Page 26 of Loving the Legend
“One of your girlfriends showing up unannounced in the middle of the night—shocker,” Kieran says dryly.
“She’s not my girlfriend. It’s casual,” Sid says to me.
I swallow a big bite of food and cough to clear my throat. “It’s cool, ahem, with me. The more the merrier.”
“Be right back,” Sid says, and I watch him depart. It’s strange but I’ve enjoyed having his undivided attention. Maybe it’s not strange—the guy is magnetic. Something about him makes you want him all to yourself. How he’s remained single this long is nothing short of a feat.
Kieran, Tommy, and I are bitching about the high-rise developments that have popped up all over Brooklyn when Sid returns embraced by Katrina, who is as gorgeous as she appears on the screen. She’s dressed for a night out in a strapless, cherry-red tube dress. Diamond earrings sparkle from her ears, matching her dazzling smile. Her hair is swept up in a curly ponytail.
“You’ve met Tommy and Kieran. This is my friend Ty. He plays for—”
“The Knights, duh. You think I live under a rock?” Katrina teases as she floats over to me and plants a soft double-cheek kiss. Her perfume smells expensive and floral.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ty! If I knew you were here, I would have brought one of my single girlfriends.”
I smile, but before I can reply, she adds, “Or single boyfriends?”
Kieran scoffs. “Oh my god! You’re here for less than sixty seconds and you’re already prying your way into the man’s business.”
“Geez! No one in this house cares.” She continues spreading the love, sauntering over to him and Tommy for double-cheek kisses. “Everyone deserves someone warm to snuggle up with, don’t they, baby?” she says, making her way back to Sid. Shestands on her tiptoes and pulls his face down to meet her parted lips for a kiss. Sid looks a smidge bashful as she deepens the kiss and lets out a tiny moan. The increased sexual energy in the air is palpable.
“Who needs a room now?” Kieran asks.
Sid pulls away and cups her tiny waist to spin her around so that her back is leaning against his chest.
“That may be, but Ty is married to the game. He’s the most focused rookie of his class,” Sid says while wiping the lipstick from his lips.
“That’s too bad. With features that gorgeous and a body that ripped, he could have a lover in every zip code,” she says.
“Maybe we should stop objectifying and talking about Ty in the third person and move on,” Tommy mutters.
Fighting embarrassment, I stuff my face with the last bite of food from my plate.
“Nice to meet you,” I say belatedly. I nod to Sid. “The food was delicious. The lasagna is the best I’ve had.”
“Yeah?” he grins. “Tell my mom that tomorrow. She’d love to hear it.”
I nod.
“How about we move to the living room until you have room for pie?”
I pat my stomach. “Who said I don’t have room for pie?”
I throw my plate in the dishwasher after Sid points me to a cabinet door. I grab a small dessert plate and cut a slice of both peach and apple pie.
“Holy cow! I think he could eat us under the table,” Kieran tells Tommy and Sid.
“A dream! A gorgeous balla with a big appetite for home-cooked grub,” Katrina says, staring at me like I’m dessert.
Sid shakes his head and grins. “You hungry, Kat?”
“That’s an understatement,” Kieran mutters, and I snicker.
“As if I could eat after seven p.m. with this waistline,” she retorts, scanning the food.
“You’d be beautiful any size,” Sid says in a way that tells me he’s said this to her many times before.
Katrina cackles. “Tell Hollywood that.” She reaches into the fridge for sparkling water.
