Page 120 of Off Camera
“Did you all plan this?” I ask, looking at my best friends. “Is this some purposeful setup so we’d be in the same place at the same time?”
“I swear we didn’t.” Dallas holds up his hands in innocence. “But talk about timing.”
“Timing,” I repeat, and I stare at Avery again. She settles on a stool at the bar and chats with the bartender who’s giving her a not-so-subtle once-over. I don’t like the way his eyes flick to her chest when she leans her elbows on the counter. I fuckinghatethe way he steps closer to her, invading her space. “How do you guys do it?”
“Do what?” Maverick asks. “Pretty broad question there, Plant Daddy.”
“Watch other men flirt with your women. Know they’re undressing them with their eyes. See them laugh because someone else said something and you wish it were you,” I blurt out, and my cheeks heat with a blush. “Hypothetically speaking.”
“Putting a ring on her finger helps. It gives a pretty cleardon’t even fucking trymessage,” Dallas says. “I guess I take it as a compliment. They can flirt with her all they want, but she’s going home with me. Now, if they ever made her uncomfortable, you bet your ass we’d have a big problem on our hands. I’m not afraid to deck someone in the face if they don’t back up when Maven asks them to.”
“Emmy tells them to fuck off before they even try to talk to her.” Maverick cradles his chin in his hand, a dopey smile settling on his mouth. “I’m the luckiest bastard in the world.”
“Is Avery your woman now?” Dallas asks.
“No,” I say. Something bitter stirs in my chest with the word, and I narrow my eyes at the guy who takes the seat right next to her. “Definitely not.”
“Sounds like you’re not sure,” Maverick says.
“We’re not—there’s no label on it or anything. But, lately, things have started to feel different.” I glance back at my friends and sigh. “Our arrangement is starting to feel less like a physical relationship and more like…” I shrug and take a long sip of my beer. “More.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” I shrug again, because I really don’t fucking know. “Maybe I’m being dramatic.”
“What’s changed?” Dallas asks.
“A month ago, we’d fuck, she’d hang around for a few minutes, then she’d leave. Now we fuck, and I ask her questions about her dad. She sleeps over, and I bring her lunch. I stand up for her when some asshole talks shit to her. I bought her a Christmas present I think she’s going to like. Before, we’d taunt each other on our official accounts and give each other shit. It’s all texting now. We keep up with each other throughout the day, and none of our arguments hold any actual heat. I think—” I swallow and pull off my glasses, scrubbing a hand over my face. “I think I could fall for her.”
“You got all of that from watching some dude try to talk to her at the bar?” Maverick asks. “That’s pretty fucking impressive.”
“No. It’s not just right now. The last couple of times we’ve hooked up, it felt like we both had something we wanted to say. Neither of us wanted to be the first to say it, though.”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment.” Maverick clears his throat. “Remember when Emmy and I thought we could do the friends with benefits thing and you told me I was an idiot because there’s no way to have a friends with benefits arrangement without someone catching feelings? That it’s just sex until it isn’t because emotionsalwaysget involved? Surprise, motherfucker. It’s you. You’re the one with the feelings, and things are about to get messy.”
I play with the coaster sitting on the table and spin it between my fingers. “In hindsight, I recognize this was a really fucking stupid idea.” I drop my head back and groan. “What the hell am I supposed to do? I can’t go over there and be an asshole. What if she wants those guys to talk to her? She’s single and it’s allowed.”
“Wait, what? You two aren’t exclusive?” Maverick asks.
“In the bedroom we are. Flirting and dating other people are gray areas I didn’t think to address. I don’t want to cock blockher because I’m an idiot who broke our rules and now has a crush on her. Besides, it’s not like I’m in love with her. I just, you know, don’t like seeing other guys talk to her.”
“What if she’s breaking your rules too?” Dallas asks. “What if she’s sitting there wishing you would come over and cock block her? You could be her hero.”
Her hero.
I don’t know why that makes me puff out my chest. It makes me roll my shoulders back and hone in on her body language.
She doesn’t look interested in the khaki-wearing guy who scoots his stool closer to her. She keeps trying to talk to Maven and Emmy, and he keeps trying to talk to her.
That won’t do.
“Move,” I tell Maverick, and he grins.
“Oh, shit. Is this about to go down?”
“Nothing is going down. I’m only going to say hi.”
I climb out of the booth and make my way over to the bar. The closer I get, the more visible Avery’s discomfort is. Her lips are in a thin line, and she’s glaring at the spot on her thigh where the douche canoe in the polo is touching.
