Rebel (Renegades #2)(21)
Author: Skye Jordan

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.”

He disconnected and swore as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. Rubi pressed her lips together to hold back laughter.

On the mat, Wes shook out his arms and started jumping on his toes, warming up for more work. He planted his feet wide and swung his arms across his chest. “Keaton,” he called. “Let’s go, dude.”

“What’s going on?” Bolton asked, stopping beside Rubi, hands on his hips.

Wes waved him closer. The production staff was trickling back in, camera and sound guys messing with their equipment.

Keaton took the mat across from Wes and brought his fists up like a boxer. Wes mirrored him but spoke to Bolton quietly, with an undertone of steel. “I’m shooting your scenes today.”

Keaton took a swing, and Wes received the hit like a pro, head whipping, body twisting, feet stumbling. Keaton came at him with an upper cut. Wes’s head snapped up, and he fell back a step.

“I’ll keep the face shots to a minimum.” Wes and Keaton circled each other. “So get your ass home and sleep off your hangover. If you’re not sober and ready to work tomorrow, I might just take over your whole f**king role.”

“What the hell?” Bolton sputtered, his face reddening with anger. “Who the f**k died and made you boss?”

“Chamberlin. If you have a problem, take it up with him.”

Keaton twirled and kicked at Wes’s head. Wes ducked and moved in for a body shot. He was so smooth, so confident. And so freaking hot.

Sex when we want to f**k and friends the rest of the time.

Rubi’s hunger surged to life. How long would that kind of arrangement last? But more importantly, what would happen when it ended?

Keaton crumpled with a grunt, stumbled back, and slammed his body against the concrete. Even standing only a few yards away, knowing it was fake, Rubi’s stomach cramped with each hit.

Keaton swung his arm around Wes’s neck, his handsome face in a grimace as he pretended to choke the life from Wes.

“You want to do all the work, fine,” Bolton said. “I’m still the one who gets paid.” He turned away from them and covered his dented ego with a superior grin and a swagger on his way out.

Rubi refocused on the mat, just as Keaton hooked his left fist at Wes. Rubi sucked in a breath, but Wes leaned back, gripped Keaton’s arm and threw him. Keaton twisted three times in the air before he hit the mat.

“Now that’s a f**king fight scene.” Danny straightened, grinning at Rubi. “I’d better get that man a costume. Looks like we’re going to get some real filming done today.”

Seven

“What is wrong with you?” Lexi frowned up at Rubi from where she knelt in front of her. She held straight pins between her teeth and one between her fingers poised to poke the lingerie Rubi wore. “Did you take espresso shots on your way here? If you don’t stop fidgeting, you’re going to become a pin cushion.”

Rubi planted her hands on her hips, took a deep breath, and blew it out. That didn’t help the knot at the center of her body, but she managed to find stillness.