Page 70 of The Player Penalty
“We worked out a good strategy,” I say back.
Lily senses my stare and smiles shyly before focusing on Pete. She points at me and then mimes a driving motion.
The two of us have plans later, or we will once I ask if she’s ready to leave.
With me.
“You two are good together,” Jake says.
I pretend to misunderstand his apparent fishing expedition. “We’re friends.”
Technically, it’s still true.
“Bullshit. You look like a man in love.” His cocky smile is all confidence, like it always is. “I would know and take it from me. Married life is great.”
I choke. “You should stop right now.” Lily would freak out at the insinuation as much as I did. Wouldn’t she?
“That’s good advice,” Boone says, taking the empty chair on my other side. “You should steer clear. It would save me the headache.”
“I wouldn’t give you aspirin for a migraine,” I say.
Jake says, “That’s a confirmation if I ever heard one.”
“I turn a blind eye to all your other flings,” Boone says. I grit my jaw as my irritation grows. “You can’t do that with her. She’s an employee, for starters, and that’s an HR nightmare.”
“Look who you’re married to,” I say, then consider a bit longer. “Neither of you have any room to speak about that issue.”
“Okay, I’ll own that,” Boone starts. He squares his shoulders and begins again. “If you start something with her, think long and hard about how you finish it. You can’t block her number or leave in the morning afterward. That is Pete Webb’s daughter.”
I’m stuck between a hopeless romantic for an angel on one side of me and an annoying dark-haired devil on the other. “I’m aware of who she is.”
I would have started something between us even earlier if she’d been someone else. Hell, I barely recognized her a year ago and came close to plotting another conquest.
At some point, I can’t even be sure when, my desire for her grew, and my interest in every other woman disappeared. Now, I only want her.
“What’s your favorite part of racing?” I ask them both.
“Winning,” Jake says without preamble.
“The strategy,” Boone says a heartbeat later.
Mine is taking risks. “You two have a great evening. Married life sounds amazing.”
I get up.
Jake Knowles will think he won a matchmaking victory, while Boone will stew over Pete’s reaction. That’s been his concern lately. It doesn’t matter because neither of their opinions matters to me.
“You want to get out of here?” I ask Lily, interrupting her conversation.
She stands so quickly that the chair wobbles. “Let’s go.”
Pete follows and moves to stand between us. “You have class tomorrow.”
“I’ll see she gets there,” I say.
His glances move to Lily, me, and finally back at Lily. “You know what I’ve said about him.”
Oh, I can guess.
