26. Kodi
CHAPTER 26
Since practice on Tuesday, I’ve been ignoring just about everyone in my life and focusing on work. This is our bye week, so there’s no game on Saturday, and I send out a group text on Thursday night telling the team to take the night off on Friday.
Do I want to skip practice? Of course not. But I can’t risk losing half the team because they all think I’m too much of a hardass. I figure giving them the weekend to get drunk and calm down will pacify them long enough until their collective hatred of Spitz Hollow gets them riled up about practice again.
We face them again next weekend, and I need to make it clear to everyone that I do not intend to let up on practices until they prove to me that they’re ready to beat them handily this time.
I don’t want to leave Zeke’s defeat up to a tiebreaker.
After I send out the text, the stress and tension in my neck calls out for my attention. I’m about to take my favorite waterproof toy into the bath for a little “me time,” when I hear a knock at the door of my apartment.
I glance at the microwave clock. It’s almost 8:00. Who the heck would be coming over at this hour?
I’m in my stretchy leggings and scissor-cropped Mighty Swallows tee-shirt, but I figure it’s presentable enough considering I didn’t expect company. But when I open the door, I immediately regret not throwing on something slightly more modest.
Shit.
“Hi, Brian! Uh… what are you doing here?”
“Surprising you.” He’s holding one bag of Chinese take-out and another from the Plume N’ Zoom. “Can I come in?”
“Uh…sure.” I open the door and he breezes up to me, kissing me on the cheek as he crosses the threshold. “What–?”
“We’ve got an audience,” he mutters into my ear, and the feeling of his breath on my neck sends a shiver down my spine.
Then his words register, and I peer over his shoulder at the sidewalk.
Sure enough, across the street at the bus stop, a couple of Tit Peepers are pretending to read a bird guide together on a bench. I don’t buy the act for a second.
“Come on in, sweetie. Smells great!” I practically shout for the peanut gallery’s benefit before closing the door. Once we’re inside, I cross my arms. “Okay, what are you doing here for real?”
“I can’t buy my sweetie some dinner?” He smiles innocently, holding up the bags.
“Well, seeing as we didn’t have any plans…”
“Since when do we need to plan?” He sets down the bags on my kitchen island, and I walk over and lean against the counter in front of him. “We’ve been pretty good at improvising so far.”
He takes a step forward and places a hand on my exposed waist. I freeze.
Those aren’t healy hands.
His fingertips aren’t that assuring, comforting kind of warm they usually are.
No. This time, they’re hot. And little sparks shoot through me where they make contact with my bare skin.
I jump back. “What are you doing?”
“I realized it’s been a minute since we had a little PDA. Why is that?”
My heart races. What? Since when is Brian actually interested in pursuing anything except Operation: Win Zeke Back?
“What are you talking about? You just kissed me in the doorway. That’ll probably be front page news tomorrow. PDA quota for the week, met.” My voice falters a little in that last sentence. And my throat is dry.
Then I remember my vibrator waiting for me on the bathroom sink, and my stomach drops. Crap! Brian can’t see that.
“Um, give me a second, I need to change.” I start to dart past him back towards the hallway to my bedroom, but he catches me by the arm.
“You look fine. Seriously, I see way more skin at the gym every week.”
“Not my skin!” I squeak. He laughs.
“Kodi, let’s just relax tonight for a change.” He slowly turns us so we’re facing each other, and gives me just enough space to breathe without my nose being overwhelmed by his spicy cologne. Fuck, he smells good. “We haven’t had a chance to hang out without some kind of motive since…well, ever, really. And you could use a break.”
His hands rest easily on my hips, and my body starts to relax into his hold without me realizing. What was I going to do? There was something I needed to take care of…
I can’t seem to remember with his blue-green eyes boring into mine.
“I brought shrimp lo mein,” he says.
My one weakness. “I love shrimp lo mein.”
“And Doritos.”
“Cool Ranch?”
“Is there any other kind?” His eyes twinkle.
My resolve crumbles a little more. But I have to stay strong. “Almost perfect, there, Brian. Except we don’t have–”
He pulls a carton of Phish Food out of the Plume N’ Zoom bag. “Dessert?”
I almost cry on the spot. “How did you know…?”
“A little birdie told me.” He leans in, touching his forehead to mine, and I breathe in those magic, artificial scents that fragrance companies engineer with erotic names like “amber” and “black oak.”
They smell so good on a real man…
“Wait.” I snap my head up, realizing what “little birdie” happens to know all of my favorite foods. “Did Lily put you up to this?”
“Wh-what?” He scoffs. “Why would you…can’t a guy just get his fake girlfriend dinner and come over for a little Netflix and chill?”
“Netflix and chill?” I narrow my eyes. There’s no way this was his idea. “You know what that means, right?”
He glares at me. “I’m not that old, Kodi.”
“So you came over to seduce me with lo mein and Phish Food? And you expect me to believe Lily’s not somehow involved?”
He blinks. Then sighs.
“Fine. Yes. Lily suggested I take you on a date. But you weren’t returning my texts, so we compromised.”
“So you planned this?” I finally back away from him, and immediately I feel cold without his arms around me. I ignore it and collapse onto the couch. “Great. Just great. Now my best friend is conspiring with my fake boyfriend. Why? Does she think getting me pity laid will somehow loosen me up and make me less of a hardass at practice?”
I feel absolutely betrayed. Would I love to let Brian continue touching me? Sure. But not if it isn’t his idea. Not if he’s being coerced by my alleged best friend.
Silence from the kitchen confirms it. I pop up and spin on the couch, pointing an accusatory finger at Brian as I lean against the backrest. “Oh my God. That’s exactly what you’re doing!”
“I wasn’t going to seduce you,” he groans. “I was going to help you relax. Stuff you full of comfort food and give you a foot rub while we watch something mindless that you like. I don’t know, Bridgerton or whatever.”
“You think I watch Bridgerton?” I snort. “Yeah, right. That’s Lily’s bag, not mine.”
“Well something else then!” He rips the takeout containers out of the bag angrily. “God, you’re infuriating! Just take the free dinner!”
“I don’t want your blood takeout.”
“Blood takeout?” Now he’s snorting at me. “Kodi, your friends can see you’re stressed and they’re worried about you. I literally am certified in muscular manipulation and soft tissue work. I’ve got every one of your favorite foods here and you’ve literally got Netflix up on the television. Now take your lo mein, put your feet up, and let me pamper you, dammit!”
I cross my arms again, huffing.
Why does that have to sound so goddamn perfect?
“Fine.” I grumble. “But I’m eating dessert first.”
“Your terms are acceptable.” He hands me the carton and a spoon, and then takes the remote off the coffee table. “But I’m picking the show.”