“Jake scores again,” Adam cheered from behind the bar, and Darcy looked up at the TV again.
She really needed to pay better attention to the game and not slip up around these women.
“Ooh, I hope he gets a hattie,” Penny said. “It’s only the first period. That could totally happen. He’s on fire. Has been for about two months now. Wonder what that could be about.”
Darcy groaned. “You two are equally terrible. Maybe I should go sit at the bar with some of the other ladies.”
“Oh please, they’re not nearly as fun as we are,” Amanda scoffed.
“I’m loads of fun,” Sophia Lanzi said, taking the empty seat across from Darcy. “What did I miss?”
“Jake scored two goals because he’s blissfully in love with our Darcy. Isn’t it sweet?” Amanda said.
“How many drinks has she had tonight?” Sophia asked.
“Oh stop. I’ve had one and could use another. Who wants something?” Amanda asked, getting up from the table. “This round’s on me.”
“I want a lemondrop martini,” Penny said.
“Ooh, sounds good. I’ll have that,” Sophia said.
“I’m good with my porter,” Darcy said. Hard liquor always did a number on her, and she had to work on her peer journal review tomorrow. She wanted to get everything done she saw Jake tomorrow night.
He was fuckingexhausted. A two-hour flight had turned into a ten-hour delay because an unexpected storm had shifted south and rolled into Chicago. They were supposed to fly out late morning and be back after lunchtime, but they’d ended up stuck in Chicago. He’d had to text Darcy to say he wouldn’t be able to have dinner with her. Tomorrow, she had to work at the coffee shop, and he had a game, so the chances of them seeing each other were slim.
Fuck. That sounded like a real relationship. He wasn’t sure when that had happened, but he also wasn’t going to fight it.
Which freaked him the hell out. A night back in his condo alone was probably a good thing.
He dropped his bags inside his front door and tossed his suit jacket over one of the barstools at the kitchen island. He’d deal with all of that in the morning. Now, he wanted a shower and a beer.
And he wanted to hear her voice.
He pulled his phone out and swiped it on.
Jake:Just got home. You up?
It was close to midnight, so probably not, but it was worth a shot.
He heard a ding coming from his bedroom.
He walked into his room, where moonlight spilled across the bed from the partially open curtains.
And there she was. In his bed. Waiting for him?
Idiot. Who the fuck else would she be waiting for? Or maybe she was here studying and meant to go home but fell asleep. That made more sense.
For fuck’s sake. He never put this much effort into figuring a woman out, and right now, he was overanalyzing. Something he’d never done before.
“Jake.”
Her voice was soft with sleep and pulled him right out of his head. The sheet moved as she shifted her legs under the fabric, and he was no longer interested in the shower or the beer. Only in her.
Always in her.
And he craved nothing more than to actually be in her right now. It’d been too long.
“Hi,” he said, dropping his phone on the nightstand and quickly shedding his shirt and pants, leaving him in boxer briefs that left nothing to the imagination about how much he wanted her.