Chapter 30
THIRTY
“I have so many questions for you,” Ruby says, sitting forward. Her long red hair falls over her shoulders, and her eyes glitter with excitement. She’s impossible not to like, even as I get the feeling I’m about to be interrogated.
“Questions about what?” I ask, sneaking a glance at Conrad across the basement. The guys are playing poker at a table and the girls have gathered on the sectional. Me, Ruby, and Hannah. They have me sandwiched, sitting on either side, and they’re both staring at me intently.
“Conrad,” they say in unison.
“We held back last night because we didn’t want to scare you off,” Hannah says.
“But now we’re dying to know everything,” Ruby adds.
“What’s he like?” Hannah asks, followed by, “Is it serious? It feels serious. How did you get him to talk to you?”
Ruby chuckles softly. “I said I had questions for her.”
“Same, obviously. So many questions.”
I open my mouth but find I don’t know what to say.
“Sorry if we just bombarded you.” Hannah gives me a sheepish smile. “I love that guy so much, and I’m just so happy for him. I cannot tell you how many people I tried to set him up with.”
“She may not want to hear about all the other women he talked to,” Ruby says.
“Right.” Hannah grimaces. “Sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. He told me.”
“He did?” she asks.
“Yeah. He felt bad that you kept introducing him to people and then he scared them off.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Ruby insists.
Hannah looks at her with confusion but then they share some sort of silent conversation and Hannah agrees. “They weren’t the right women for him.”
It’s sweet that they’re trying to downplay it, so they don’t scare me off or anything.
“It’s okay. Did he tell you how bad our first date went?” I ask. “I couldn’t figure out why he’d asked me on a date and then seemed completely uninterested in me. I thought he’d asked me out as some sort of dare or something.”
Both girls laugh softly.
I look across the room at Conrad again. He glances up and smiles at me. There’s so much warmth and tenderness in that simple look that my stomach flips. I press a hand to my lower belly.
I look at Hannah head on. “Anyway, I’m glad he scared off all your friends so that he was single when I met him. He’s incredible.”
Hannah’s shoulders inch up to her ears, and she makes a little squeal of delight. “You are in love with him.”
She didn’t ask it as a question, but I answer her anyway.
“No.” My denial doesn’t sound convincing even to my own ears.
Both girls stare at me with amusement.
“Okay. Maybe. But come on, who could blame me?”
He’s laughing at something one of the other guys said. Those lips curled and those blue eyes lit up with happiness.
“I’m guessing you haven’t told him,” Ruby says.
“It’s too soon and we’ve had a lot going on.” I don’t need to tell Ruby and Hannah about Victor as I’m sure they’ve both already heard from their husbands.
“Nick told me he loved me pretty fast after knowing him,” Ruby says. “Six weeks or so.”
“Yeah, but didn’t you leave first before he figured it out?” Hannah asks.
“Yes, that is true.” Ruby nods. “Any chance you’re planning to move away? Distance can be a swift reality check.”
The three of us laugh and settle into a comfortable silence.
Hannah is the first to break it. “He is stupid hot.”
“Who?” Ruby asks. “Travis?”
“Well, yes . . .” She pulls at the side of her lip with her teeth. “But I was talking about Conrad.”
I gape at her, then Ruby bursts into giggles, and I join in.
Hannah’s face turns red. “I’m sorry. I promise I’m not making moves on your man, but sometimes I look at him and I feel a little starstruck.
He is just . . . I mean, wow. I could never date him because I’d be afraid to mess him up or something.
” She stops talking and studies me. “Are you going to kick my ass?”
“As if I could.” I glance pointedly at her toned arms. She’s shorter than me but fit and muscular from her sport.
“I’m not into him. Promise,” Hannah says. “I love Travis so much. I can’t imagine being with anyone else. Ever. He’s it for me.”
“She’s just really into staring at other guys . . . or rather, Conrad.” Ruby lets out another small laugh.
“We’re good,” I assure her, then stare a little harder at Conrad. “He really, really is ridiculously hot, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, it’s sort of unreal,” Ruby says. “And he has no idea, like zero, that women want him.”
Conrad meets my gaze again and this time the way I’m looking at him has his lips quirking into a knowing smirk. My body heats with desire, and my cheeks are hot.
“I think he’s starting to realize,” I say. At the very least he knows I want him.
After the poker game is over, the eight of us head upstairs to the back deck. The night air is cold, but Conrad wraps his arms around me and holds me on his lap to keep me warm.
Danny and August brought a deck of cards out and they’re playing war while the rest of us absently watch and talk about random topics. We’ve covered everything from hockey to horoscopes.
