Page 87 of Playmaker

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me, I don’t offer that often.” It had been a long time.

Her lips twitched as she considered. I stole another look at her body, still uncovered in the bed. She didn’t have any hang-ups about being nude. Freckles covered as much of her creamy skin as I could see, and her pussy was covered by red hair. I needed to get a lot more personal with that. I hadn’t tasted her yet.

I wanted her to stay.

“I’d like to have that delectable body close by for another round.”

Amusement flashed in her eyes. “You up for that?”

“I will be.”

She stayed the night. I’d thought it would be hard to sleep with someone sharing the bed again, but the sex must have worn me out because I slept like a baby.

I woke her up with my mouth on her pussy, and it was everything I’d hoped.

I was actually in a good mood when we left for the wedding.

* * *

This was the final performance.I stood at the front of the church, with my brother and some buddies of the groom’s, dressed up in tuxes while we waited for the bridal party to come down the aisle. I mostly ignored Pierce’s whispered comments. Much better to remember last night.

The church was packed. The huge stone building was filled with flowers, so that the air was thick with their scent. There was an arch of white blooms over the doorway where the bridal party would appear, and matching bouquets on the end of every pew, as well as almost filling the altar area around us. The white was a backdrop for the well-dressed people in the pews, highlighting the tuxes and vivid colors of the women’s dresses. I spotted Callie easily—that bright hair was a beacon where the sun fell through a window and lit her up.

She hadn’t been willing to wear a fascinator, which a lot of the women here were showing off, but her hair alone made her stand out. The dress was gorgeous and hugged her body just right. After the last two nights, it gave me ideas that I couldn’t do anything about, not with the eyes of several hundred people on me.

The music started, everyone stirred, and the bridal procession began. I kept the proper interested expression on my face but I wasn’t paying attention to the bridesmaids coming down the aisle. I focused on Callie. She was sitting on her own, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She watched the women walking oh so slowly down the aisle, but I’d bet my Ferrari that she wasn’t planning her own wedding. She was probably taking notes in case she was invited to something similar by someone in her firm.

Her glance swung forward and our eyes met. She rolled hers and I had to fight to keep from laughing.

Then came the bride, my father leading her to the front of the church. Dad was in an immaculate tux, and Tinsley looked breathtaking in her simple but perfectly fitting gown. She wasn’t wearing the traditional veil, so her face was visible. Both she and my father looked confident, pleased with themselves, and proud. I compared it to Faith and Seb’s wedding, when she’d looked like the world revolved around him. And though Hunts would deny it to his dying day, he’d had tears in his eyes.

If I ever—My smile dropped as I reined in those thoughts. I was never. Not getting married, not exposing some poor woman to a lifetime connection to my family, not giving my brother a weapon against me.

You can’t be cheated on if you don’t have someone who’s yours.

My eyes swung to Callie again. Yeah, she’d been exposed to enough this weekend. It was a good thing we had set up boundaries, because she was much too appealing.

* * *

The reception draggedon as well. I made polite talk to people I hadn’t seen since my parents’ anniversary party two years ago. They were all friends of my family or the groom’s. The more interesting friends I’d made on my own were not invited. Before the evening was turned over to the band, I was able to catch up with Callie for a couple of moments. We’d finished the dinner and the first dance with the couple and the parents and family. My responsibilities weren’t over yet, but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“How are you surviving?” I asked.

She looked around the reception hall, flowers and candles on every surface, well-modulated voices filling the room. “Your family likes ceremony, don’t they?”

“They live on it.”

“I can see you fitting in here. I mean, obviously you do, but at the same time this doesn’t seem like you at all.”

“Not sure fitting in is much of a compliment.”

A smile crossed her face. “I meant that you know all the unwritten rules. You know how to dress and dance and how to use the utensils properly. Which wines are right, and how to talk to people.”

Callie placed a higher value on those things than I did, because she didn’t have them. “Are you having an okay time? Are people bothering you?”

She shrugged. “I’m all right. I’m quiet and following what everyone else does.”

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