Whoa, wait. What is happening right now?
“You’re…you're going out to a nightclub?” I blurt like an idiot. Did I misread this whole situation?
That’s when I hear it. High-pitched, feminine laughter and clack-clack-clacking high heels coming from down the hall.
“Clutch your pearls, bitches! It’s about to go down!” Minka bursts from around the corner, wearing a glittery dress and enough synthetic-smelling perfume to give me a seizure. “Yes, she’s going out. We can’t keep all this fine-ness just sitting at home on a shelf. She’s single, and it’s time for her to mingle.”
“Time for her to…” Give me a second. My brain is trying to catch up.
Katrina steps into the room, just as dressed up as the other two. “According to Minka, my sister needs to start dating. ASAP.” Kat rolls her eyes, disapproval on her expression.
Minka gives Sera a heavy slap on the ass, causing her to yip. “We’ve gotta get Sera back out there. Riding some dicks.”
Sera’s eyes bulge. She snort-coughs.
“Riding some…” I repeat to myself, scraping a hand down my face. I cannot be hearing this shit right now.
Minka stands firm in her opinion. “Rocky stood you up.” The fiery woman jabs a finger into Sera’s shoulder. “He left you at the altar.” She jabs again. “So the last thing he deserves is your loyalty and your pining and your sitting around on your ass all night on your friend’s couch feeling sorry for yourself. The sooner you get back into the whole sex and dating scene, the sooner you’ll feel like yourself again.”
My head is about to explode. “Sex and dating?”
Sera observes me with soft, searching eyes. Then she pivots, speaking to her friends. “Girls, can you give me a second alone with Jace?”
The girls saunter back toward the bathroom. Minka’s bellowing a song about tequila shots while Katrina tries to shut that shit down. Sometimes I swear, those girls are like the tiny angel and devil sitting on either side of Sera’s narrow shoulders. One is ready to tear shit up, while the other is constantly on damage control.
I face Sera. “So, where are you going?”
She shakes out the nerves in her hands. “Ack! This place in Crescent Harbor. The Frosty Pitcher, I think.”
A growl leaves my chest. “That place is crawling with assholes.” I probably shouldn’t be speaking in that territorial tone. But she’s my fucking wife. I don’t need her out on the town, trolling for cock.
She lets out a long-suffering sigh. Like she’s tired of me being so protective. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
“They’re gonna be all over you, Sera. Especially in that dress.” I sound like a resentful prick. I’m doing a terrible job of keeping my jealousy under control. But at this point, I don’t even care. I just want to keep Sera here, with me in my condo, if I get my way.
“Jace…” She tilts her head to the side.
“You know Wyatt would be pissed about this.” I glare like a whiny kid who’s not getting his way. My jaw is ticking. What the hell is wrong with me?
This isn’t about Wyatt, and we both know it.
“Never mind all that stuff Minka said about dating. That’s the furthest thing from my mind. It’s just…I have to get out of the house. I feel so…lost.” Her eyes cloud over with sadness. Sadness that damn near rips me in two. “I haven’t been myself, and I can’t just sit around feeling like this.” She tilts her head to the side. “Please don't be judgy. Tell me you're on my side, Jace.”
Fuck…
“I'm on your side, Sera. Always. But—”
She cups my cheek, and I resist the urge to lean down and kiss her until she changes her mind.
“No buts.” A little grin curls her lips. “I cooked. Your favorite. Pasta bake. Full of cheese.” She wiggles her shoulders playfully. “I know mozzarella is the key to your heart. You’ve been on the road, probably eating garbage and fast food all week, and I figured you could use a nice, home cooked meal.”
“Thank you,” I say grudgingly.
“It’s the least I could do. You’re letting me take your bed for free. And you got me that massage and the gift certificate. Again, thank you.” She smiles then takes a step back. “I’m gonna go finish getting ready.”
I drop onto my couch, staring at the blank TV and trying to ignore these knotted-up feelings buzzing through my body. I keep hearing the girls’ laughter from the bedroom. When I can’t take it anymore, I get my sulking ass up, stalk down the hallway, and disappear into the hall bathroom.
