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Portland.”
    I nodded against his hands. “Thank you for being on my team. I wouldn’t want to do any of this without you.”
    His thumb brushed across my lips, and his first genuine smile in hours emerged. “I love you, Charlie. We’re a team. We’ll do this together.”
    My heart stopped beating. It wasn’t the first time those words had been uttered between us, but since the last time was when I was about to die via splatting-into-pudding-on-rooftop, this one was so much more potent. There was nothing here forcing it, nothing elevating the natural feelings we’d had since the first time we met, all the way back in the club. Just a guy and a girl. I knew it was fast, and I’d never said those words to any dude before, always shying away from a deeper commitment, but it was different with Ryder.
    He was different.
    “I love you too,” I whispered before raising up on tiptoes.
    Ryder’s eyes softened and his hands fell from my face to land naturally around my waist. I still wasn’t quite tall enough to reach his lips, but he tilted his head down, and as our mouths met for the second time I was pulled tightly against him. Or maybe I jumped him. God only knows. Anyway, something happened and suddenly both of us were hot and heavy, and sex against the closest flat surface was totally in our future.
    Panting, I wrenched my mouth from his. “Dammit, we can’t do this here. Jayden is going to be looking for me any second, and as much as I love my bestie, if he finds us like this we’ll never hear the end of it. And he’ll want pictures.”
    Ryder started to shake against me and I realized he was laughing. He dropped me down to my feet. Uh, when did my legs get around his waist? Meh, the last few minutes were all a delicious, perfect blur of hotness. “Run now, Charlie, before I decide that I’m happy for Jayden to have those pictures.”
    Ryder flashed me those perfect white teeth, a hint of fang actually visible. My blood called to him the same way his did to me.
    With one last look I forced myself to turn and walk away, only risking the final glance back to my silent guy. He was watching me, his expression a mix of so many things. And in that moment I knew something for sure. I would die and kill for Ryder a million times over. The vampires would never stop trying to take us down, and I was going to return the favor.
     

Chapter 3
 
     
    “OWWW!” Becca screamed, holding one hand over her eyebrow and the other in front of Jayden’s face.
    Jayden rolled his eyes. “Girl, it doesn’t hurt that bad. You got a zoo up in here. I need a lawnmower to make these things pretty.”
    We didn’t have proper tweezers so we were using the medical tweezers you would use for a splinter from the first-aid kit. And Becca probably wasn’t being dramatic, Jayden was a bit of a butcher when he attacked body hair. The look on her face had me busting up laughing before quickly stopping when she glared at me. Not everyone could handle Jayden’s special personality.
    “It hurts like heck,” she said, and Jayden and I shared a look. Nope, this wasn’t happening. I refused to live in a small container house with someone who didn’t cuss.
    “Fuck,” I said, and Becca’s eyes widened.
    “Shit,” Jayden followed.
    “Ass, bitch, douche—”
    She cut me off. “Oh my gosh!” Becca covered her ears and I grinned.
    Jayden pulled her hands down and met her eyes. “Come on, one cuss word, that’s all we’re asking. It’s like a test so we know you aren’t a cop.”
    My body was shaking as I tried to control my laughter. He was on fire right now.
    “Cussing makes one appear less intelligent,” Becca said as she crossed her arms defiantly.
    Jayden looked at me. “She’s a preschool teacher.”
    I nodded. “It’s kind of cute.” This bitch was growing on me.
    He smiled. Opening a bag and riffling through some makeup, he inspected a tube of mascara and his jaw dropped. “Oh My God! This shit is like ten years