Page 18 of Going All In

What had she been thinking?

He was currently across the room chatting with the team captain, Ben, and his girlfriend, Amanda.

“Having fun?” Penny asked, taking the seat at the kitchen island next to Darcy.

“Of course. And I know I already mentioned this, but your house is amazing. I would burn so many meals beyond repair in this kitchen, but I still want it.”

Penny laughed. “Thanks. It was a lot of fun finding the right house. You should come over one night when Sophia, Finn’s girlfriend, is here. She’s a Lanzi and she’s teaching me a few recipes.”

“Absolutely.”

“So what’s up with you and Jake?”

Darcy barked out a laugh, and then grimaced. “How long have you been holding that in?”

“Since your mother latched on to him and said he was your boyfriend.”

“Uh. That was a mistake. I’m dating another guy named Jake that she hasn’t met yet.”

Penny eyed her. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

“Yep. Just a mistake.”

“Well, if you do decide to date Jake, he might be a handful, but he’s actually a pretty decent guy.”

“Well, he’s not my type, and I’m definitely not his, so…”

“Just putting it out there,” Penny said, then another guest snagged her attention and Darcy stared down at her drink.

She either needed a refill, or she needed to escape.

Jake parked hiscar in visitor parking and walked across campus three days later. This was insane, but he couldn’t get Darcy out of his head. He’d steered clear of her for the rest of the housewarming party, but his eyes had tracked her until she’d finally left a few hours in. She’d looked like she was having a great time with his teammates, but as soon as he got too close, she found a new group to chat with.

It was fucking annoying.

Not that he cared.

Yes, he’d let his cocky side fly after she’d fessed up to what she’d told her mother. He probably could’ve toned it down, but it was too late for that now.

She’d caught him looking at her a few times, and her tongue had darted out to the corner of her mouth before she turned back to her drink or whoever was in front of her.

Then Ralph had texted him again this morning and it’d sealed the deal.

“Show management that you want to stay here. Put down some roots. Maybe don’t buy a house just yet. But stop fucking everything that walks and doesn’t have a dick.”

“What the fuck. I’m not that bad,” Jake had replied.

“Sure you aren’t.”

Ralph had fucking winked. Well, he’d sent a winking emoji. Jackass.

But Darcy’s words had echoed in his head. And his cockiness wasn’t getting him anywhere.

He walked across the massive lawn to his intended target and checked the time on his phone again. She should be out shortly.

Finding the right building, he leaned against the wall slightly across from the door and waited.

He flipped through the messages on his phone. Another one from Ralph, that he deleted, and a several from the group chat he had with Harty, Sully, and a few of the other guys.

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