Page 40 of Getting the Grinder
“Got it. With extra cheese dip,” Suki says.
She backs out of the garage and closes the door, glancing over at me.
“Carter is so ready for a baby. I keep putting him off because I’m waiting for you and Leo to make this thing official, so we can get pregnant at the same time.”
I cringe. “Don’t say it like that, gross. It makes me feel like we’ll be side by side on our backs getting railed.”
“What’s wrong with you? You know what I meant.”
“Leo and I will probably come out of this fake relationship as friends,” I admit. “But we’re definitely not getting married. Have your baby, and then if I have one in a few years, your kid can babysit my kid.”
She groans. “That’s not as fun.”
I yawn, my early morning and late night catching up with me. “How long will this thing be? I have to get up for work in the morning.”
“Not super late. The guys are leaving early tomorrow for a road trip.”
“Okay, good. Eating carbs is going to knock my ass out.”
Suki got me a jersey—or I guess, a sweater, as hockey players apparently call them—with Leo’s last name on the back. I’m wearing it even though it’s not really my thing. It’s comfortable, and I do love a night out in black leggings and tennis shoes.
When we get to the restaurant, several players are already at the table. One of them is Anson, who gives me a tight-lipped nod in greeting.
Leo’s eyes lock onto me as I make sure to say hi to everyone at the table. When I turn my gaze to his, my concern comes back. I can tell from his expression that something is wrong. I turn on the charm so I can get him alone.
“Hey babe, can I talk to you?” I give him an adoring smile, biting my lip for good measure.
“Yeah, of course.”
He slides his chair out and stands, taking my hand and leading me toward the restaurant’s entrance. I give his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze as we pass tables full of people. Some of them look at him as we pass, and I hear someone murmur, “Cleveland Crush.”
Stopping in the lobby of the restaurant, he glances over at our table, which is still in full view.
“We can go outside if you want,” I murmur.
“No, it needs to be here. Follow my lead.”
We’re facing each other, only about a foot of space between us. He puts his hands on my hips and I stop breathing. In his dark, perfectly cut suit, he could easily pass for a model or an actor. He looks polished and completely in control, my heart racing with awareness as I wrap my arms around his neck.
He rests his forehead lightly on mine and speaks softly, his words barely a whisper.
“I need you to pretend like you’re desperate to get me home. I have to get out of here, but I don’t want Anson to think there’s anything wrong between us.”
His voice is anything but in control. He sounds almost anguished, his hold on my hips firm.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
He exhales through his nose. “It’s nothing. We’re going to pretend we’re leaving together and I’ll call you an Uber. Will you just please do this for me?”
“You’re going to hook up with someone, aren’t you?”
It shouldn’t hurt, but it does. I just spent more than four hours at his game, meeting people and pretending to be his adoring girlfriend, and he can’t even sit through dinner with me?
“No.” He closes his eyes and cringes, looking like he’s in pain. “Please, Mara. I covered for you, now I need you to cover for me.”
The pleading in his tone tugs at my heart. “Okay. I’m going to lay on the affection. Give it like fifteen seconds and then act like you’re reluctantly stopping me.”
I don’t even wait for him to answer before I move my fingers up his neck and into his hair, smiling. I press myself against him and barely brush my lips over his.
