The Hookup Handbook

by Kendall Ryan

  With enough wine left in the bottle for one more glass each after dinner, we settle in on the couch, the storm still raging outside. The rain hasn’t stopped since the moment she decided to stay, and the tornado watch is now set to be in effect until morning.

  “I can’t believe this storm. It’s absolutely nuts,” she says, crossing one leg over the other and staring out the window.

  “When I was little, my mom used to sing this song to help me sleep through thunderstorms. If they were really bad, she’d even build a little fort for me in my room.”

  “I think it’s sweet how close you are with your mom.”

  “Can’t help it,” I say with a shrug, then take a sip of my wine. “She’s all I had growing up. It’s always been just the two of us. Sure, we fought every once in a while, but never over anything serious. We couldn’t. It just wasn’t an option.”

  Sienna nods, swirling the liquid in her glass and looking thoughtful. “I bet being an only child made it harder. Although, siblings aren’t easy either. Ryder and I hated each other growing up. It wasn’t until after his first year of college that we started to come around to each other.”

  “I didn’t know you and Ryder fought.”

  “Oh yeah. Like, knock-down, drag-out status. We bickered a lot as kids, but high school was when it really got ugly.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, it’s complicated, but this one time one of his buddies kissed me at a party when I was a freshman and they were seniors. Ryder wasn’t just upset—he was pissed. At me for being stupid enough to fall for a senior’s tricks, and at his buddy for preying on his little sister. We were screaming at each other at the party, and then we stopped talking to each other for a few weeks. That was probably the worst fight we ever had.”

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

  Stunned, I stare at her while panic washes over me. Ryder would flip if he knew the thoughts I was having about Sienna.

  Sienna looks over at me and cocks her head to the side. “What? Is it really that shocking that an older guy would be into me?”

  I laugh and shake my head, doing my best to seem casual and upbeat. But underneath? I’m freaking out. Because my brain and my dick have never been this at odds before. Not once.

  “No, not at all. I think an older guy makes perfect sense for you, actually.” Blood thuds in my ears.

  “You think so? I don’t know. I have a hard time seeing myself with anyone, really.”

  “Oh, come on. I don’t believe that for a second.”

  “No, really, I do. I’ve always been so focused on dancing and school, I just never stopped to think about what I want in a partner.”

  Well, I’m sure I can think of a few suggestions.

  “When the right person comes along, I think you’ll know, whether you’re looking for him or not. Or her. Hell, I don’t know what you’re into.”

  “Oh, shut up,” she says, swatting my shoulder and rolling her eyes.

  We’ve both finished our wine now, and a comfortable silence falls between us, broken only by the sound of rain splattering against the roof and the occasional crack of thunder. It’s not late, but I don’t want her to feel pressured to hang out with me, so I stand and take our glasses to the sink.

  “Let me show you to the guest room. It has its own bathroom and TV, so you can shower and watch a movie or something before bed.”

  Sienna nods, then follows me down the hallway to the guest room. Luckily, I always have a fresh set of sheets and towels on hand in case a guy comes home a little too tipsy to drive, so everything is ready for her to stay here.

  “Damn, this is nicer than a hotel room,” she says, running her fingers along the plush gray comforter and admiring the artwork I selected for the walls.

  “When you don’t have money, you have a lot of time to think about what you’ll do once you do have it.”

  As I show her how the shower works and explain the remote control, she nods silently along with all my instructions. I do my best to avoid her large blue eyes when I realize she doesn’t have pajamas, and turn to face the empty dresser.

  “I can bring you a T-shirt or a button-down to sleep in, if you’d like.”

  “That would be great. Thank you.”

  I return from my bedroom with a sleep shirt, doing my best not to imagine what she’ll look like in it. As I hand it to her, our fingers brush, sending an electric current buzzing up my arm. It’s almost like she felt it too, pulling her hand back quickly and looking up at me with those wide blue eyes.

