Page 97 of Raine Out (Grand Slam 2)

“I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“I won’t tell anyone about your stuff, either. How many did you bag?”

“How many did I bag?” he says, rolling his eyes. “Don’t ever use that phrase again. And only one.”

“What? How is that possible?”

He shrugs. “I kind of dug Ava. She’s interesting.”

“Like how interesting? Like keep-in-touch-with-her interesting?”

“Naw, that’s not going to happen, but we had a nice weekend,” he says, rubbing his beard. “It’s got me thinking.”

“About?”

“About what you said on the way down here. About me hooking up with forgettable women so I won’t have to put myself out there. I might be ready for you to set me up with someone—a woman who might be a real possibility.”

I jump out of the bed and throw myself into him for a hug. “This is maybe the greatest news I’ve ever heard.”

“Settle down,” he says, hugging me tightly. “We can talk about it when we get to San Diego. I have to leave now.”

“Okay,” I say, kissing his cheek. “I love you, Butch.”

“I love you, too, little buddy. Text me when you’re safely back in Virginia. You know I’ll worry.”

I nod as he opens the door. “Travel safely. Give your family my love.”

* * *

After Butch left, I had to hustle to get ready. I’m just putting on the finishing touches as I hear a knock on the door.

“Damn,” Alex says as I open the door. “Is there any color that doesn’t look good on you? I thought yellow was the best, but that red is almost too much for me. You’re breathtaking.”

I do a little spin for him. “I wasn’t sure if this was right for a wedding, but I thought you would like it.”

“I like it a lot, especially how it clings to all the right places.” He grabs me and pushes me against the wall. “Do we have to go to the wedding?”

“Well since they’re already married, it’s kind of a sham. Let’s just stay here,” I say, running my hands over his closely tailored chinos. “Why does your butt look this good right now?”

“Right back at you,” he says, turning me around. “Seriously, we need to leave this room in the next five seconds or we’re not leaving until the morning.”

“Fine,” I say, taking one more look in the mirror, “but I’m leaving under protest.”

As we’re walking down to the wedding area, we pass Allie, Savannah, and Serena. They’re staring at us, but it doesn’t make me feel at all uncomfortable anymore. I wrap my arms around Alex’s waist as he pulls me closer. This is starting to feel so right. I can’t imagine not being next to him.

When we walk into the pool area, I inhale quickly and hug him even more tightly. I feel like I’ve just walked into a dream. White flowers and deep green palm plants surround the round tables that are placed around the deck. Strands of white lights criss-cross the area—highlighting the hundreds of candles floating beneath them in the pool. Sophie and Seb are already sitting at a private table—almost completely hidden behind sheer white panels that are moving gently with the ocean breezes. It’s the most gorgeous setting I’ve ever seen.

“Do you mind if we sit with my teammates?” Alex whispers. “I’ve been ignoring them all weekend.”

“Of course. I’d like to get to know them better.” I look up at him as he leans down to give me a gentle kiss. He takes my hand and leads me over to their table.

“Has everyone met Raine?” He squeezes my hand tightly as he pulls out my chair. “Introduce yourselves if you haven’t. Where’s Manny?”

“Hey, Raine. I’m Jack. Manny left on the afternoon flight to head back to Miami.”

“I’m Cole. Nice to meet you, Raine.” He smiles at me. “Alex, Manny said you’d tell us why he left early.”

“He must have gotten into a fight with Caroline,” Jack says, “because she and Casey have been huddled in my room all day. They refused to come to the wedding. What’s going on?”

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