Page 2 of Rescuing Royce

“Sure, I’m off duty for another day. Beer me.” He caught the no-look pass from Connor and put all his attention on opening the brew and taking a long pull of the light amber liquid. He needed to extinguish the fire Amber always created inside of him when they were in the same space.

They’d caravanned over to Grant and Sophie’s place after the last home game of the regular season. He let his gaze roam over the crowd, carefully avoiding the pool area, and noted the players and their families in attendance. He’d been quickly accepted into the tight circle of friends who played together on the baseball diamond and a handful of those who supported them.

He hadn’t missed the fact that most of the players and two of the owners hadn’t ventured far from the group of friends when looking for love. Hell, most of them were now married with a kid or two and a couple yet to be born. He’d just learned that Connor and his sister were expecting, but they were going to wait until after Grant and Sophie’s kid arrived next month before making the announcement.

Royce was happy for them. Although in the beginning, he was pissed at Connor thinking he was just playing around with Reese to get her into his bed, but now that they were married, he couldn’t see them without each other. Better them than him.

Laughter broke into his musings, and without thinking he zeroed in on the sound of Amber’s husky laugh. It had been a surprise to him the first time he’d heard it coming from her cute but short self. Just one more thing to set off his dick whenever he was around her.

Time stopped. His gaze lasered in on Amber’s. Her eyes were hidden behind dark lensed sunglasses, but he knew she’d discovered him watching her. The quick turn of her head gave her away. But it hadn’t been quick enough. Her double-take had tipped him off. And he watched as her mouth had opened and formed a pouty “oh.” An unconscious signal on her part, on his it was a challenge he almost took and walked over to find out what had been so funny to set off the women throwing back their heads and covering their mouths in merriment.

The first time he met Amber slammed into him. The memory from almost seven months ago of their handshake and her blue and interested eyes had him cursing his sister for introducing them. How messed up was it that the most beautiful and hottest woman he’d met in forever had to be a friend of his sisters? When their flesh had pressed together in that one handshake, a sharp, lightning-fast zap of energy slammed into him. Hesuppressed a groan at the inequity of it and swallowed a curse he wanted to shout at Reese.

He thought he’d hid his reaction well, but they had that weird twin connection and her eyes flashed “untouchable” toward Amber. He’d almost wiped his chin to make sure he hadn’t drooled. He pulled his hand back slow, relishing the contact, a single touch of the lovely Amber before he schooled his features and put on his cop face. No sense projecting his desire when it could never be fulfilled.

Besides, he preferred women who only wanted a hard tap on the ass and a night to brag about to their girlfriends. Royce was a guaranteed good time. One night only. He wasn’t interested in long-term; hell, he wasn’t even looking for anything with benefits. Too messy and emotions had a funny way of sneaking up on you. After what he went through the first year he lived in Dallas when a woman he’d spent just two nights in his bed began planning their wedding, he made sure anyone he hooked up with knew their time together was a one-time deal.

And if he was talked about behind his back as a womanizer, he’d take that over a lifetime tied to the wrong person.

“Kincaid! Yo, come over here and back up your man. He claims you almost beat the crap out of him last year. That true?” Maverick Jansen, star pitcher for the Outlaws, waved him over to the grill where he and Connor were critiquing Grant’s grilling strategy with the mouth-watering steaks. The smell of perfectly grilled meat reached him, and he willingly pulled himself from mooning over a woman he couldn’t have, not even for his usual one night only.

“Holt, you talking smack again. I didn’t even come close to touching you. Why do you have to keep telling that story now that you’re married to my sister cracks me up.” Royce reluctantly turned his back to the view he had of Amber. Her low-cut dress and high heels provided fed a fantasy of them together, alone,and him removing everything but the heels as they went at each other under a late summer evening. Outside sex was definitely something he’d like to introduce her to; in an alternate universe where she wasn’t Reese’s friend.

‘Hey, man. Where’d you go?” Connor asked.

Maverick and Connor exchanged a knowing look. Royce finished off his beer and tossed it in the trashcan next to the grill. “Just thinking.”

“Yea, thinking about his next hook-up. Have I told you that Royce here might need to leave the state soon in order to find a woman he hasn’t?—"

“Con, I’m sure Maverick could care less about my personal life. But, if memory serves, before Kelsey made an honest man out of you, you had your fair share of the single female population back in Boston.” As Royce finished speaking, he caught a movement to his left and turned to see who had joined them.

A mere two steps away, Amber paused at the food table, grabbed a handful of napkins, and disappeared into the house. Her face had been flushed. He willed her to look up, and when she did, the look they exchanged was full of longing and regret. Before he could act on either emotion, she disappeared into the house.

Dammit. He took a quick look toward the pool. What had happened? Evie, Sophie, Reese were now all standing and speaking with a few more of the player’s wives who had joined the group. The party had grown since he’d arrived. He’d been so focused on not getting caught staring at Amber that he’d let his guard down. Even off duty he was always aware of his surroundings and who came and went. Years of training in the military and now as a SWAT member ensured his senses were perpetually on high alert no matter his surroundings.

However, when Amber Wyatt was around, it appeared his radar locked only onto her. And that had to change. To make sure that happened, he needed to leave—now.

“You’ve got it bad. I know that look. Con, isn’t she a friend of Reese’s. Maybe, you should?—”

Connor waved off Maverick’s matchmaking attempt. “Not a good idea. Reese and Royce have an understanding. He doesn’t try to hook-up with her friends, and she lets him live.”

Royce listened with half an ear as the two men had a good laugh at his expense. Con wasn’t wrong. Reese came first no matter how much he wanted Amber. Question was, how long could he hold out now that he’d be seeing her every time this group of friends got together?

2

O’Malley’s Pub was packed. It didn’t hurt that the co-owners were two of the local Idaho Outlaws star players, Maverick Jansen and Luke Garibaldi. The team was on the road, and tonight they’d just won game two of the western division playoff series. Two more wins, and they’d be headed to their first league championship series.

Royce had just finished an uneventful shift and was ready to find a willing bed partner and spend the evening erasing Amber from his thoughts.

She was becoming an unobtainable obsession, and tonight he vowed to end the wanting and replace it with a couple rounds of his favorite exercise.

And he found the perfect woman. Someone whose features and coloring were the exact opposite of Amber’s. It was a Friday, after nine p.m., and he was ready to make his move when a commotion occurred at the front door. A group of women entered. A loud group, to be more exact. He glanced over his shoulder on his way to the bar. What he saw stopped him cold in his tracks. Amber and a group of friends weaved their way to theback of the room and thanks to a reserved sign, took ownership of a six top.

He watched in disbelief as the woman he was here to erase from his thoughts had just cock blocked him. What. The. Hell? It had been a week since he last laid eyes on Amber and spent every day since thinking about her and her shapely legs in high heeled shoes wrapped around his waist.

Squeals of laughter rang out as he debated his next move. The blonde at the bar wouldn’t be alone much longer. He’d already scouted out the competition, and a couple of other guys had been sending her drinks, and one had made his way over and struck up a conversation with the blonde and her equally attractive friend. But he’d set his sights on the blonde for one reason. He wasn’t looking for a substitute, just a quick lay. It would be easier if the woman didn’t share similar features.

“Royce!”

---