Bryce is pacing, and I step over to approach her when the guy comes out of the theater behind me.

  “Bryce?” he asks. I try to keep walking as though I wasn’t about to approach Bryce, but the guy sees me. “Miles Cavanaugh?”

  Fuck. It’s Grant Thorn, the reporter for Sportsverse.

  I walk toward them even though Bryce’s eyes are telling me to leave. Grant swears the Panthers will win the Bowl this year, but I’ve heard rumblings that their general manager, Mike O’Leary, bribed him for his opinion. Which means he cannot be trusted.

  “Hey.” I pretend to get my first view of Bryce. “Bryce?”

  She’s dressed in black leather pants, heels, and a blouse that dips low to show off her cleavage. She looks hot as hell, and I am not okay with the way Grant is drooling from the side of his mouth like a bulldog right now.

  “Miles. What are you doing here?” she asks.

  I stuff my hands in my pockets. “Just trying to get away from the noise. I like it here, it’s quiet.” That’s not a lie.

  “You aren’t here together?” Grant asks.

  “No, and I’m really sorry for what happened. I’m supposed to be meeting, um… someone here.” Bryce’s cheeks heat.

  What the hell happened?

  “Well, I hope it’s your boyfriend you’re meeting with the way you greeted me,” Grant says with a laugh.

  Bryce glances at me, biting her cheek. Now I’m really curious what she did to him. “Yeah, it’s casual.”

  Grant shakes his head. “You kids these days. There’s nothing wrong with an actual relationship.”

  “Different generations, I guess.” She smiles.

  Grant glances my way. “Well, I’m going back in. I hope your date shows up, Bryce.” He walks back toward the doors to the theater.

  I go to break the distance between us, but Bryce puts up her hand at her hip. Fucking hell, I hate this, and it’s only been like a week and a half of sneaking around at this point.

  “What did you do?” I say under my breath.

  Her face turns even more red. “I’m going to get fired. He’s going to tell everyone at work. Mr. Osterman is going to hear and fire me.”

  “It can’t be that bad.”

  Her eyes bore into mine. “I put my hand on his dick and asked him if it’d like to come out and play with my mouth.”

  I press my lips together because I want to laugh, but I’m not going to do that to her when she’s so embarrassed.

  “Don’t.” She points at me.

  I hold up my hands. “What?”

  “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny. I thought it was you.”

  “We’ll have to do a redo of that.” I wink, and she huffs. “Come on, we clearly can’t be seen here.”

  She shakes her head. “You have to go back in.”

  I look at the doors and back at her. “I’m not going in without you.”

  “He thinks you’re here to see stars. After he leaves, you can leave. Meet me back at my place.”

  “This is stupid, Bryce. He doesn’t care if I stay or if I go.”

  A couple walks by, and she steps back. I growl with frustration.

  “I put my hand between his legs. You can watch one showing of the trip to Mars.”

  I push my fingers through my hair and pull on the strands. “When is Shelly returning?”

  Her eyes widen. “Do you want me off the Grizzlies?”

  I tug her over to a corner so we’re more hidden. “If I do, it’s only so we can be out in the open.”

  “How can you even think of that? It’s only been, like, ten days. How do we know we’re going to work out?”

  I’m blown away and instinctively step back as if she’s going to throw another punch.

  “You know what I mean. Don’t look at me like that. We don’t know if this is worth sacrificing so much.” She doesn’t look affected at all, like she can take us or leave us.

  “How are we going to know if we’re sneaking around all the time?”

  Her shoulders fall, and she stares at me for a minute as if I’m the unreasonable one. “Well, it doesn’t say much that we’re already arguing after ten days.”

  “I just want to be with you.”

  “Me too, but you should know that Ronnie Michaels told me he’s telling Mr. Osterman he doesn’t want Shelly back. He thinks she was too flirty with the players.”

