“Presents,” Mia answered. “Mom got a royalty check.”
Mia’s mom was an actress, not a very well-known one or, if we were honest, any good either. But she had a part in a bad TV show when Mia was much younger, and it had a cult following now, so her royalty check was regular.
“You shouldn’t use your money on me.”
“Shush, put them on. Get dressed. I’ll meet you in the kitchen. I’m making mocktails.”
“I love mocktails!” I said as I closed my door so I could get undressed. A few minutes later, staring at myself in the mirror, I turned once more as I looked at my back. There was no denying I was braless.
“Are you going to come out?”
“I have no bra on,” I said instead.
The door swung open, and Mia looked jaw-droppingly stunning. Her deep green playsuit set off her beautiful auburnhair, while her legs were slim and elongated in the nude high heels she wore.
“Whoa, mama.” I whistled. “You look amazing.”
Mia grinned as she looked me over. “Well, baby, you went and grew up on me,” she said playfully as she crossed the room to stand beside me. We stood side by side, and I swallowed as I looked at us both. We looked hot.
“Your boobs look amazing.”
“They’re doing okay,” I agreed. “I shall be standing beside the AC all night so I don’t get boob sweat patches or sweat running down my back!”
“And the moment is officially ruined.” Mia laughed as she nudged me with her shoulder. “I have the drinks ready.”
The beauty of dress shorts? Deep pockets. Slipping my wallet into one and my phone and key in the other, I dropped my nude lip gloss into Mia’s tiny purse.
“Do you think you’ll be home tonight?” I asked her as we tidied up the glass pitcher and the glasses.
“If I’m lucky? No.” Mia winked at me, and I laughed at her openness. “And ifyou’relucky, there are condoms in the bathroom cabinet, remember.”
“I think I’ll be okay,” I said as I stared at my boots.
“Looking like you do tonight, you’ll be more thanokay.”
We walked to the house party, Mia’s heels slowing us down. The sun had set, and the night air was slightly cooler. It was a beautiful night for a stroll.
When we arrived, we both got appreciative looks from the guys at the door. It wasn’t usual for the house parties to have official guys standing guard, but this was the active football team’s house, plus they had won today, and this was a big party. All the furniture was pushed to one side of the room, leaving a large open space for the festivities.
“You definitely drinking water?” Mia asked me over the music as we headed to the kitchen.
“Absolutely.” I nodded as I looked around, already conscious of my backless top.
“Don’t sweat it,” Mia told me with a firm look. “You look hot.”
We weaved through the crowd, and I spotted Wade and Bea. They waved, and after we both received compliments about our appearances, I felt myself start to relax.
We’d been at the party for over an hour when the cheers and hollering started, and I knew that the football players who mattered had arrived. I saw them greet a few people, and they were running up the stairs. That was odd. I turned to question it, but I was with couples.
Alex had found Mia not long after we arrived, and they were giggling together in a corner. Wade was currently wrapped around Bea, and Shane had given me a wave from the other side of the room when we came in. He stood with Sticks and a couple of girls I didn’t know, and I didn’t have to be a genius to know he had ventured elsewhere. I didn’t have any bad feelings that he seemed to have moved on. So, it wasn’t really my fault that my eyes turned to see them come down the stairs.
I saw Ash first as he came into the huge space. He was wearing his jersey and black jeans. The black uniform top, with only a silver stripe on the arms and the Saints logo on the chest, looked good on him. Gray was already talking to a girl, I noticed, and as I saw the other players, I felt slight disappointment that Jett wasn’t there.
Until he was. He came down last. My heart plummeted when I saw a brunette waiting at the foot of the stairs, ready to latch onto him, and I saw him laugh at something someone said to him.
His hair was messy, he was wearing a sleeveless Saints practice jersey, and he was also in black jeans. I noted a few scrapes on the arm that was free of tattoos from the knocks he had taken in practice. The Saints logo on his jersey made me look quickly to Gray. I hadn’t noticed it before, but Gray was also in a black uniform top, molded to his body, and I searched the other players. Only five or six more were wearing their football jerseys.
I turned to get Mia’s attention, but she was now kissing Alex, and I didn’t know how to interrupt her.
