But when a long-legged brunette peeked back over her shoulder, nodding toward the bathroom, an easy grin formed on my face. Okay, not a great idea, but I was only a man, and there was nothing like a quickie in a bar bathroom to take the tension out of my bones.
I downed the rest of my beer and followed, but my steps faltered when I took in the new additions to Hadley’s dance party. Two of the women, I knew well—frequent guests in the outfield. Ollie was Parker’s best friend, and all the guys on the team knew better than to mess with her. As Parker’s girl, she was strictly off-limits. Not because the dumbass had said anything about having feelings for her—he was too far in denial for that shit—but Parker was my friend, and Ollie was his everything, even if she couldn’t see it. None of us would ever hurt our teammate like that.
The other woman was Cam’s ex, recently married to a movie star.Another in the no column.
As I moved past them, my mind was singularly focused on the sexy brunette waiting for me by the bathroom—until someone collided with my chest, small, petite hands grasping my shirt like it was a lifeline.
Hazel eyes widened as they looked up to meet mine, surprise coloring her cheeks.
Brianna.
My fists clenched at the sight of her, trying to ignore the pull in my chest. It had been over a year since we’d stood in the same space, yet it was still there, daring me to get closer to her. Since the field day at her school, she’d become a regular member of our outfield gang, but I never let myself get too close, not with that wedding ring sitting on her finger.
I glanced down at her hands, still planted against my shirt.No ring.Interesting. Her fingers toyed with the lines of my jacket, as if she needed the support to stay standing, and I took a moment to study her up close. Brianna had cut her hair since the last time I saw her; now, it only dusted the tips of her shoulders. It was sexier, edgier than it’d been before, and seemed to suit her.
When Brianna realized what she was doing, she pushed against me, giving us some much-needed space. My body still thrummed from her touch, and it was way too tempting to reach back out to her.
“God, I am so sorry,” she said, covering her face with her fingers. Herbarefingers. “I knew shots were a bad idea. Please ignore me while I go crawl in a hole and die.”
“Nah, Brianna, nothing to be sorry about.”
Her brow furrowed. “How do you know my name?”
I smirked, leaning in closer. “Am I that forgettable, Mrs. Collier?”
FIVE
Mrs. Collier
My tequila-fueled brain latched on to the name—the one I’d used for the past decade of my life. As soon as Todd and I separated, I went back to my maiden name. Sideris suited me better than Collier ever did. Step one of reclaiming my future. That, and the drastic haircut I’d instantly regretted. At least it was growing out now, almost touching the tips of my shoulders. Thank God Ollie talked me out of bleaching out the color. Blonde would not have looked right on me.
Damien chuckled, and for a moment, I wondered if I’d said all that out loud. Freaking tequila shots. Even now that the alcohol was wearing off, it still clung in the corners, making everything around me feel fuzzy and warm. Or it might have had more to do with the slow, sly smile radiating from Damien Ramos.
Of all the men I could have run into, why did it have to be Damien? I’d noticed as soon as he entered the bar—he didn’t blend in with the rest of the crowd. Not only was he one of the tallest men here, but he had a larger-than-lifepresence. The man oozed sex appeal, or, as Ollie would say, massive big-dick energy.
His eyes met mine, and my memories latched on to our first meeting—back when Cam convinced a bunch of his teammates to visit our school for Field Day. Even a year later, it was one of the best days of my career. I thanked every one of my lucky stars that Damien and I had been paired up at our station. We spent the entire day laughing, bonding with all the students. They still wrote him letters, and, to my surprise, he always wrote back.
My crush might have started long before that day, but it became all-consuming as I watched him up close. Oh shit. Did that make me sound like a stalker? I’d never done anything about it, but whenever I watched one of his games, my eyes sought him out, entranced by his power and precision. We hadn’t spoken since Field Day, and every time we found ourselves in the same room, Damien made a convenient excuse to leave. I’d thought we'd gotten along when he visited the school; however, he seemed to have little interest in getting to know me any better.
It was probably for the best. After the train-wreck of my divorce, I wasn’t looking for anyone to date—especially with someone who had the power to crush me like Damien.
He chuckled as he stepped closer. “You alright, Brianna?”
I shuddered as he said my name, loving how easily it rolled off his tongue. There was just a hint of an accent there that made each of his words sound more seductive to my alcohol-addled mind. A whoop from my friends pulled me out of my staring contest, and I took a giant stepback.
Which was a mistake.
Just as I sputtered out that I was fine, my heel wobbled, and I almost landed on my ass. But before I could make a fool of myselfagain, Damien reached out and pulled me back to my feet. He smirked as I steadied myself. “Think it’s time to call it a night. Do you have a ride back to the hotel?”
I glanced over my shoulder to find my friends still dancing.God, bed sounded like heaven right now.I’d never ask them to leave because I was about to fall asleep. Turning back toward Damien, I shrugged my shoulders. “I rode over with the girls. I’ll just call a car to get back to the hotel. It’s not too far from here.”
Damien’s jaw tightened, clearly unhappy with my words. An apology sat on the tip of my tongue, a habit from the past few years. But Damien didn’t let me, instead reaching down to take my hand in his much larger one.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Damien guided me through the crowd.
“You said you wanted to go back to the hotel,” he said, pausing so I could catch up to him. Fuck, he was a giant. My legs were about half his size, and it took everything in me not to topple over. He shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of you in a rideshare this late, especially when you’ve been drinking.”
“It’s fine.” I tried to let go of his hand, but he held tight. “It’s only a couple of miles away.”
