2. This is Bad
2
Miles
“Hey, I’m here,” I call out as I open the front door and step inside.
“Back here,” a feminine voice calls out, and I follow the sound of it to the brightly lit kitchen.
“Hey, man. Thanks for coming,” my best friend and teammate Riggs says, clasping my hand and pulling me into a half hug.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I say clapping him on the back, then turn toward his fiancée. “It’s not every day my best bro gets engaged. Hi, Tessa.”
I pull the feisty brunette in for a tight hug, and she squeals as I bend backward, lifting her feet from the floor. When I set her back on her feet, she elbows me in the gut. I heave an exaggerated grunt and clasp my stomach like she caused some damage, and she rolls her eyes and walks away.
Riggs smiles as he watches her flit around the kitchen, and I feel a tiny spasm in my chest. He’s so fucking happy, it’s almost painful to watch. These two have a rough history that started back in high school. When he got traded to the Bandits, Riggs bought the house next door, which resulted in a hilarious prank-addled war that eventually led to Riggs proposing last weekend after our new football team, the Branston Bandits, won the top seed in our division, clinching a bye week in the first round of the playoffs.
Tessa said yes, of course. Their love for each other is plain to see. So, tonight, we’re celebrating. Porter and Foster are coming, too, and Tessa invited her friends so we can all finally meet. Even though it’s been a few months since Tessa and Riggs made things official, we’ve been so busy preparing for the playoffs that we haven’t had a chance to get together like this.
Coach Nesbit gave the team the weekend off before we buckle down and start preparing for our first playoff game next weekend, so…here we are.
Tessa plucks her phone from the counter and smiles as she stares at the screen. “Hadley and Skye are here.”
“And Roxy?” Riggs asks.
Tessa swipes her finger across the screen. “Running a bit late. She’ll be here soon, though.”
My lips curve up at the corners. The name Roxy reminds me of Roxanne. The waitress blew my mind last night, and while I was disappointed to wake up and find her gone this morning, I didn’t let it bring down my mood. I do know where she works, after all. And I’ll go eat at Armstrong’s as often as it takes to lure her into my bed again…and maybe even start something more.
Tessa heads for the front door, and when she returns she has a sweet-looking blonde and beautiful brunette who looks like she could bust some balls in tow. She introduces us, and we shake hands as Porter calls out from the front of the house.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Tessa yells back.
Once everyone has been introduced and has a beer in hand, we head out to the back patio. Riggs bought some large stand heaters and placed them strategically around the patio furniture to keep us all warm on this chilly winter night. Once we’re settled, Porter shoots me a level gaze.
“So, how did it go last night with the waitress?”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” I shoot back with a wink.
He opens his mouth to respond, but Skye quickly cuts off whatever he was about to say. “What waitress?”
She’s looking at me so intently, I feel a little taken aback. My gaze moves to Hadley and Tessa, who are both staring at me with the same expression.
“What?” I ask. “We went out to dinner last night, and I had some chemistry with our waitress, so I stuck around after these two knuckleheads left. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“You weren’t, by any chance, eating at Armstrong’s, were you?” Tessa asks, and my head rears back.
“Actually––”
“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch.”
My head whips toward the patio door to see a very familiar redhead stepping through it. She looks up with a smile that freezes on her face when she catches sight of me.
“Blake?”
“You two know each other?” Riggs asks, looking confused.
“Oh, shit. This is good,” Skye murmurs, and Hadley elbows her in the side.
“It’s Miles, actually,” I say, finally breaking the stunned silence. “Blake is my last name.”
Roxanne––Roxy––stares at me with wide, question-filled eyes. I’m just as shocked as she is, but I probably shouldn’t be. Roxy is obviously short for Roxanne, and I’m pretty sure Riggs mentioned in passing that one of Tessa’s friends is a waitress in Branston. I was just so fucking enamored by her, I never put two and two together.
Riggs tries to combat the awkwardness by introducing Roxy to Porter and Foster, even though they technically met last night. It’s obvious he’s the only one who doesn’t know we slept together. I’m sure Roxy told her friends she went home with a customer last night, and hearing I hooked up with a waitress on the same night? Seeing the recognition between us only made it concrete.
“I’ll…be right back,” Roxy says, refusing to look back in my direction as she hurries inside.
I get up and follow her, closing the door behind me to find her resting her hands on the counter with her head hanging low.
“Did you know who I was last night?” I ask, my tone light and conversational.
Her eyes snap up to meet mine. “Of course, not. I thought your name was Blake, and that you were a banker. Or a lawyer.”
I nod. “Football teammates tend to use last names a lot. I didn’t even think anything of it when you called me that.”
And call me that, she did. Over and over again as I made her come on my mouth, fingers, and cock. The latter starts to swell just thinking about it.
“This is bad,” she groans.
Before I can respond, the door opens and Tessa breezes inside. She pauses to look at us for a moment, then shakes her head as she moves to the oven. Pulling the door open, she grabs some oven mitts and takes out a tray of baked potatoes.
“Riggs is pulling the steaks off the grill,” she says, using her mitted hand to give each potato a squeeze test. “Everyone is coming in to eat, so maybe you two can table this conversation for later? When you have more privacy?”
“Of course,” Roxy says quickly. “What can I do to help?”
“Grab the salad from the fridge and put it on the table,” Tessa suggests, and Roxy follows her instructions without sparing me another glance.
“Miles, can you go see if Riggs needs any help?” Tessa asks.
I arch a brow at her as she stares me down. Riggs has more than enough help outside. He doesn’t need me. Tessa widens her eyes and dips her chin, silently ordering me out of the kitchen, so I heave a sigh and walk back out onto the patio.
As I suspected, Porter and Foster flank Riggs at the grill, supervising as he pulls the steaks off and places them on a large platter to rest. Hadley and Skye have their heads together as they sit on the outdoor sofa, and Skye shoots me a mischievous grin as Hadley speaks rapidly under her breath.
This is so awkward. I’m sure someone filled Riggs in after I followed Roxy into the kitchen, so now everyone knows we slept together last night. Would I have made a different decision had I known who she was? Maybe.
Probably not.
The physical attraction is there either way, and knowing how great we were together only strengthens my resolve to see her again. The fact that we’re connected by mutual friends makes it easier, right? It’s almost like it was meant to be.
Riggs takes the steaks into the house and we all file in behind him. I don’t miss the way Roxy pulls Hadley and Skye down into the chairs on either side of her, guaranteeing I can’t sit there. That’s fine. I plop down into the chair directly across from her, giving myself an unimpeded view of her beautiful face.
I stretch out a leg and tap my toe against hers, but she only yanks her foot back and focuses on serving herself some salad from the large bowl. I chuckle under my breath. She may be giving me the cold shoulder, but I can tell she’s not unaffected by my presence. Her cheeks are a ruddy pink, and her hands are shaking as she pours salad dressing over the greens on her plate.
The conversation flows around us as we eat, but I find myself staring at Roxy again and again as the night wears on. I don’t try to get her attention again, though. It’s clear she feels uncomfortable about this whole situation, and I don’t want to make it harder on her than it already is.
I’ll just have to try to get her alone later so we can clear the air.
Because there’s one thing I know for certain––I don’t want last night to be a one-time thing.
No, I want Roxanne back in my bed as soon as humanly possible.