Page 44 of Raine Out (Grand Slam 2)

Alex

“So I hear you helped Raine to her room this afternoon,” Sophie says as she glides up next to me and snakes her arm through mine.

Maisie closes in on me from the other side. “Very romantic, Alex.”

“It’s cute that you two think you get to set me up again,” I say, grabbing them both around their shoulders and squeezing them to me, “because the last woman you set me up with happens to have a room right next to Raine’s. She busted out of her door the second she heard my voice and told Raine we slept together.”

“Who? Allie?” Sophie says, looking up at me. “How did that even come up in the conversation?”

“It didn’t come up, Sophia,” I say, directly into her ear before I release them both. “I told you Allie’s crazy. She was trying to mark her territory when she saw me talking to another woman.”

“Damn,” Maisie says, letting out a long breath. “That’s some stalk-ish shit. Soph, didn’t she tell you last week she had given up on Alex?”

“Yeah. I told her to move on and she said she had—”

“She hasn’t moved on,” I say, leaning down to get directly into Sophie’s face. “I’m trying not to hurt her feelings since she’s your friend, but I’m on the verge of losing it with her.”

“Okay,” Sophie sighs. “I’ll tell her to back off again. I don’t know why she’s being like this—”

“You won’t tell her anything,” I say, putting my finger in her face. “You’ll stay out of it. I’ll handle it from here.”

“Why does it look like you’re yelling at my wife?” Seb growls as he runs over to us. He pulls Sophie away from me.

“Almost wife,” Sophie says, tapping him on the chest.

“Right,” Seb says quickly. “Fiancé. Why does it look like you’re yelling at my fiancé?”

“He’s not yelling at me. He’s lecturing me and I kind of deserve it.”

“Yes, you do,” I say, pointing at her and then looking at Seb. “Take your woman away from me, please. She’s meddling in my love life again.”

“Gladly.” He sweeps her up into his arms. She giggles as he dips her backward and starts kissing her neck. “Come on, baby. Let’s get away from the grouch. My parents want to introduce you to some of their friends.”

“I’m sorry, Alex,” she says as Seb starts to carry her away. “I had no idea she was really being a stalker. I’ll quit. I promise.”

“Is this Allie again?” Seb says, turning back around. “Why does she still think she’s in the game? Grow a pair and tell her you’re not interested.”

“People in perfect relationships don’t get to give advice,” I say, motioning them away from me. “Leave.”

Maisie tugs on my arm from behind me. “So let’s talk more about Raine—”

“You go away, too,” I say, turning her toward Sophie’s mom who’s yelling her name. “You’re wanted over there.”

“Fine,” she says, smiling as she points toward the beach, “but in case you’re interested, Raine’s sitting over there—all by herself.”

I whip my head around and see Raine sitting alone in a row of lounge chairs in the sand.

“Hmm,” Maisie says, tilting her head as she walks backward away from me. “That was a pretty quick reaction time for someone you’re not even interested in.”

I shake my head. “I’ll give you any amount of money you want if you don’t tell Sophie I just did that.”

“Not enough money in the world, buddy,” she says, smiling. “All kidding aside, Raine’s amazing. Truly. She might be a lot of work, but she’s worth every bit of the effort. Believe me.”

I nod as I watch her walk away.

“You want to bring her a drink?” I hear from behind me. I turn around to see the bartender nodding toward Raine. “The little one over there—black hair, green dress. She’s drinking a piña colada.”

“Were you listening to our conversation?” I say as he hands me a fresh beer.

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