  I think back to our interview, and yeah, she was pretty flirty. I took it as a compliment, but it felt kind of weird for a reporter to be so invested in me.

  “So, you might be reporting on the Grizzlies forever?” I ask.

  “Maybe not.”

  “But for the foreseeable future.”

  She shrugs. “I don’t really know, but you have to go in there and watch the show.”

  I throw back my head when I really want to fall to the floor, kicking and screaming like a toddler. “Fine.”

  She smiles. “I’ll be waiting naked in my bed.”

  I shift my weight, staying in place. “I don’t like this.”

  “I know, I hate it too, but please.” She puts her hands together, prayer-like.

  I move to kiss her, seeing no one is in the lobby, and I still have my hood on, but she practically runs away.

  “Miles,” she says with the disciplinary tone of my third-grade teacher, when I pushed a girl on the playground, and she cut her knee.

  I walk to the doors of the theater, and go back to the seat I had before. I can barely see Grant from where I am, the theater is so dark.

  My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I take it out.

  * * *

  BB: I’m going to make this up to you.

  Me: Yeah, you are.

  * * *

  Then she sends a picture of her in the bathroom at the planetarium, her pants unbuttoned and zipper down and open, revealing a red pair of panties.

  * * *

  BB: Only for you. Bra matches, too. ;)

  Me: You’re really testing my willpower here.

  BB: :P

  * * *

  I watch the show, and when I walk out of the theater, Grant walks out right after me.

  “You’re not staying for the next show, Miles? Heard that one’s even better.”

  I clear my throat. “Nah. Early practice in the morning.”

  “Hope you enjoyed the one you saw.”

  I nod. “It was good.”

  He smiles. “Tell Bryce I say hello.”

  “Will do.”

  He smiles and heads over toward the restroom.

  His hands are on the door when I call, “Why did you say that?”

  He gives me a look to say, “I’m an old man. I’ve been around the block and not stupid.” But what he actually says is, “You’re friends, correct? Cooper Rice too?”

  My head rocks back. “Yeah. We’re all friends. I’ll make sure to tell her, but you’ll probably see her before me.”

  He chuckles. “Doubtful. See you, Miles.”

  Then he’s through the door, and I say a silent wish that he doesn’t suspect anything. Bryce would flip out, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to her because of our relationship. I just got her, and I’m not ready to lose her.

  I take a taxi to her apartment, leaving my hood on the whole time. When I press the buzzer, the door beeps to let me in.

  I run up the stairs and push open the apartment door she’s left slightly ajar for me. Slipping off my shoes, I undress on the way to her bedroom, and sure enough, I’m rewarded for the time I wasted watching a trip to Mars by Bryce on her bed in a matching set of red panties and bra.

  “I like your style,” she says, seeing I’m naked except for my boxer briefs. She crawls up to her knees and puts her hand on my dick. “This is the man I’ve been waiting to see all day.”

  “Stop having more of a relationship with my dick than me.” I use my body to nudge her onto her back again.

  “But I like him.”

  “And he likes you, believe me. He fucking loves you.”

  She laughs and loosely wraps her arms around my neck. “Fuck me, Miles.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  I end up staying the night again because we can’t get enough of one another. I let go of my reservations about sneaking around because she has every right to be worried about her job. I just wish things could be different. Hopefully, one day, they will be.

  Chapter 22

  Bryce

  I’m in the box that Ronnie Michaels reserved for all the Kingsmen family members to watch the Kingsmen play the Grizzlies in Chicago. I can’t wait to see everyone. I’m enjoying Chicago, but I miss everyone from San Francisco too. After the game, we’re all going back to Peeper’s Alley, then we’ll hang at one of the guys’ places. I refuse to call it The Den.

  I pop a shrimp in my mouth, standing by the window, admiring the players stretching and getting ready for the coin toss when a screech sounds from behind me.

  “Bryce!”

  I turn to find Twyla, arms outstretched. She walks in an overexaggerated waddle on her way over to me.