  I don’t know if it’s the wine, the storm, or just plain old sexual chemistry, but in that moment, everything else fades away until she’s all that I’m aware of. Our eyes lock, a long, loud rumble of thunder shaking the windowpanes, and Sienna takes a step toward me, her full pink lips parted ever so slightly.

  I close the distance between us, placing my hands on her shoulders while my heart beats erratically. “You okay?”

  She wets her lower lip and steps closer until her chest is brushing mine. She doesn’t answer, but her body is sending all kinds of signals, and I do the only thing I can think of to ease this tension between us. The one thing I’ve wanted to do since she spouted off with her smart mouth at me the very first day we met.

  I take her face in both my hands, bending to close the distance, and press my lips to hers, softly at first, like a question. She answers by parting her lips and sliding her tongue over mine, causing an immediate jerk behind my zipper. Fuck.

  I pull her closer and she slips her arms around my waist, clutching at my back as our kiss grows deeper, more urgent. Her body presses into mine, her firm breasts pressing against my chest through our clothes, and just as I consider taking things a step further, she pauses and pulls back, a sly smile tugging up the corner of her mouth.

  “So, your little, uh, problem seems to be solved,” she says, raising her brows and tipping her head to the eight-inch iron rod in my pocket.

  “Actually,” I say, tucking a stray blond hair behind her ear, “I only told you half the story. It’s not that I can’t get hard at all. I can only get hard for . . . a certain woman.”

  She stares up at me, her lips parting in surprise as the true meaning of my words washes over her. She looks down at my hard-on and then back up at me, then swats my chest with the back of her hand.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she demands, the look on her face equal parts amused, aroused, and frustrated.

  Yeah, welcome to the club, sweetheart.

  “Well, you can’t go around advertising that your buddy’s little sister is literally the only woman on the planet who gets you going. Especially not after what you just told me about high school.”

  She giggles, her brows knit together in apology. “You’ve got a point there. Yikes, talk about bad timing for that story.”

  I shake my head. “No, I’m glad you told me. It puts things in perspective.”

  Dropping my arms to my sides, I take a step back, my cock protesting at the growing distance between our bodies. She nods, also looking reluctant to see me go.

  “Sleep well, Sienna. I’m down the hall if you need anything.” My lips find her forehead before I can stop them, placing a light kiss on her soft skin.

  “Thanks again for letting me stay the night,” she whispers.

  “Anytime.”

  Walking away is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Especially since I want to go back in there and kiss the fuck out of that girl because kissing her was the most erotic experience I’ve had in as long as I can remember.

  Chapter Ten

  Sienna

  It’s almost nine in the morning when I pad down the stairs and into the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee lingering in the air. Case must be up and about already, although he’s nowhere in sight.

  I help myself to a mug and fill it to the brim, sipping the coffee leisurely to make room for creamer. Just like any other normal day in the office. Although now that I’ve felt my boss’
s dick go stiff against my inner thigh, I’m guessing normal will be the last word to describe my days working alongside Case.

  “Hey. How’d you sleep?”

  The rumble of Case’s deep voice is enough to make my belly tighten. As I turn in the direction of his voice, I grip my mug tightly to keep from spilling coffee all over the floor.

  He’s leaning against the door frame, his thick forearms folded over his chest. Not only did he wake up before me, but he’s freshly showered and dressed for the day, a black V-neck clinging to those huge biceps I felt wrapped around me last night.

  It’s no use trying to keep my eyes level. They can’t resist searching the stiffness of his chest and flat stomach that I became so familiar with last night.

  “Actually, I could hardly sleep,” I say, shifting my attention to the creamer swirling in my mug.

  My mind was working overtime analyzing that kiss.

  I busy my mouth with a sip of coffee, although there’s a dozen other places where I’d much rather put my lips to work.