I argue with myself under the scalding spray of my dual-head shower.
Maybe trying to make things work with Sera was a bad idea.
Maybe I should just forget about it and call my lawyer.
Or maybe I should grow some balls and make my intentions known.
I’m usually good at dealing with women. I have smooth moves. Pickup lines that make females giggle and twirl their hair and push up their boobs. But right now, my game is way off. When it comes to Sera, I have no idea what I’m doing.
I finish up and get dressed in a black T-shirt and dark jeans. When I exit the bathroom, I find the giggling girls at the front door.
Sera peeks up at me again. Her gaze scans my body, top to bottom. We share a heated look. Even though Minka’s still dancing around the living room, chattering on and on about how wasted she’s going to get tonight, it feels like Sera and I are the only ones in here.
When Minka trips over nothing in the middle of the floor, I’ve had it. I stalk up to her and snatch the car keys right out of her hand. She’s not even drinking yet, but she’s a goddamn mess. No wonder she drives my brother insane.
“Hey!” Minka screeches, her fists on her hips. “What the hell are you doing, asshat?”
I growl. “No drinking and driving, ladies. Not on my watch. I’m your designated driver for tonight.”
Before any of them can manage to argue with me, I march right out of the apartment.
Fourteen
Sera
My pulse mimics the Hammer Time beat as I stare over at the bar. Jace is leaned against the counter, waiting for the bartender to take his order. His big shoulders are doing something obscene to that black T-shirt he’s wearing.
He just got back into town a couple hours ago, and he could be anywhere else right now. He could be at home, relaxing, eating that meal that I had to stow away in the fridge before we left. He could be hanging with the guys, playing video games and shit-talking. Hell—he could be banging some faceless girl in a nearby bathroom.
Instead he’s here with me and all of my girlfriends. And not in a pervy, I’m-going-home-with-five-girls-tonight kind of way.
Nadia and Desiree ended up meeting us here, and all of us girls are crowded into a table. Jace is at the bar, ordering more drinks. I confessed about my insta-wedding to Nadia and Desiree who immediately joined Minka’s you’d-better-jump-that-man’s-bones bandwagon.
I try to focus on the conversation around me as the girls gab about everything that's going on in their lives. It’s been a minute since I’ve been out in the real world so I should be eating this up. But the pull to Jace is just too strong.
My gaze keeps drifting over to where he is at the bar. Damn—he’s the sexiest man in the room. Crazed football lovers keep approaching the Iowa Paragon’s star defensive safety while he waits for the bartender to take his order. They’re eager to congratulate him on the team’s win against Arizona.
He’s a bonafide superstar. I’m really proud of him. He's come so far from the poor kid who lived in the crumbling little cottage with his grandmother next door to my childhood home.
I snicker, watching him try to play it cool. Usually, Jace eats up the attention from his adoring fans. He enjoys the fame. But I think he’s in the mood for a quiet night which is unusual for him. Even still he gallantly poses for pictures and selfies with the drunk bar-goers anyway.
As if sensing me staring, he glances my way over his wide back. Under the bar lights,
our eyes meet. He flashes me his trademark smile and winks.
My insides twirl up, down and around like a carousel until he turns away. I fight the urge to clutch my chest. I toy with the frame of my glasses just to give my hands something to do.
What is this thing between us?
“Are you even listening to me?” Katrina sounds annoyed when she squeezes my arm.
“Girl, the only thing Sera’s interested in right now is getting that man into a dark corner and ripping his clothes off.” Nadia giggles into her drink. When I glare at my coworker, she shrugs a shoulder. “I’m pretty sure Jace is into you, too. Do you see the way he’s been staring at you?”
The other girls turn to gawk at Jace, who's still trapped near the bar.
Minka cackles like a mad scientist. “They’re both trying to act like they don’t want each other but you should have seen the look on his face when I told him Sera would be getting some dick tonight. He went into Hulk mode in a heartbeat. I knew my plan would work. I’m a damn genius.” She toasts to herself.
