Page 72 of Power Play

Ryan: Shopping still has time.

Charm: Your faith remains inspiring.

Ryan: You straightening shit yet?

My gaze dropped to the table.

I had aligned my fork and knife perfectly against the edge of the plate without noticing.

A laugh almost escaped.

Crystal glanced up. “What?”

“Nothing.”

The phone vibrated again.

Ryan: That means yes.

I typed beneath the table.

Charm: I hate you.

Ryan: You kiss me a lot for somebody who hates me.

Heat moved into my face.

Crystal noticed.

“Who are you talking to?”

My fingers froze above the screen.

The answer should have been easy.

Ryan was my friend. My parents knew who he was. Everyone did. He had been part of the Fury circle for years.

Still, saying his name to my mother felt like opening something I wasn’t prepared to explain.

“Bliss.”

The lie came without effort.

Crystal smiled. “How is she?”

“Good.”

“She and Cade still joined at the hip?”

“Painfully.”

“I’m happy for her. He seems like such a lovely young man.”

I locked my phone.

Something in the wording tightened my stomach.

Would she call Ryan lovely?