Rebel (Renegades 2)

“Don’t know. Never done it before. ”

Her wall of resistance reappeared. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Really, Wes, this isn’t—”

“Are y

ou chicken, Russo?” he asked, his voice low and taunting. “Afraid you’ll fall for me?”

No. Yes. Shit, she didn’t know. “I’m afraid this is the perfect setup for disaster. ”

A slow, hot grin lifted his mouth. “Sounds like the perfect challenge to me. ”

She rolled her eyes, her chest growing tight.

“Come on,” he said, razzing her with a fake punch to her gut. “I expected more zing from you, Russo. I think you’re…” He made chicken noises.

A laugh bubbled up, and she reached out, covering his mouth. “Stop that. ”

He pulled her hand away and threaded their fingers. “Let’s set up some ground rules if that will make you feel better. I’ll even give you a handicap. ”

“Pfft. Like you don’t need a handicap? And this”—she lifted their joined hands—“is not sex when we want it and friends the rest of the time. ”

He exhaled hard and pulled his hand back, but his smile faded into a tight, frustrated line. “Go ahead, set up your first rule. ”

“No. That would mean I believed this could work, and I don’t. ”

More chicken noises.

“Dammit, how did you get so good at that?”

“Grew up on a farm. Duh. ”

“I keep forgetting that. Bet you do a great pig. ”

“Blue-ribbon winner in the county fair a decade running when I was a kid. ” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, tilted his head back. “Suuuuuu—”

She slapped a hand over his mouth before the “weeeee!” came out and doubled over with laughter. “God…you’re such an idiot. ”

He pulled her hand away with his free one and squeezed gently before letting it go. “Just one thing you love about me. There will be lots more. I’ll make sure of it. ”

A scrape sounded near the door. His gaze darted that direction, then back. “Just to show you I can do this, I’m not going to haul you into my lap and kiss the hell out of you to mark you as mine. ”

Rubi’s brow creased in confusion. She opened her mouth to ask what that had to do with anything when one of the cameramen strolled back into the room.

“Hey, Rubi,” he said. “If you leave your e-mail, I’ll get you the name of that cinematography app I use. If you could add those camera lens calculations into your stunt apps, man, that would be amazing. ”

Her lips were parted when the reality of what he hadn’t done hit her. News of their kiss could have spread through the crew and Renegades by nightfall—definitely not part of his friends with benefits strategy.

Thoughts ping-ponged around her brain. A strange giddy lightness darted through her belly. Could he really do this? Could she? The thought of being able to have him, experience all his alpha sexiness and beta sweetness without ruining what they already had as friends—however briefly—created a delicious, twisty feeling in her belly.

Wes flashed that knowing grin and stood, tugging at the thighs of his jeans, above which a sizeable bulge had taken up residence. Pulling out his phone from a back pocket, Wes pushed one number, crossed his arms over his wide chest, and put the phone to his ear. “Dude, you got a minute?”

Rubi took out her own phone and tapped into the camera again.

“We’ve got problems with Bolton,” he said as he wandered back to the mat. “I cut him off at the bar and poured him into bed by midnight, but he was still late to the set, isn’t functioning worth his weight in shit, and he’s off-gassing like a diesel truck. He must have gone out again after I left him. I doubt we’re going to get anything workable out of him today. ”

Rubi made her way back toward the wall, leaned against it, and planted one foot to the concrete, pretending to check e-mail. But her mind was in a mishmash of confusion over Wes.

“Yeah, I guess,” he grumbled, “But I’d rather take him out back and beat the crap out of him. Come on, it would make me feel so much better. Please?” He paused and rubbed his closed eyes. “You’re no fun anymore, you know that? I’m short-sheeting your bed, dude. Better plan on staying with Lexi. ”