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  I wait for him to ask me why I was up all night, but he doesn’t mention it. Instead, he heads for the fridge, his arm brushing against mine as he passes me. It’s enough to make every hair on my neck stand at attention.

  “You must have been up early,” I say, a weak attempt at small talk. Way to state the obvious, Sienna.

  “Had to get my workout in so we can focus on the book today.”

  Focus? Not a chance. Especially if we keep skirting around the events of last night. He was the one who initiated the kiss, and it’s his dick that has taken special interest in me, so isn’t it his responsibility to broach the topic? Plus, he’s older, so shouldn’t that make him the grown-up in this situation?

  “There’s plenty of food for breakfast. Please help yourself.” He pulls a carton of eggs, some goat cheese, and a bag of spinach from the fridge. “Or if you want, you can hop in the shower. Whatever would make you most comfortable.”

  It would make me most comfortable if we would stop avoiding the million-ton elephant in the room.

  I drum my fingers on the side of my mug, waiting to see what he’ll say next, but I’ve lost his attention to the stove. He’s busily cracking eggs into the skillet, completely unaffected by me.

  Am I really not as interesting as his breakfast?

  I meander toward the bay window to get a better look at what kind of damage the storm did. A few branches are down, but the street looks clear. The sky is still gray, but not too menacing. It’s probably safe to drive now.

  “I think I’m going to call for a ride and swing home. I’d rather shower there.” Or we could shower together. I shake my head, dismissing the intrusive thought.

  Case crinkles his brow. “Are you okay?”

  Shit. He can tell that things are weird. I need to get my head on straight. We don’t have time to unpack the details of last night, or the fact we both obviously want each other. Maybe that’s the grown-up thing to do. Maybe he’s only focused on this book deadline breathing down his neck.

  “I’m great,” I say, mustering up some forced enthusiasm. “Just a little sleepy. I’ll feel better once I shower and change clothes. Then I’ll be ready to crush those two chapters we need to get done today.”

  I manage a phony smile as I lock eyes with him again. I’m half expecting that famous stare, but instead, his eyes are softer, maybe even a little confused.

  I chug what’s left of my coffee and set the mug on the counter. “Leave that out for me, okay? I’m gonna refill it when I get back.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I head for the foyer to find my shoes, doing the mental math of today’s schedule. If I’m back in an hour, that gives us three and a half hours for each chapter before I have to go teach ballet. Three and a half hours times two, plus an hour for lunch since I promised Allison I’d meet up with her, that makes . . .

  “Hey, Sienna, wait up.”

  My train of thought halts and my breath catches in my throat. “Yeah?”

  Case stops me in the hall, his deep blue gaze looking troubled. “Fuck. I’m not good at this.” He shoves one hand in his pocket and lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry about last night. I came on a bit too strong.”

  Sorry? He’s sorry?

  His words stun me. And suddenly, I don’t want him to have regrets. Our chemistry was unexpected, but that kiss was . . . a twelve out of ten. I’ve never been kissed like that. But apparently it wasn’t as good for him. Or at least, he doesn’t want to do it again.

  It’s silent for a second as I formulate a response, and I hope he can’t hear my heart thumping in my chest.

  “Nothing to apologize for.” I take a deep breath and work up a cheeky grin. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

  The whole ride home, I can hardly hear the radio over my pounding heart.

  He’s sorry? He didn’t seem sorry last night. Did he think I wanted an apology? What I want is to be kissed like that again—passionately and against all his better judgment.

  I inhale deeply and force that thought away. He’s my boss. And an escort. And Ryder’s boss. There are so many reasons why that kiss was a bad idea. I’m just having trouble coming up with any that matter.

  Ryder’s bedroom door is closed when it gets home, but it hardly dampens the sound of his snoring. He must have had another late night working this double client load. I’m just glad he made it home safe with the storm. And that, once again, I’ve dodged an awkward conversation with him, thanks to his sleep schedule.