“I like your friends,” I say to Conrad as Nick breaks up the circle to put his son, Aidan, to bed and grab fresh drinks for everyone.
“They like you too.” He pushes a windblown strand of hair behind one ear. “So do I.”
A shiver runs through me.
“You want something else to drink?” Conrad asks.
I shake the bottle of the nearly full beer. “No. I’m not feeling it tonight.”
“Are you worried about Landon? Victor?”
I nod because I am worried about both of them, but that isn’t it. I rarely drink anymore, and I think the two beers I had last night didn’t settle well with me amidst everything else going on.
“Want something else? Water? Soda? Tea?” He looks like he’s about to list off twelve more options.
“Water would be great.”
“Be right back.” He takes his empty and my full beer and heads inside.
As I’m taking my seat again, Travis clears his throat and regards me with a serious expression. “So, Whitney.”
My already upset stomach lurches with anxiety. I’m expecting him to bring up Victor, maybe ask me what I think of the play or tell me how much he hates him.
He folds his hands together at his waist. “What are your intentions with Shep?”
“Excuse me?” A startled laugh escapes my mouth.
Travis’s lips pull into a goofy half smile. “You two have been seeing each other for a couple months now. Is it serious? Is he the one?”
Hannah smacks at his chest lightly. “You can’t ask her that.”
Ruby giggles from her other side, knowing full well that the two of them already asked me the same sort of questions. Hannah gives me a wink as Travis gives me a slightly apologetic smile.
“I only want to look out for my guy. He’s obviously in love with you, and if you don’t feel the same, then I need to think about how I’m going to be a better wingman for him in the future.”
A flash of jealousy hits me at this completely made-up, ridiculous scenario. Despite everyone smiling and laughing at Trav’s question, they’re watching me closely for my answer. Even Danny and August have temporarily paused their card game.
“If you decide to play wingman and set Conrad up with someone else, then I may have to borrow your wife to kick their asses.” I smile sweetly as my man steps back outside.
Everyone bursts into laughter.
Conrad stops and looks around the circle. “What’d I miss?”
“Nothing, man,” August says. He’s the first to compose himself. “We’re just getting to know Whitney.”
Conrad’s lips loosen into a smile. Without breaking eye contact with me he asks them, “She’s great, isn’t she?”
The next morning I’m feeling much better. It may have something to do with the man in my bed, or rather the way he woke me up.
We’re in the kitchen now having a lazy morning before Conrad has to go. The team flies to Calgary this afternoon for a series of away games.
I’m sitting on the counter, wearing his T-shirt like that will keep him here.
He moves around the small space, shirtless, making food for both of us.
Well, mostly him, because all I’m interested in eating is toast. I think my drinking days are over.
My body can’t handle it at the ripe old age of twenty-five.
“Are you sure you don’t want any eggs or bacon?” Conrad turns from the stove to look at me.
“I’m good.” I take another bite of my buttered toast. “Breakfast and a show.”
I lift my brows and give him a heated look. He shuffles over to kiss me. Before he can pull away, I grab hold of his jeans to keep him in place.
“My food is going to burn.”
“Should have had toast.” I let my lips linger against his for another moment before letting him go.
He moves back, then mutters, “Fuck it,” before stepping to me again. He moves between my legs and wraps his arms around my waist.
I giggle into his mouth as his slants over mine. My toast falls.
“My breakfast,” I murmur with a whine.
Conrad’s lips pull higher at the corners. “You weren’t so concerned with mine.”
I’m not concerned about mine either. Not really.
He keeps kissing me, and I let my hands roam along his warm, muscular chest and stomach, around to his back. I’m going to miss him so much this week. A girl could get used to waking up with him and making out over breakfast.
Conrad stops and moves his lips from mine. “Did you hear that?”
“What?” I ask at the same time a knock sounds on the front door.
“Expecting someone?” He goes to the stove and turns off the burners.
I hop down from the counter.
“No,” I say. “I bet it’s Sloane.” She’s the only person who stops by my place unannounced besides Conrad.
I go to the front door, only remembering I’m not wearing pants when my hand is on the doorknob. Conrad’s shirt comes down mid-thigh so at least I won’t be flashing her. In fact, she’ll probably think it’s hilarious.
By some miracle, I happen to look up and see part of my visitor’s head through the frosted glass pane at the top of the door. It’s too tall to be Sloane, for one, and secondly, I’d recognize my brother’s big head anywhere.
“Fuck.” I step back and put a hand to my mouth.
“Who is it?” Conrad asks.
Double fuck. Conrad.
I turn to him. Victor knocks on the door again.