Page 17 of Play Maker

“Got out early and wanted to see my girl.”

Shad’s brows rose at Adam’s word choice, and I winced as I imagined him regaling Rob with the newest drama.

Before I could correct Shad’s mistaken assumption, Adam held out an iced coffee. “Thought you might want this.”

Ugh, no wonder people loved him. He was effortlesslynice. I snatched the chilled plastic cup from him and took a long, satisfying drink. Salted caramel slid across my tongue in a cold wave, cementing his rise to the top of my friend list.

“How did you know I liked salted caramel?”

“I asked Chloe to look at her secret spreadsheet of friend info.”

My gaze jerked to his. “She has a spreadsheet?”

He shrugged, but the teasing gleam in his eyes said he was messing with me. “I haven’t seen it myself, but I’ve heard rumors. Mostly from Noah.”

I snorted, but I wouldn’t put it past Chloe to have a collection of knowledge about the group hidden away somewhere. The girl could be scarily organized.

Shad cleared his throat, and I realized I’d forgotten him completely. Adam glanced between us for a second, then extended his hand.

“I’m Mac, Blue’s summer bestie.”

Shad’s smirk faded as he shook Adam’s hand. “Shad Warren, I’m doing some work for the business school.”

Understanding lit Adam’s face. “The future step-bro. Nice to meet you.”

I couldn’t tell if Adam was lying or not, but his smile looked distinctly predatory. Momentary concern for Shad twisted my stomach.

Then Shad opened his mouth. “Angela was about to come on a private tour of my office.” The emphasis he put on “private” made it clear his offer hadn’t been harmless. All my concern vanished, replaced by my usual urge to strangle him.

Adam’s fingers pressed into my arm, dragging me closer. “Looks like she’s busy now.”

Shad gave him an easy smile. “So it seems. Maybe next time, Angela.” He gave us a head nod and headed toward the double doors. Both of us watched him through the glass wall until he disappeared from sight.

As soon as he turned the corner, Adam gave me a little space. “Angela?”

“It’s my middle name. The only thing I got from my father, and I hate it. Rob insists that Bluebonnet isn’t a real name, so he calls me Angela. Shad picked it up from him.”

“Have you told him you prefer Blue?”

“Yes. He hasn’t listened, and I decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting.”

Adam jerked his chin in the direction Shad had left. “He knows it bothers you.”

I tilted my head at him. “How can you tell?”

“The way he watches you when he says Angela.”

This. This was the reason I’d asked Adam to help me. Not just to get a date, but because he saw what I didn’t in people. I knew Shad used my middle name to poke at me, but it had taken me a few weeks to figure it out. Adam picked up on it in less than five minutes.

I wanted that skill. Especially now that Shad would be a permanent fixture in my life.

Adam wasn’t done though. “And what happened to not keeping anything important from me?”

My frown deepened. “I wasn’t keeping anything from you.”

He crossed his arms. “How about the fact that your future step-bro wants to fuck you?”

“How does that have anything to do with me? My possession of a vagina does not put me at fault when someone else decides they want to use it.”

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