Page 15 of Play the Game
Evan rolls her eyes. “You need to brush up on vampire rules. And you exist far too much outside the office. Maybe if you spent a little more time inside it, I wouldn’t have to cover for you so often.”
I feel a flood of annoyance at her words, but before I can respond, the man sitting next to her tosses that arm back around her shoulders and eyes me appraisingly.
“Ev, honey, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” With bright green eyes, perfectly styled brown hair, and a short, immaculately trimmed beard, I think he is the most attractive person I have ever seen in real life.
Evan rolls her eyes. “He’s no one.”
For the sole reason that she seems not to want me to meet whoever this guy is, I paste on a smile and reach out a hand to shake his. “Cooper Wyles.”
The man’s eyes widen. “TheCooper Wyles? Like, sole object of Evan’s hatred, work rival Cooper Wyles?”
“Jesus Chris, Rio,” Evan mutters, casting her eyes to the darkening sky.
Something about her embarrassment is really fucking delightful, and I smile wider at the guy. “That’s me.”
He beams a smile at me. “Rio Hernandez. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Ev never introduces us to her friends.”
Evan blows out a frustrated breath. “Definitely not my friend.”
“Oh, we’re great friends,” I say, smirking at Evan who glares back at me. “Who’s us?” I ask, looking around for another person, but it seems to be just the two of them. Rio opens his mouth to answer but is interrupted by another male voice before he has a chance to say a word.
CHAPTER FIVE
EVAN
“Ev! Rio!”
When my brother’s voice interrupts Rio about to tell Cooper exactly who he is to me, I decide I’m officially in hell. There is no way this night could possibly get any worse. I’ve always tried to keep my personal life and my work life entirely separate—a long-standing habit that comes from having a brother who is one of the most famous athletes in the country and my ever-present need to prove myself on my own.
But now, with Cooper standing next to me looking irritatingly gorgeous in perfectly fitting jeans and a Strikers hoodie, his hair tousled and eyes the brightest blue I’ve ever seen under the night sky and the stadium lights, those parts of my life are about to clash in spectacular fashion.
I do not love it.
Also, for some weird reason, I’ve been achy and exhausted all day. I slept through my alarm this morning for the first time in my entire adult life, so I missed my early morning writing session and only made it to the office five minutes before Cooper did. It fucked up my entire day, and my mood is shit. I almost cancelledon Rio and skipped the game, but the thought of facing my parents’ disappointment for not just skipping the box, but not showing up at all, had me pulling on Chris’s jersey and dragging myself into Rio’s car.
Rio better be ready to buy me all the snacks because I’m going to need them to get through this night.
Turning towards the field, I paste a smile on my face because my brother deserves my full happiness. “Hey, superstar!” I yell.
“Looking goodmi amor,” Rio says, blowing Chris a kiss. “Your ass in pinstripes is a sight to behold.”
Chris beams at us, his excitement for tonight obvious. The energy in the stadium is electric even though first pitch is still forty-five minutes away and it’s a cool, crisp night, absolutely perfect for a baseball game. And no one loves the game like my brother does.
“Happy to see your faces. Meet me in the family room after the game?”
“I’ll be there,” I say, aggressively avoiding eye contact with Cooper. Maybe if I pretend he’s not there, I won’t have to explain why I’m currently in a conversation with the starting pitcher of the Boston Strikers.
“You know it, baby. Pitch your ass off!” Rio calls.
Chris pats his heart twice and points at Rio, looking at him with so much love that my chest aches and my eyes burn. I freak out for a brief second when I think I’m about to cry actual tears. I never cry, so I have no idea what the fuck is wrong with me. Even when Chris turns and jogs down into the dugout and I’ve recovered from my attack of emotions, I still don’t look at Cooper, suddenly extremely interested in the nearly empty field.
“Friend of yours?”
“Something like that,” I mumble, still refusing to meet his eyes.
“Hang on.” The curiosity in Cooper’s voice is what finally has me turning to him, watching as his eyes bounce from theRhodesjersey I’m wearing to my brother’s face, which is suddenly splashed all over the jumbotron. “Chris Rhodes is your brother.”
“You bet he is,” Rio says happily, clearly enjoying my pain. I elbow him and he just chuckles. “I’m going to get hot dogs. Good luck with all of this.”