  I take a speed shower and slip into a black T-shirt dress and wedges, deciding to let my hair air dry to save time. I’ve got fifteen minutes to make it back to Case’s in order for us to stay on schedule, so I swipe on a coat of mascara and race back to work.

  When I return to the office, Case is already at his desk. Actually, by the looks of it, he’s probably been there since I left an hour ago. A plate with remnants of spinach and eggs sits next to his keyboard as he types with one hand, drinking his coffee with the other. On my desk, the mug I used this morning is waiting for me, filled to the brim with coffee and just a splash of creamer.

  A smile creeps across my face. He pays attention.

  “I got a page and a half done while you were gone,” Case says, his eyes flickering with pride. “Will you look it over while I keep writing?”

  “Of course. Send it over.”

  “Already did.”

  I sit down at my desk and open my email to download the attachment. The words MULTIPLE ORGASMS are typed in bold at the top of the page.

  Oh, good. Nothing to distract me here.

  As I read through Case’s description of his best tongue techniques, it’s impossible not to imagine him putting them to practice on me. Maybe he’d want to lay me across his desk and hike up my dress and—

  “How’s it look?” Case asks, swiveling his desk chair toward me.

  “So damn good,” I half whisper, half moan.

  “What?”

  “Good. Really good.” I snap out of it, jolting out of my fantasy land. “Just a few grammatical things and some sentence reorganization. Nothing major.” It’s a good attempt at a save, but I can already feel my cheeks going pink, giving me away.

  Either Case doesn’t notice or he doesn’t acknowledge it, because he goes right back to work, typing away at the next section of the chapter. And good Lord, I can’t wait to read whatever he’s working on. Something is seriously wrong with me.

  Lunchtime sneaks up on us quickly, but we have a solid first draft of the chapter by the time the clock clicks past noon. Case opts to keep writing through lunch, so I promise to bring him back something from the café down the street where I’m meeting Allison.

  It’s a quick ten-minute walk, even in heels, and Allison pulls into the parking lot just as I reach the café door. Perfect timing. Luckily, there’s no line at the register, and we’re cozied up at a table with our sandwiches with hardly any time was
ted. I need every millisecond of advice she can offer me.

  “What’s been going on? I’ve barely heard from you all week.” Allison bites into her turkey sandwich and speaks around a mouthful. We’ve long since left table manners behind in this friendship. “Has work just been crazy?”

  “Crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it. But it’s not just my schedule. It’s my boss.”

  I fly through the details of the last few days, everything from accidentally overhearing the conversation about Case’s problem to finding out that I’m his one solution. Allison gasps and laughs at all the right times, a sign of a true best friend. By the time I get to the end of my recap, I feel like I just ran a half marathon, and my stomach is too tight to eat.

  “Okay, so let me get this straight. Your male escort boss has a dick that only works for you? You can’t be serious.”

  “Dead serious.” I sigh, catching my breath. “You can’t make this kind of stuff up, and I know he’s not lying.”

  “So, what are you going to do? Did you guys talk about last night?”

  I shake my head, nervously picking at the crust of my sandwich. “I was kind of hoping he would bring it up, but he’s hardly mentioned it.” Other than to apologize, which actually made me feel worse.

  “He’s probably trying to give you an out. Y’know, in case you weren’t interested, and it was just a one-time thing.” She pauses, holding her sandwich in midair. “Do you want it to be more than just a one-time thing?”

  I swallow the nervous lump in my throat. “I don’t know. Maybe? I think you may have been right about the summer-fling thing. That kiss was practically fireworks, Allison. It’s crazy, I know, but part of me wants to explore that. I’m just not sure how.”

  Allison stifles a giggle. “Sienna, I know you know how to do it. Do I need to give you a refresher course on the sex talk?”

  “I know how to do it, Allison,” I say with an eye roll. “I mean I don’t know how to even make it happen. What am I supposed to say? Oh, hey, Case. I know you’re my boss, but I want to bang you?”