Free Pride by Robin Wasserman

was still standing frozen in the middle of the floor. “Let’s go back to bed.”
    They climbed onto the soft mattress and swaddled themselves in the downy comforter, and Adam again took her in his arms.
    “Ad, those things they said,” Harper began hesitantly, in a tentative and unfamiliar voice.
    “Shh, it doesn’t matter,” he promised her. “Nothing’s changed—we’re still here, together. I still want you.”
    And he did, desperately.
    But he couldn’t stop hearing their words, their laughter. He couldn’t focus. And as he eased himself on top of her, ready to take their relationship to the next level, to start them off on a new beginning, he discovered—to his horror and humiliation—that he just couldn’t.

    Kane closed the door softly behind Beth—then gave it a sharp kick for good measure. What had been the point of finagling the single room? Of talking her into coming in the first place? For God s sake, it wasn’t even eleven o’clock yet—was he supposed to just be a good boy and go to sleep?
    Calm down, he told himself. He didn’t like exposing too much of his emotions, even in private. He was nothing without his poker face, and practice made perfect.
    Speaking of poker …
    He’d overheard some of the staff talking about a weekly poker game, and had no doubt he could talk himself into it.
    He weighed his options.
    Sleep? Not so much an option as a failure.
    Partying with his peers in some smoky, overcrowded room that, by this point, probably had sweat on the walls and vomit on the floor? Kane didn’t associate with these losers when they were in town—and he saw no reason to make an exception for their change in zip code.
    Poker it was.
    He crept through the lounge on his way to the staff quarters, wary of running into their absentee chaperone.
    Turns out his instincts were half right: Jack Powell was in the lounge, but judging from the blonde precariously balanced on his lap, nibbling his ear, he wasn’t going to be doing much chaperoning anytime soon.
    Kane shook his head in admiration—finally, a member of the Haven High teaching staff he could look up to.
    Newly inspired, he went off in search of some fun of his own. Not too much fun, he reminded himself. After all, he had a girlfriend now—a real one. And that meant no extracurricular activities. If Adam could do it, he could do it.
    As he’d suspected, his charm was more than enough to get him admitted to the back room and then to the poker game—though he supposed waving around a ready wad of cash hadn’t hurt.
    It had been just what he’d expected: dark room, good Scotch, and two beautiful women facing him across the table. Those compact, svelte bodies, hard muscles only highlighting the soft curves … There was only one surprise. Sitting to the right of Amber and Claire was a more familiar face: Harper.
    “What are you doing here?” Kane asked, taking a seat at the makeshift poker table.
    Harper rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask. And you?”
    “I’d say that’s a good policy. Don’t ask and”—Kane glanced at the buxom brunette on his right and the luscious blonde on his left—“don’t tell.”
    “Your deal,” said the guy who’d let him into the game, handing him the cards. “Oh, and did Amber tell you?”
    “Did Amber tell me what?” Kane asked, winking at her.
    “We usually play a warm-up round before we start tossing the money around,” Amber explained. “Just to get us in the mood. Strip poker.” She looked him up and down. “I hope you don’t mind.”
    “Mind?” He glanced toward Harper, who only smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Trust me, I don’t mind at all.”

     

    Was she crazy?
    Kaia stared out the dusty window of the pickup truck, wondering if she’d lost her mind. What other excuse could there be for her agreeing to this ridiculous plan?
    A few hours earlier, as she’d half hoped and half feared, Reed had shown up with her cold, greasy pizza. After trading yet another round of