Her perfect lips part in surprise, and her pupils blow out. The confirmation that I can affect her that way is heady.
She drags her eyes down to her tablet. “Time to go. Zayne, you’re up first, so follow me.”
Bree tosses a last look my way before she turns to leave. After that, I only see her when she peeks in to call up the next guy. Until it’s my turn.
“Wade, you’re up.” Mischief sparkles in her eyes.
I’d kind of hoped I’d see some irritation instead. Something that would tell me she doesn’t like the idea of me going out with an unknown woman. But she did say most of the auction winners would probably wind up as simple lunches with a family.
Still, I’ve seen the few regulars who come to all the local games and linger afterward. A few of those puck bunnies might want to jump in on the fun.
I step onto the small stage set up in the main lobby area. A large group of people fills the space—larger than I expected, actually. They clap when Bree introduces me, then start chiming in as Zach orchestrates the bidding.
A few early bidders die off, leaving only two vying for a date with me. I recognize Mason’s sister from the picture he showed me, but the other woman I don’t. She’s a pretty redhead with a pleasant smile, but she’s nothing compared to Bree.
Judging by the semi-panicked look on Mason’s sister’s face, she maxed out the budget the fellas gave her, which leaves me at the mercy of Red, who’s about to become my date for the evening. I leave the stage, frustrated that I’ll spend this evening with a stranger instead of protecting Bree.
I glare at Mason when I join him, where the rest of the guys stand behind the stage. “What happened?”
He holds his hands up. “Luna asked what our limit was, so I tossed a number out. I never figured it would go that high.” He elbows me in the side. “You dog.”
I shove him off. “Unlike you, I’m not looking forward to this.”
He raises his brows. “Let’s swap. A middle-aged mom and her twelve-year-old son won me.”
The idea is tempting. I could offer them an entire day with me if we could reschedule. That way, I can stay near Bree the rest of the day. “Yeah, that could?—”
“No swapping!” Bree’s voice chimes out behind me.
I whip around.
Her expression is borderline feral. “Zayne, don’t you dare skimp on your time with the Bendersons. That boy is a huge fan, and he begged his mom for this for his birthday.”
Zayne appears genuinely taken aback. “Sure thing, Bree. I’ll make it a birthday the kid will never forget.”
“Good. Thank you.” She hands me a piece of paper with an address on it. “She’ll be ready for you in one hour.”
I hold the slip like a foreign object, searching the crowd for the redhead who won me for the evening. “I thought she’d be ready to go now.”
Bree shakes her head. “She wanted to change into something special for your date.”
Her face remains unreadable, so I can’t tell how she feels about this at all. I guess I’d hoped to see at least some irritation on her part, but maybe I’m just being a fool again.
A fool for a woman who can’t seem to look at me as more than her best friend.
Resigned, I close my fingers over the paper. “I’ll be there.”
She turns to leave, but stops next to me, placing her hand on the lapel of my jacket, right over my heart. Her blue eyes sparkle with that mischief again, almost as if she’s teasing me. “And maybe try to enjoy yourself, okay?”
What game is she playing? My gaze dips to her mouth, searching for that cute freckle I love, but it’s tucked between her teeth. For once, I’m thankful for the thick fabric of my coat. Otherwise, she’d notice how hard my heart is pounding beneath her hand.
But two can play…maybe seeing me with someone else will make her rethink how she views me.
I lean closer to her, almost touching her delicate ear with my lips. “Count on it.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
WADE
