Page 30 of Force Play

She steps into me laughing. “What now?”

“Take the Uber back to my place and stay there. I’ll head over to Poppy’s or Mia’s and crash on the couch.”

“No. I can sleep on your couch.”

“Absolutely not. You flew out here to see me. I’m not making you sleep on a shitty couch.” Even though I could sleep in the living room, it feels weird to go back with her.

“Everything okay out here?” Dom’s deep voice asks from the door. When I turn to tell him to butt out, I find him watching us with his eyebrows drawn together in genuine concern.

“It’s fine.” The car pulls up and I grab my keys, twisting the small gold one off and pressing it into Bri’s hand, along with a quick kiss to her cheek. “Please, just do this for me. I’ll go stay with one of the girls.”

She nods, ducking into the car. “Fine. Text me so I know you found a place to stay.”

“I’ll make sure she’s set up,” Dom says, keeping his distance even while inserting himself into the situation.

Chapter 11

Dom

Brianna’s red hair disappears behind the closed door for a moment before she rolls down the window and waves.

The glow of tail lights disappear in the distance and we stand there silently for a moment, the air thick between us. Then Indie turns away from me with her head down and pulls her phone out of her back pocket. A wall of curls hide her face from me.

“What are you doing?” I’ve given her space until this point, not wanting to intrude, even though it’s killing me to know what’s going on in her head.

“Calling an Uber,” she says flatly, still not letting me get a read on her.

I wanted her for myself, but never at the expense of her getting hurt. The thought that she’s upset has me moving closer.

“And where are you going?” She takes a step away but I don’t let her retreat. Placing a gentle hand on her arm, I turn her toward me.

“Poppy or Mia’s.”

Still, she refuses to look at me. “Hey, are you okay?” I don’t dare lift her chin so I can see her the way I want to. She shifts on her feet.

“I’m fine, Dom. I just want to get out of here.” No snark or sass, just resignation. Defeat—from her voice, to her folded shoulders, and her downcast eyes. Yet she hasn’t called a car.

“Come on.” Covering her hand with mine I lock her screen. “You know you don’t really want to spend the night with the happy couples right now.”

“Where do you expect me to go?” She slides the phone back in her pocket and I consider it a win.

“One of my perfectly good guest bedrooms. You can even take the one in the basement if it makes you feel better to have an extra floor between us.” I point down the street. “My truck is right there. I know you don’t like me, but right now, you don’t have a lot of appealing options.”

“That seems like a stretch. All it would take is a call to any of the girls and they would happily take me in for the night. No questions asked.”

She doesn’t move to follow me when I take a few steps towards my car. “But you would mind. Come on, you’re not going to get a better offer.”

Her feet scuff across the sidewalk, always staying a couple of steps behind me. When we reach the truck, I hold the passenger door open as she sinks back into the seat. I’m tempted to ask her if she’s okay again. Indie’s a little thorny, but that doesn’t mean she’s immune to disappointment and hurt.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s fine. I’ll be fine,” she says, pulling her door shut and ending the conversation.

Shockingly, I hate awkward silence with a passion. Still, I suppress the need to fill the car with chatter, regardless of how badly my skin prickles. Indie’s forehead is resting against the window, but outside of being less combative with me, she really seems mostly fine. There are no tears, no angry ranting, just acceptance of the situation. I heard enough of the conversation to know that she and Brianna mutually called it off.

Not that my feelings on the situation matter, but I’m not sure what to think.

On one hand, I’m not mad about her newly single status. Maybe I was jealous, especially of how she had her hands all over Indie the way I wish she’d let me touch her. But after getting to know Brianna, it was obvious she was a good person. Kind enough to take care of Indie the way she deserves, and strong enough to challenge her so she doesn’t get bored. If she’s not going to give me a shot, at least she was with someone that seemed decent. Still, you can’t convince me that anyone is better for her than I am.

Now, if only I could make her see that.

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