‘I’m so fucking single,’ Cami groans miserably.
‘I did you a favour, actually,’ I say to her.‘I invited Parker out with us for the band in a few weeks.’
She artfully cools her expression.‘Why do I care about him?’
I smirk.‘Because you think he’s hot.’
‘So?’
‘So,’ I repeat, mimicking her voice.‘I invited him for you.You’re welcome.’
Looking like she is fighting off a smile, she rolls her eyes, pretending to be disinterested.‘Let’s go.I need a drink.’
Nora threads her fingers through mine.‘Cami’s going home to get changed and we will meet you after?’
‘Sure,’ I say, mulling her words over, feeling a little uneasy.‘You’re going to the apartment?’
‘Riley moved out,’ Cami says.‘Her and I had a little conversation, and it turns out, her parents weren’t too fond of what she has been up to and when they found out the police had paid her a visit, they could not believe what I was saying.She’s moved back home.’
‘Oh,’ I say in surprise.‘That’s awesome.’
Cami beams, looking quite proud of herself.‘Yeah.You don’t mess with my people and get away with it.’She narrows her eyes at me.‘You remember that, buddy.’
‘Noted.’
Mason and some of the other boys join us and he flings an arm over Anya’s shoulders.He turns to me, that trademark smile-butsort-of-a-smirk twisted onto his lips.
‘Let’s go have some fun.’
The bass hits the walls hard enough to shake picture frames.
As usual, I have no idea whose house this is, but everyone is crammed in tight and the air is thick with sweat, alcohol and smoke.People keep clapping me on the back, shoving drinks into my hands, shouting my name in a chant as I pass.I never knew playing football in university would give me celebrity status, but I enjoy the attention.
My ribs ache from the last tackle I took, my voice is half-gone from screaming on the field – and the post-game sing-along – and my muscles feel tight and sore, but that’s to be expected after such a gruelling week of practices and a brutal game.
I catch sight of my friends near the kitchen – Cami’s already dancing on a chair, Mason’s pouring shots and Anya’s laughing so hard she has to lean against the counter.They see me and erupt into another cheer, like I’m walking into the room for the first time, even though I only left to go to the bathroom.
I love after-parties.They’re the best kind of chaos.
‘Yo, MVP!’Christian’s voice cuts through the music as he slides across the kitchen tiles in his socks, two red cups in his hands.He shoves one towards me.‘You better be drinking tonight.’
I take the cup, staring at him.‘When do I ever not drink?’
‘That’s a fair point.’
Nora returns from outside.Her hair has been pulled into a high ponytail and she’s in a short dress that hugs her hourglass figure and matching knee-high boots.She looks sexy as fuck and I suddenly lose concentration on everything else around me.No girl has ever done this to me.There’s just something about the innocent on the outside but sinful on the inside thing she has going on that just drives me wild.
‘Everything okay?’I ask her.
‘Yeah,’ she replies, slipping her phone into her pocket.‘Thatwas Anna.My publisher has requested dates so they can book our flights to the States.’
‘Oh really?’I ask excitedly.I haven’t travelled much before and the fact that I get to do this with her is awesome.
‘We can talk about it later,’ she says, struggling to project her voice above the music.
‘Sounds good.’
Andy stumbles into the room with a bottle of tequila and zero coordination.Sometimes I wonder how he managed to get good at football when he seems to be as coordinated as a baby giraffe.‘Shots!’he shouts.‘Victory shots!No one’s allowed to leave until they’ve had at least three!’
