, that’s for sure.”

The cab of the truck grows silent. I’m pre-occupied with what I just agreed to and Stephanie . . . well, I’m not sure what’s going through her head right now.

“Second house on the right,” she instructs, breaking the silence.

Pulling into the drive, I put the truck in park but don’t kill the engine.

“Thank you.” She reaches for the door.

Shit! I need to get with the fucking program here.

“Stephanie.” I reach out and grab her arm. “Can I see you again?” My voice is soft; I don’t want to make her think I’m some kind of fucking creeper.

“Yeah, uh, sure.”

“Hand me your phone, darlin.”

She hesitates before pulling it out of her purse and handing it to me. I quickly type in my number and send a text to myself. This act alone is against every rule I’ve ever had. I don’t get involved—too much drama, too much . . . of the same.

I hand her phone back and smirk when mine sounds, alerting me to the message I just sent. Stephanie nods, then opens the truck door and hops out. I quickly do the same and follow her up to the door. I should be trying to seal the deal here, but fuck me, I can’t not tonight. I need to wrap my fucking head around what I just agreed to. This has to be my stupidest agreement to one of our bets yet.

As she clears the final step to the front porch, I know time is running out. I have to say something, but she beats me to the punch.

“You want to come in?”

Do I? Of course I do. She’s a looker. In my mind, I quickly try to play out the next three months. Maybe if I keep her as a casual hookup, I can pull this off. No strings. Fuck, worst-case scenario, I’m out four hundred bucks. That’s not