Wow. Seriously? He’s been staying away from me because he wanted me to miss him?So tell him you missed him, dumbass, my heart wails at my brain, which completely ignores it. Instead I press my lips together and say nothing at all. Chooch says Sebastian’s name, trying to pull him into the conversation about golf he’s having with Josh and Jordan. I keep my hands around my glass to avoid resting one on his knee under the table. That’s all I want to do. Touch him. God, I miss touching him.
Chapter 26
Sebastian
I’m smiling at the fact that this day turned out so very differently than I anticipated and I couldn’t be happier.
When Dix and I originally joined our goalie for a liquid brunch, it was simply to help Chooch, who had called me from a hotel room this morning because he’d walked out on Ainsley the night before. He was contemplating going back to her, and this being the first step to really ridding him of her, I jumped at the chance to meet him and make sure he didn’t weaken. Dix offered to join me. Dix was the most happily married guy I knew and the biggest advocate for coupledom, and even he knew Ainsley was a cancer Chooch need to cut out of his life.
A secondary reason, a selfish one, to meet Chooch was because it was a way to keep my mind off Shay. I was purposely avoiding her. I was giving her time to miss me—I hadn’t been kidding about that. But I also didn’t know what to say about what I’d seen her father do. Or if I should say anything. Not seeing her, though, was torture.
I had decided, right before Chooch called, that I was going to go to Elevate Fitness and talk to her. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, or if I would mention what I saw with her dad, but I needed to see her again. Whether she wanted to or not, she responded to that kiss in the stairwell. But Chooch needed me, and I never blew off a teammate. Especially because I know Chooch was toying with the idea of going back to Ainsley, and that would be the worst possible thing, for him and our team. He was still playing like shit and I was hoping—we all were—that if she stayed gone he would be able to focus. Still, I wanted to see Shayne again so much I ached.
And then fate intervened, and there she was. When I first noticed her across the restaurant, I wanted to walk right over and grab her pretty head and lay my lips on hers. But Chooch was in the middle of pouring his heart out. I waited as long as I could—about an hour—until I was literally twitching in my seat trying to fight the urge to go talk to her.
“Dude, what the fuck?!” Dix had said and waved a hand in front of my face to get my attention again. He had been telling us a story about how he knew it was right with his wife, Maxine. “You could do to listen to this too. Didn’t your last relationship go allFatal Attraction?”
“Sorry,” I muttered.
Both Dix and Chooch turned around to see what was so distracting. “I’ve been…involved with the girl over there.”
“The pregnant one?!” I give Dix a withering stare and he laughs. “What? With you anything is possible.”
“The one next to the pregnant one,” I explain, and both sets of eyes turn and stare at Shay. “Here name is Shay. She’s the sister of Avery’s old teammate, Trey. The guy who owns Elevate Fitness.”
“Really? You’re dating her?” Dix seemed shocked.
“Not technically.” I sighed. I don’t want to gossip about Shay so instead I just mutter, “It’s complicated.”
“She’s hot,” Dix says admiringly. “Nice eyes.”
“Nice everything,” I reply, and he smiles at that.
“She works at the gym, right? The girl in the green dress from the opening party?” Chooch says, his freckled face scrunching up a little as he strains to remember.
“Yoga teacher and nutritionist,” I tell Chooch.
“So is she bendy?” Chooch wants to know. “I hear you can fuck yoga girls with their legs behind their heads.”
I feel my skin turning pink. Dix chuckles, and Chooch raises his hand for a high-five. I reluctantly give it to him. “Shut up, okay,” I demand. “It’s not like that. I like her.”
“What do you mean?” Dix acts like he’s never, ever heard of the concept.
“I like her. I’m trying to date her,” I explain.
“Then maybe you should go over there and, you know,talkto her.” Dix’s words drip with sarcasm and so does his smile.
“I want to,” I admit. “It’s just complicated.”
“Well, then, I’m going to give you the same advice I’m giving Chooch,” Dix says. “Give up and get out.”
I shake my head and smile as I rise to my feet. “Nah. She’s just worth it.”
And that’s when I gave in and ordered a round for them, delivering her drink in person.
Now here we are, three hours later, at a bar a few doors down from the restaurant, ordering more drinks, listening to the Bon Jovi cover band and having a blast. Sasha is the only one who bailed, heading home shortly after we joined the girls. Shay had tried to leave too, but Audrey had used to birthday-girl powers to veto that. Shay pouted a little bit at first, but now she is on the dance floor with Audrey and Josh rocking out to “You Give Love a Bad Name.” She’s moving her hips, her arms up by her head, her eyes almost closed as she sings along. She’s looks fucking delicious. My mouth is watering.
So far two random guys have tried to dance with her, lumbering up behind and bumping against her. Every time she moved away from them, her sparkling gray eyes drifting to me.She wants this as much as I do, my brain screamed. Or maybe it was my dick. Sometimes, around her, it’s hard to differentiate.
