Page 76 of Playing a Player (Sweet Cravings 1)

"Really just Connor's ex wife."

I tried not to sigh out loud. I was the only girl that he liked that had gotten to know his friends. For some reason that made me feel better. It also meant that his ex girlfriend hadn't gotten along well with his friends. I wondered if that had something to do with their break up. "What was Connor's ex wife like?"

"She used to be really cool. I was always third wheeling with them, ever since high school. Cindy was one of my best friends too. I still don't get what happened. One day she just started being really cold. Connor put up with it for as long as he could. I know he wanted to make it work." Rory shrugged.

"That's sad."

"I think you're a better honorary member anyway. But maybe that's just because you're mine."

Mine? Is that how he thinks of me? I so badly wanted to be his. Maybe I already was. I didn't need him to say anything else. That was all the commitment I needed. Him calling me his and admitting he had a crush on me was the best feeling in the world.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that you're my favorite member of the group," I said.

"You're becoming my favorite too."

I just stared into his hazel eyes. That was it. He liked me just as much as I liked him.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt you guys."

We both turned to the girl next to Rory. She was sitting next to a guy that looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Awkward.

"But you two are like the cutest couple here," the girl said. "Besides for Becca and Jeremy, of course. How long have you two been dating?"

Rory pulled his arm off my back, picked up his wine glass, and took a big sip.

I wanted to cut in and tell her we weren't official or anything, but I was curious to see what Rory would say. He had just said such wonderful things to me. Maybe his response would be different this time.

"Oh, no," Rory said and laughed awkwardly. "We're actually..."

"Aw, are you engaged? Congratulations!" the girl said.

What the fuck is everyone's problem here?

Rory coughed and spit his wine back into the glass. "Oh, God no." He set his glass back down on the table. "We're not even dating."

The girl made a strange face and I looked down at my lap. Rory wasn't just acting like he was scared of commitment. The tone he was responding to people in made it seem like I was the problem. As if he just couldn't possibly see a future with me. He almost sounded repulsed every time someone asked if we were a couple. And even if that wasn't what he meant, it still embarrassed me every time he said it.

I didn't even know that girl. It would have been cute and funny to just pretend we had been dating for years. What was Rory's problem?

"Now, for the first time ever, Mister and Misses Rogers!" said the DJ into his microphone.

I stood up and clapped as my friend and her new husband walked into the room. And I felt like crying. The first few weddings I had gone to after college were okay. They were actually fun. But four years later, it wasn't fun anymore. I was falling so far behind. And Emily was having a baby. Her kid would be like ten before I had my first one. We had always talked about our children being best friends too. I took a deep breath.

"How about we go find that closet," Rory said as he wrapped his arms around me.

He seemed to be thinking along the same lines I was. Not about falling behind, but about how he hated weddings. Although he probably hated them because he hated commitment and he hated me. I rolled my eyes at myself. I was being dramatic. Rory didn't hate me. But I still didn't want to give in to him. Despite our conversation earlier, I was still worried that sex was all he wanted from me. Maybe sleeping with him so soon had been a mistake.

He pushed my hair to the side and kissed the back of my neck, sending chills down my spine. I may have slept with him too soon, but I definitely didn't regret it.

I tilted my head back. "They're about to serve dinner. And I'm starving." I removed his hands from me and sat back down. I hated that this was somehow still a game between us. All I wanted to do was tell him how I felt. But if strangers asking if we were dating freaked him out, I didn't want to know how he'd react to me telling him that I was in love with him.

Chapter 31

The music started before I had even finished my overcooked dinner. I turned to Rory. "Everything you've cooked for me has been so much better than this."

He smiled at me. "It's harder to cook in large quantities. Everything I've cooked for you was made specifically for you." His thumb ran along the back of my neck.

"Well, you could totally cook for a place like this." I still wanted him to confess his ambitions to me. Maybe he just needed a little push.

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