  “You’re not nearly big enough to waddle,” I say, and she laughs, putting her hand over her modest baby bump.

  “I’m so excited to see you! Shayna and Violet are on their way. Theo wanted a Grizzlies jersey. Can’t wait until Brady sees him in it.” She laughs and eyes the veggies and dip. “Oh, I’ve been craving carrots like crazy.”

  “Only you would get a craving for a vegetable,” I say. “I’ll probably want ice cream or some fattening food nonstop.”

  She sits on a stool at the high counter. “Bryce Burns, are you actually talking about when you get pregnant?” She touches my forehead.

  I swat away her hand. “Stop it.”

  She examines me for a moment. “Is there someone new?”

  I stare into Twyla’s eyes, which match her brother’s. I hate lying to her. Miles and I agreed last night that we weren’t going to tell our friends, but we weren’t going to put on a facade that we hate one another either.

  “No one new,” I answer as honestly as I can. In actuality, Miles isn’t someone new. I slept with him two years ago, so technically it’s not a full-on lie, right?

  “I’m still holding on to the hope that you and my brother may become a thing, but I know… you hate him.” She picks up a carrot and drenches it in dip. I’m not sure if her craving is for the carrot or the dip at this point.

  “Maybe pigs will fly one day.”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “He’s such a sweet guy, and I know he wants someone to share his life with.”

  I smile, unsure of what to say. I know he’s sweet, and I like Miles, but the rest of my life? I’m not so sure about that.

  I hear noises coming down the hall, and I’m relieved to see Shayna, Violet, and Theo in the doorway. We all share a smile and I step over to hug Violet, whispering my congratulations in her ear. She told me last week that she had just found out they were expecting, but so far, she’s only told Brady and us girls. She wants to reach the end of her first trimester before they tell Theo he’s going to be a big brother or announce it publicly.

  I ruffle Theo’s hair and hug Shayna tightly. I so badly want to tell her about Miles and get her advice. It’s not that I’m closer to Shayna, but she was my first friend out of the three of them. I could probably tell Violet too, but Twyla would likely run off, call her mom, and have our wedding planned in a week if I told her.

  “You okay?” Shayna asks, drawing back but holding me by my upper arms.

  “I just miss you.”

  She pulls me into her again for an even tighter hug. “We miss you too. So much.”

  “Did I miss it?” Elle shows up wearing her scrubs, bent over at the doorframe, and heaving for breath.

  I laugh as my friends all turn toward her with varying degrees of concern on their faces.

  I’d asked Twyla if it was okay if she joined us in the box since I usually watch the games with her down in the stands. The idea of leaving her down there on her own while I was up here didn’t sit right.

  “Ellery!” Twyla exclaims, similar to the way she screamed my name, and slides off the stool to hug her.

  “Hey…” Elle says, and I mouth Twyla to her. “Twyla.”

  Elle meets so many people that if you don’t have a chart in front of you or a name tag on, she’ll never remember your name. A hazard of the job, she says, but she’s always been that way. I blame it on the fact that her mind is always going a mile a minute and doesn’t ever stop to take everything in. Case in point, she has no idea Cooper Rice, heartthrob of the pro football league, wants her.

  “I’ll introduce you to the gang.” Twyla takes her hand and leads her over to the rest of the girls.

  After all introductions are over, we open up some bottles of wine and nibble on some food. Elle and Violet are busy talking in the seats outside the booth while Twyla and Theo have yet to leave the food area.

  “Kind of weird, Lee playing against Cooper as quarterback,” I say.

  Shayna laughs. “I’m just happy I got off for this game. I had to do a lot of convincing, and if they need me, they said I better be prepared to go down to the sidelines.”

  Shayna is a trainer for the team, so the fact that she can join us up here instead of being down on the field is awesome.

  “Oh, and Lee said if they lose, he’s blaming it on the fact that I’m not down there with him. So be prepared.” She playfully rolls her eyes.