“Oh my god. Do him, Sera! He's not exactly my type, but he is a gorgeous fucker.” Nadia fans herself. “And if he’s into you, why not go for it?”
“Uh. Maybe because he's our brother's best friend?” Katrina reminds us. As if I needed that reminder.
Desiree cringes knowingly. “Yeah, Wyatt is super protective. If he ever found out about you two, he would shut that shit down immediately. And he wouldn’t be polite about it.” As my brother’s ex-girlfriend, Desiree would know.
I glance back at the bar and see three busty girls crowded around Jace. I sigh. “He doesn't like me like that. He's just my friend.”
“Girl, who are you trying to fool? The man is more than your friend. You drunk-married him and fucked him right off the bed.” Minka grins. “You’re into him. He’s into you. Simple.”
My lips curl involuntarily when I think back to how Jace and I woke up on the hotel room floor the morning after our wild night. I’m still not over the rug burn on my ass.
“Come on. The only reason he's here tonight is to play designated driver and report status updates back to Wyatt. He’s basically my human ankle monitor,” I say with a laugh.
Katrina stares over at the bar where a group of female fans are practically boob-humping Jace’s arm. “I love Jason like a brother. But he’s a complete player. Before the night is over, he’s going to forget all about Sera and go off with one of the slutty girls throwing themselves at him. I don’t want to see him hurt my sister.”
“Well, I’m going to say that’s not likely, judging by the way he’s been looking at her.” Nadia motions her head to where Jace is pushing through the crowd, coming in our direction.
When he gets back to our table, two servers follow him with overflowing drink trays. He flashes his smile again. “Ladies, I know I said I was at your service tonight, but if there are any more crazy drink orders, you’re on your own.”
My friends boo and heckle him.
“So, no more fishbowl cocktails for me?” I pout as he hands me a rounded glass filled with blue liquor and sour gummy fish.
He slides into the small space next to me. “Baby Girl, I will make an exception for you,” he replies quietly and his tongue licks across his bottom lip.
My stomach does somersaults and I try to ignore my girlfriends’ raised eyebrows and discreet nudges when he says that.
His lips curl up in one corner. There’s that brash carefree look on his face again. Like all our flirting is nothing but a game to him. But it’s his eyes. In his eyes, I see something that makes me wonder if he’s serious, if he’s invested in the chemistry fizzing and bubbling between us. But I can’t decipher the situation, not when we’re in a nightclub with the flashing lights and the throbbing music and a thousand dancing bodies around us. So I turn my attention back to the room.
We all huddle around the table, laughing and talking for a while. When the loud music changes to a catchy pop anthem, Minka hollers. “Ah! Love this one!” She grabs Nadia by the elbow and all my girls rush to the dance floor. Minka leads the pack, screaming and fist pumping. You would think that the DJ was handing out free vibrators. Desiree stumbles along behind them, yawning the whole way.
Jace and I are the only ones left at the table. “Why don't you go dance with them?” he asks, bumping his thigh into mine.
Self-consciously, I pull at the hem of my too-short dress. “You know I don't like to dance. I never know what to do with my arms, and I feel like a dork.” I chuckle as I stare off at the girls, who are gyrating and wiggling against each other. Looks like they’re doing some new dance move I’ve never seen before.
Chuckling, Jace stands and takes my hand. “Come on.”
I resist, shaking my head. “Nuh-uh.”
But he just rolls his eyes and pulls me up anyway. I have no choice but to follow him to the dance floor.
Well, I probably could have fought harder, but I’m distracted by the electric feel of his big hand enclosed around mine.
Jace pulls me to a stop when he finds a small open space on the floor. Before my nerves can take over, he spins me around, facing me away from him. He pulls me flush against his torso. Both of his big palms curl around mine. He laces our fingers together before wrapping our arms across my fluttering belly.
I feel his lips at the shell of my ear. “Does that solve the problem of what to do with your hands?” He’s behind me so I can’t read his expression but I definitely hear the hint of heat in his voice.
