I cupped his jaw, forcing his eyes to mine. I hated the self-doubt swimming in those blue depths. “You belong anywhere you want. And where I want you is by my side.” I kissed him. “Let it sit for now. We’ll go out tonight and get wild.”
Brody still looked unsure. “Are you mad? It’s silly, but I’m more the quiet type. When I’m in Austin and we’re not playin’, all I do is spend time at my house there, by the pool, or I find a place to go fishin’.”
“I know. It’s very pretty there.” I’d visited him a few times. “And it was just an idea. I really do love being here with you. And your mother’s awesome. I think I gained ten pounds this month.” I rubbed my stomach. “Coach Jackson is gonna get on my ass. We should start running and hit the gym.” I tangled my fingers in the hair at Brody’s nape. “Sex isn’t burning enough calories.”
“Maybe we ain’t giving it enough of the old college try.”
Snickering, I kissed him. “Let’s get dressed.”
It wasn’t as if we had a vast choice of drinking establishments, but the one that saw the most action was the Kitty Kat Club. I’d expected a strip club atmosphere, but it was a surprisingly decent spot with a DJ spinning tunes and drinks that weren’t too watered down.
We walked in to shouts of welcome—after a month, they knew us and our drink orders. Brody with the bottle of beer he always drank because of his endorsement, and me with my Reposado on the rocks with lime. Within minutes, we had a group surrounding us, some dudes but mostly ladies.
We’d agreed when we were out to put on as good a show as possible—a little kissing and touching allowed but nothing more. So I sat and watched as Brody took to the dance floor with a tall blond who wrapped around him like a python. And I didn’t say no to Beth, the curvy redhead who’d been eyeing me since we walked in. We danced across the floor, and she nuzzled me and kissed my neck while I watched Brody’s girl rub up on him and kiss his cheek. He smiled down at her.
A possessive growl of annoyance rumbled from my chest. Beth thought it was for her and purred in my ear, “That’s so sexy. Wanna get out of here?” She pressed kisses to my chest.
“Sorry, but I gotta stay put.” So it wouldn’t seem strange that I wasn’t giving her what she wanted, I dipped my head and kissed her cheek. She tried every twist and turn to get me excited, but my mind was on Brody. From the corner of my eye, I saw his girl lead him to a dark corner. I trusted him with my life, but I didn’t have to like that he could touch a random woman in public but not me, the person who knew him better than anyone in the world.
I threaded my fingers through Beth’s silky hair and pecked her on the tip of her nose. “Buy you a drink?”
Hazy-eyed, she fluttered her lashes. “Yeah, sure.”
We took a seat at the bar, and she ordered a sea breeze while I homed in on Brody. I watched the blond run a hand up his chest while the other went to his belt buckle. Brody shook his head, and I breathed a sigh of relief when he took her hand and led her back to where we were sitting.
“Hey, you two.” I raised a glass. “What’re you drinking?”
The girl wrinkled her nose. “I’m out.” With a swing of her hips and toss of her hair, she left. Brody shrugged and held up a hand to Janie, who was behind the bar tonight.
“Another one, please.”
“You got it.” Janie was the owner of the Kitty Kat, and we often spent more time talking to her about football than we did dancing. Her husband was the manager at the local big hotel chain and also worked nights. She handed Brody his beer. “Don’t mind that one. She’s a star fucker.”
Brody’s eyes widened while I choked swallowing my drink. “Damn, Janie, warn a guy.”
She shrugged. “Sorry. But Desiree was a cheerleader in high school and always went for the athletes. College too, from what I heard.” Her grin was sympathetic. “Goes through ’em like Skittles. No offense, but you mighta just been another notch in her bedpost.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m like that,” Beth said to me, pouting as if she’d lost her sure thing.
“Of course not, but I’m just hanging out with my buddy tonight.” I figured to get it out in the open.
Disappointment clouded her eyes, and she pouted, but I remained steadfast, and she shrugged. “Okay. Could I, uh, get a picture with y’all?”
“Of course.”
Janie took her phone, and Brody and I, plus me alone, took a bunch of pictures with her.
She kissed my cheek. “Thanks. I work morning shift at the Main Street diner if y’all ever wanna come by for waffles.”
She drifted off into the crowd. Maybe I was wrong for leading her on, but with Brody around, it was tough keeping up a façade. All I wanted was to be with him.
We sat for a while, signing autographs and taking pictures. At midnight, I leaned into Brody.
“Wanna go?” I whispered in his ear. “I’m ready to be alone with you.”
Brody set his bottle on the bar top. “I was ready when we got here.”
I grinned and waved Janie over to pay our tab. “Close us out, please. And put Beth’s drinks on it as well.”