  We sit in the seats inside, mostly watching the game on the television. “I appreciate you being up here. More time without the boys,” I say.

  “Hey, I’m a boy,” Theo says.

  “That you are, but I meant the big boys.” I give Theo a smile.

  He jumps off the stool. “I am a big boy.” He puts up both his arms and flexes. “Mommy told me that I’m almost as strong as Dad.”

  Twyla takes Theo over to check out the dessert tray the staff just brought in.

  “How is Hannah?” I ask Violet, who’s glancing over her shoulder to make sure Theo’s behaving himself.

  “She’s really good. I think she might be in a R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N-S-H-I-P, but she’s keeping it hush-hush.” She spells out the word relationship so Theo won’t understand, I assume, and then returns to watching the game, which gives me the opportunity to confide in Shayna and get her thoughts if I so choose.

  But I don’t know. I look around to see if anyone is paying us any attention.

  Shayna elbows me. “So, what am I missing?”

  “What? Nothing.”

  “Then why are you looking around everywhere like someone might hear us?”

  I blow out a breath and look at the screen. Lee has the ball. Miles is at safety. My man’s job is to stop the ball, and Shayna’s man’s job is to get it to Brady. He releases the ball and Miles follows the wide receiver’s hips just like he should and gets in front of it to deflect the ball. The cornerback catches it in the air and runs, gaining Chicago fifteen yards in our direction.

  “Shit, I’m going to have to make it up to him tonight,” Shayna says.

  I want to cheer on my man, but I remain quiet.

  “He’s had a great year, hasn’t he?” she says about Miles.

  “He has.”

  “And you have no criticism? You’re just agreeing that he’s a great player?” Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, and I blow out a breath. Then she stills. “Oh. My. God.”

  I cover her mouth with my hand, checking that everyone else is distracted.

  She moves her head away. “We’re going to get a souvenir. Be right back.” Shayna stands and grabs my hand, yanking me out of the suite.

  “I want—” Twyla stops talking because we’re already out the door.

  Once we’re a good distance away, in a corner of the hallway where no one is, Shayna whips me around. “Spill it.”

  I shake my head. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “You had sex with him?”

  “Um…”

  “Holy crap. You and Miles. Do you like him? He’s not a guy who just wants a girl to fuck around with. He wants a girlfriend. A wife.”

  I rub my temples from her hammering all this information my way that I’m already aware of. “I know. It hasn’t been that long, but as much as I hate to admit it, I like him. A lot.”

  She lets loose an excited scream, and her feet pop up and down one at a time as she claps. You’d think I was her child who just took their first step she’s so excited.

  I cover her mouth again. “Do not scream.” She bites me, and I retract my hand. “That hurt.”

  “It was supposed to.” Her hands land on my shoulders, and she yanks me into her again for another hug. “I’m so happy for you. And he’s already one of us. Such an easy adjustment.”

  “Stop pushing me down the aisle.”

  She studies me for a second and laughs. “Oh, you’ve fallen. I can see it.”

  “What’s with all the secrecy?”

  I jump back and spin around, happy to see Elle. I bring my hand to cover my racing heart. “I was worried you were Twyla.”

  “Because you’re fucking her brother?” She crosses her arms.

  My mouth drops open. “How do you know?”

  “I’m not stupid. Suddenly you’re busy every night and have no time for Coop or me. Classic boyfriend behavior. And since Shayna here is as excited as if you said you were dating Chris Hemsworth, I put two and two together. When were you going to tell me?” There’s an edge of hurt in her voice that makes me feel guilty.

  I sigh. “I didn’t want anyone to know, but Shayna guessed, just like you. Apparently, I suck at keeping this quiet. And if my boss or Ronnie Michaels find out, I’m fired.”

  Elle sets her gaze on me. “Is that the only reason for it being a secret?”

  “Why else would it be?”

  “I just want to make sure. Sometimes—”

 

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