Page 29 of Play Maker

“Back to my place,” I responded without thinking.

Her brows shot up and the excitement in her eyes nearly took me out a second time.

I hoped future generations recognized my heroic restraint when presented with Blue, tousled and playful, offering herself up on a silver platter. Maybe a plaque or a commemorative inscription on the bar.

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” I teased. “We’re going to watch movies until you’re sober again. On the way, you can tell me what happened between breakfast and now to convince you getting liquored up was the best plan for tonight.”

She pulled up straight and poked my stomach. “I’m only a little inebriated, and I’m perfectly capable of handling myself. You could just take me home.”

“I don’t want to. Now get in.”

* * *

She didn’t talkon the drive, but she didn’t get tense again either. I spent the ten minutes poking the sore spot in my chest by thinking of Eva and the way I’d fucked everything up. I could have said no when she came to me. I could have laughed it off and kept things the same as they’d always been.

I’d spent years—decades—with Eva. Touching her all over to help with stunts, sleeping next to her on camping trips, hell, we went to prom together. Not once did I have to tell myself not to kiss her.

The urge simply never occurred to me.

I loved the Eva I’d known all these years, and I missed her. My best friend. I didn’t miss the sex, didn’t sit around fantasizing about her, unlike another female friend who I couldn’t stop thinking about.

If I intended to maintain my relationship with Blue, I absolutely needed to keep my dick in my pants. Treat her like everyone else, and stop pushing just a little farther toward the line between friends and something more. The self-preservation part of my brain warned me to turn around and drop her off like she’d suggested. Stop the slow roll toward hunger and need.

But I didn’t want to.

I also didn’t consider my roommates might be home and might question Blue’s presence. Not until I opened the door to our apartment and nearly ran into RJ coming the opposite direction. Anyone else I would have trampled, but RJ was almost as tall as I was, and she could definitely bench press more than me.

Blue giggled from her spot plastered to my side, and RJ’s brows rose.

“So that’s where you disappeared to.”

I maneuvered us out of the doorway, so RJ could leave. “I didn’t disappear. I told you I was going out. You said you were meeting Shaw at the camper for what I can only assume was his dumbass idea of privacy. The mosquitos are going to eat you alive if you get naked out there in the woods.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” she muttered.

“His country ass grew up in the woods. You know if you keep encouraging him he’s only going to get worse.”

She sighed. “I know—I’m a sucker.” Her eyes landed on Blue. “Haven’t seen you in a while. I thought you might have left with—”

RJ stopped and let out a quiet curse. “Right. I’m going to go before things get more awkward. Nice seeing you again, Blue. Better be at training tomorrow, Mac.”

I ignored her judgy stare and closed the door after her. Blue pulled away as the silence settled around us. She circled the living room brushing her hand over the giant couches and lone recliner.

“That’s two. Where’s the third?”

I followed her, close enough to catch her if she lost her balance. “At Chloe’s. Where else?”

“Did you know this is only the second time I’ve been in here?”

“Is that so?” I didn’t really care, but the longer we dawdled out here the more I could focus on non-sexy things like whether I’d left my laundry out and what the hell that rancid smell was coming from the kitchen.

Blue didn’t seem to notice. She peeked into the galley space and headed for the hallway. “I came over once for movie night. Before you and Eva imploded, and she stopped inviting me here.”

I winced. Nothing like the consequences of my actions to get my head on straight and my mind out of my pants. “You’re here now.”

“I’m here now,” she repeated slowly as if considering some deeper meaning of the words.

This was a new experience for me. I didn’t have a quick comeback or a joke. The moment didn’t feel right, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to act. I wanted to get her into my room, but I was also apprehensive of being alone with her.

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