Since my tongue is knotted into a bow-tie, I nod my head.
Jace chuckles softly and starts shifting my body side to side, moving me in line with his own dance moves.
I let go and allow him to do all the work. Wow—he’s a really good dancer, but that shouldn't surprise me. He's good at everything.
For once, I don’t feel like a fish on the dance floor. I feel erotic, sultry. The more I relax into the beat of the music, the closer our bodies mold together. His heat burns through the back of my skimpy dress and his breath flutters along my neck.
The beat turns sexier as the night carries on, and so does our dancing. My eyes flutter closed. I tip my head back against his shoulder and completely get lost in the alluring warmth of his breath on my skin as he runs his nose up to my ear, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his path.
Jace is molded against me and moving my body like a sexy puppet. I don’t have to think about how to move my hips or where to put my hands. I just have to follow his lead.
The closer I grind on him, the stiffer his cock becomes against my ass. And I’m so into it. The downpour in my panties is torrential and my nipples tingle with electricity.
What am I thinking?! Keep it together, girl. The man is just your friend. I’m getting so carried away.
Jace and I are just friends, having a good time. People dance when they're at a club. It doesn’t mean they’re going to jump each other’s bones. I’m sure the sexual tension I’m feeling is all in my head. Just residual horniness left over from our wild, never-gonna-happen-again night together.
Looking to confirm my theory, I tilt my head to get a glance at Jace behind me. But when I see his dark stare is already on me. My stomach drops to my feet. The look in his eyes takes my breath away. Slowly and without a word, Jace spins me around so we’re chest to chest. He squeezes my hips with those big, strong hands.
I’m dying to kiss him. Does he want to kiss me, too?
He leans forward, and I lick my lips in anticipation. But before his mouth can find mine, someone is urgently tapping on my shoulder.
I turn to find Katrina shouting in my ear. “Hey! I think Minka has hit her limit. Should we take her home before that creepy guy with the comb-over and the trench coat does?” I glance over to where a sketchy character is trying to rub his crotch against Minka’s ass. Eww.
My shoulders drop but I nod through my disappointment.
Chicks before dicks and all that. Number one rule of the girl code? Never
let your girlfriends go home with creepy trench coat guys.
Jace backs away and my whole body whimpers with regret. I give him a smile and lightly touch his shoulder. “Come on. Time to go.”
Fifteen
Jace
By the time we drive around town, dropping off Minka and then Katrina, Sera is yawning adorably and rubbing her eyes.
When she and I are alone again, the tension between us ramps right back up. But she’s trying to play it cool, acting like that moment between us on the dance floor never happened.
“The interception you had last night was unbelievable. It was all over Sports Broadcast Network today.”
I deliver my famous sideways grin. “Just right place, right time, Baby Girl.”
She swats my arm as I drive. “Come on. Drop the humble act. Haven’t you seen all the memes of the play? They photoshopped a cape on your back. They’re calling you Superman, the way you dove through the air to snatch the ball away.”
I chuckle. “It was a good game. Defense was on fire.” I’ve got to give the credit to the whole team. We all know it takes all of us to win. That’s what makes the Paragons so damn good.
Sera and I chat about my upcoming games, and it feels like we’re still dancing. Dancing around the elephant in the room. In this car.
There’s no mention of that hot as fuck moment we just shared. No mention of the crackling energy between us that could fuel a fucking passenger jet. But I’m aware of it. I’d like to think that she is too but I have no idea what’s going on in her head.
Sera Rodriguez is an enigma. Which is ironic since I’ve known her most of my life. But now I want to know her in a whole new way.
I pull into the parking garage, and once I kill the engine, it’s eerily quiet. With one arm propped on my window, I turn to face Sera. I like her hair when it’s messy like this. I like the sheen of sweat on her coppery skin. She’s fuck-hot.
My open scrutiny seems to make her uncomfortable so she keeps talking. “After your home game this weekend, are you ready to get back on the road?”
Playing House: A Small Town Brother’s Best Friend Romance (The Playboys of Sin Valley Book 1) Page 11