Page 311 of The Hopelessly Bromantic Duet

I burn. That stupid fucking app. Owen better have taken down his profile last night right after the first time I made him come. If not then, definitely after that second orgasm when he called my name at the top of his lungs.

But I’m sure he didn’t delete it. After all, he didn’t look at his phone once after we kissed. I kept him plenty busy, thank you very much.

Maybe he killed his profile in the magic dog van.

If he didn’t, I will hack his phone and destroy that profile, because there is no way anyone else will get his hands onGuy With Glasses.

And what the fuck is wrong with me?

I am not a jealous guy.

I am not a possessive alpha.

I am not this person at all.

But I can’t stand the thought of Owen seeing anyone else, touching anyone else, falling for anyone else.

“Drink some water, sweetie,” Nisha says to Owen, handing him his glass.

“I swear I’m okay,” he mutters.

“Wait. Is that how you two met? Did you and River meet on that app?” Once Tobey’s question makes landfall, the table goes quiet.

The guests are waiting for an answer.

Owen looks up at Tobey, his eyes wide, his lips parted. But no words come out.

The silence is so awkward, you couldn’t cut it with a knife. There is no utensil the right shape for this kind of awkward. My instinct is to jump in and smooth things over with a quip, but I don’t want to. I kind of want to know what Owen will say now that the dumb app is up for discussion.

But he’s silent. Except, he seems to be breathing a little harder than normal.

“Tobey, they’re not together. They’re just friends,” Nisha corrects him gently.

TJ chuckles under his breath, then takes another bite of mashed potatoes.

What’s the deal with that chuckle? I file it away to ask Owen later.

Tobey winces, holds up his hands in surrender, a stuffing-covered fork in one, a knife in the other. “Gah. My bad. So sorry. I was just getting a vibe in the van. But I was wrong about the murder podcasts, so I must not be good at reading people. Good thing I can speak dog, huh?”

“I’d like to speak dog,” Holden offers, then digs back into the salad.

Owen clears his throat. “We’ve been friends forever. River and me,” he says, slapping on a grin. But he just seems...off.

Well, same here.

Also, fuck friendship.

And I think I just growled.

God, I hope this meal ends soon.

Steven clears his throat, flashing a smile, ever the diplomat it seems. “But it’s a great dating app. If anyone is looking for a girlfriend or boyfriend, it’s fantastic.” He directs his gaze to me, then Owen. “And really, if either of you two blokes is looking for a boyfriend, I highly recommend it.”

“Thanks for the tip,” I say, while plotting to take down an entire dating appOcean’s Eleven-style, mirroring how the bombing expert shut down the Vegas power grid.

“And really, I bet you’d both clean up on it,” Brooks adds.

“Are either of you? Looking for a boyfriend?” Nisha asks, turning her gaze to Owen, then to me.