Ronald was practically steaming when he finally stepped out of the bathroom- twenty minutes under ice-cold water, and he still looked like he needed another round.
With nothing but a white towel wrapped low around his waist, he looked every bit the picture of self-control, water still clinging to his hair and trailing down his shoulders to abs that would make any gym rat jealous. He radiated coolness— literally and figuratively.
Ste had just hung up with Susie, her best friend.
She turned to ask Ronald something, but the words caught in her throat when she saw him. She swallowed hard, unable to help herself.
God, she thought, it wasn''t like she''d had much experience with this sort of thing. From first opening up to now, she''d barely gotten a taste. She didn''t stand a chance.
Catching her staring, Ronald smirked, his voice teasing. "Do I look good?"
Ste nodded, honest as ever. "Yeah. You do."
His grin widened. "Wanna touch?"
She blurted out, "Yeah- I mean, no. No, I can''t."
She''d barely nodded before she changed her mind, shaking her head quickly. If she touched him, he''d be back in the shower for another half hour of cold water, and they''d never get to sleep.
Ronald justughed and grabbed his robe from the sofa, slipping it on in one smooth motion. As he pulled off the towel, those long, athletic legs of his made her mind wander all over again.
He climbed into bed, pulling back the covers on his side. He didn''t immediately reach for her he was still ice-cold from the shower, and didn''t want to chill her too.
But Ste didn''t care; she dove right into his arms anyway, snuggling up close. Ronald ced a gentle but firm hand on her head.
"Hey, quit wiggling around, okay?"
Ste mumbled, "Okay," but she really hadn''t been wiggling-just trying to find the perfect spot to get cozy.
Ronald sighed, his voice softening. "Be good. I''m still freezing. Let''s wait a bit before we cuddle."
He tried to gently nudge her away, but Stetched on tighter.
"No, I want to cuddle. Let me warm you up."
"You''re gonna catch a cold," he warned.
"I won''t," she insisted. "How cold can it get under the covers?"
Ronald gave in, a little exasperated but mostly amused. He wasn''t about to push her away he loved how clingy she got with him.
"Babe, I need to ask you something," Ste said suddenly, propping herself up on his chest.
He hummed, "Yeah?" The way she called him "babe" sent a warm rush right through him and He looked her even more softly. s>
"Susie called just now," she said.
Silence fell for a moment.
Ronald just looked at her, waiting for her to go on.
But his silence made Ste pout. "You knew, didn''t you? All those she
time
she called before you
answered my phone instead Why didn''t you tell me?" fo s
Her voice grew usatory, a little hurt. Since when was he so sneaky?<fn459b> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? find~novel</fn459b>
Ronald sat up, pulling her into hisp. Ste squirmed, trying to get free. "Let me go!"
He didn''t. "I did it on purpose."
Ste stared at him. "What?"
He admitted it without shame, as if it was totally normal to mess with her like this. How could he be so shameless?
"If I told you, you''d tell your sister. Then what excuse would your sister have to go after Dan?" he exined.
Ste
never.
"To go after Dan? She
needed an excuse
an excuse before!
Even before Suste was involved, Yvonne was always giving Dan hell.” s
That was true. Yvonne had a habit of giving Dan a hard time, Susie or not.
Ronald just grinned. "Yeah, but now she''s got even more of a reason. She can really let him have it."
Ste had to admit, Dan''s “man-cave” had basically been destroyed at this point.
Ronald shrugged. "And now Xander''s in on it too. As long as the Susie thing keeps going, Dan''s not off the hook."
Ste just shook her head, equal parts impressed and exasperated. Poor Dan. He didn''t stand a chance.