Page 3 of Zone Protection

I mean, she’s not wrong. He’s tall with blond hair that’s long enough that he can pull it back and covered in tattoos. Not at all my usual type. But he’s fucking fine. I can only imagine what he looks like under that T-shirt and jeans that fit like a glove. He’s gotta have one of those Adonis belts—the holy grail for thirsty women everywhere.

“I’m going over there. You should definitely come too! Come on, Em.”

She tugs on my arm, but I pull it back.

“A shot is calling my name. I’ll be right back.”

She nods and heads out to the dance floor.

I walk into the kitchen, which is the room next to where I’ve been standing. There’s a bar set up on the island in the center of the kitchen.Baris a loose term. Really, it’s just a bunch of liquor bottles, although they are lined up neatly.

“Can I get you something?” a cute guy asks. He has brown hair and an interesting T-shirt that saysTwo-Seaterwith one arrow pointing up to his face and another pointing down to his junk. “I’m the rookie on bar duty tonight. Whatcha thinkin’? Wait, don’t I know you from somewhere? Emma, right? Golf?” He holds out his hand for me to shake. “Leo Morris. I’m the new kicker for the football team. I saw you at the Fellowship of Athletes meeting a few weeks ago.”

I take his hand and shake it. “Oh, cool. Nice to meet you, Leo. Congrats on the win today.”

“Thank you. It was?—”

He’s cut off by Dan Smith, who I’ve known for a few years now. I actually hooked up with him once.

“Sup, Emma? Looking good. Want to come out back and get a beer?” He loops his arm around Leo’s shoulders andbasically puts him in a headlock. “It’s time for this guy to pay his dues.”

“I thought I was paying my dues by manning the bar!” He coughs out a laugh.

“I’m gonna pass, but you guys have fun. Nice to meet you, Leo.” I wave.

Dan gives me a wink and turns with Leo still in his hold toward the back porch. I’ll admit, Dan is hot and a possible contender for the D, but I don’t really do repeats. That gets messy, and I don’t have time for messy. Or feelings. Easy hookups are all I can manage right now, so one-night stands work for me.

I peruse the options on the bar and settle on a shot of Fireball. I have no intention of getting fucked up tonight, but maybe a shot will make being here less … annoying. So, I grab one of the red plastic shot glasses and fill it to the top. At least my breath won’t smell as horrible with the cinnamon aftertaste.

Wasting no time—because I don’t want to stand around with a shot in my hand like a weirdo as people wander in and out of the kitchen—I knock it back in one go. It burns like a motherfucker, and I wince, while also trying to seem unaffected.

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge on my way back to the dance floor. One shot was enough for me tonight, though I’ve never been a big drinker anyway.

Finding my spot by the speaker again, I see my friends still dancing with Archie. Well,dancingisn’t really the term I would use. They’re grinding up against each other. Peyton is in the front, and Mia is behind him. Livi is dancing near them, but with some guy I don’t recognize.

Honestly, there isn’t a guy in here who isn’t hot, but there is something about Archie Griffith that draws you in. I don’t know him personally, but watching him on the field and in interviews, I see he’s got that Southern boy charm that apparently makes guys envious and girls lose their panties. Literally.

His arms are draped over Peyton’s shoulders, but he’s nottouching her with his hands. He leans in to hear something she’s saying, and when he looks up, our eyes meet.

I’m not sure if it’s the Fireball making its way through my body or if it’s him, but heat rises from my toes to my cheeks. With a little extra heat making a pit stop at my lady business. I can’t say a guy has ever had this effect on me before.

I break my gaze first so I don’t look like some stalker. But I can’t help but look back, and when I do, he’s still looking at me, and now he has the sexiest little smirk on his face.

He says something to Peyton and moves his hands to Mia’s wrists, which are wrapped around his waist, and removes them from his body. His eyes never leaving mine.

Jesus, this man is sex on a stick and is now walking toward me.

Wait! He’s walking toward me. Do not act like a nerd, Emma.

“Hey. You having fun tonight?” he asks me, crossing his arms across his chest, making his biceps look enormous.

With him standing this close to me, I can see just how big he is. And I’m not short by any means. I’m five-eight, and he still towers over me.

“Huh? I can’t hear you over the bass. What did you say?”Way to play it cool, Em.

He takes hold of my elbow and drifts us a little farther away from the speaker.

“I asked if you were having fun.” He gives me a sexy smile.

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