She pouted playfully. “Come on, one late-night out won’t kill you.”
“You’re probably right.” I tilted my cup toward her. “But it’ll mess with my swing, and I have to make sure my stats impress the scouts.”
“You two really did turn into old men.” With those parting words, she spun on her heel and walked away.
Once she was out of earshot, Jase arched a brow. “She was practically offering herself on a silver platter, and you still said no?”
I shrugged and tried to sound casual. “Just wasn’t interested.”
“Bullshit,” he argued. “I haven’t seen you with anyone since Cape Cod.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have sex … I just hadn’t. Not since the threesome with Faye. Every time a chance came up, I told myself I needed to stay focused on baseball, but deep down,that wasn’t the whole truth. No one interested me the way she had.
I downed the last of my beer. “You’re one to talk. When’s the last time you got laid?”
I wasn’t the only one stuck on the woman who’d made it clear our night together had been a one-time hookup. I’d caught Jase scrolling through her social media accounts plenty of times.
His shoulders shook. “So we’re both just pathetic?”
“Nah.” I tossed my empty cup into a nearby trash can. “Just found something we both want.”
Too bad the feeling didn’t appear mutual.
4
Faye
“You knowI’m capable of carrying at least one of those,” I told Agent Pederson as he trailed behind me, a couple of shopping bags in his hand.
“I don’t mind,” he replied.
He always said that, even after I’d overheard him last Thanksgiving joke about being my “official bag handler.” He’d sounded like he was complaining, but he still never let me carry more than my purse.
The cold air stung my face as we left Bergdorf’s. Agent Leeds led the way, with Agent Nguyen beside Agent Pederson at the rear. Morgan and I were spending a few days in NYC to do some Christmas shopping and update our winter wardrobes. Later that evening, she’d head back to Boston, and I would continue to Washington, D.C., to join my family for some holiday events at the White House.
“Paparazzi approaching from the left,” Agent Leeds announced the second we stepped onto Fifth Avenue.
Of course they were.
It didn’t matter whether I was shopping, grabbing coffee, or going for a walk. They showed up wherever I was. Fallon rarely dealt with attention from the media, and Finn practically lived off the grid since everything that had gone down between him and Fallon. But me? I was the “Spoiled Heiress,” the “Party Princess,” the “First Daughter with a shopping addiction.”
I kept my chin up as I walked to the black SUV idling at the curb, pretending the flashes and shouted questions didn’t bother me, even though they always did. It wasn’t the cameras; it was the commentary on my clothes, my makeup, my body, and the kind of person they thought I was. The internet was full of tabloid articles online calling me vain or vapid because I happened to like designer bags and expensive champagne.
Morgan looped her arm through mine and whispered, “Just keep smiling, or tomorrow’s headline will be about you scowling at everyone in New York.”
I plastered on a picture-perfect smile as another round of photos were snapped.
Agent Leeds opened the door, and we climbed into the vehicle. The moment the door shut behind us, I let out a long, exhausted exhale and pulled out my phone.
Out of habit, I clicked on The Loop and scrolled through Jase’s and Dylan’s accounts. The first picture I saw was one Dylan had been tagged in. He was in the gym, shirtless. Someone named UCLABBFan had posted it with the caption:I volunteer as tribute. AGAIN.
Below was another photo from the same person. This one showed Jase and Dylan chatting together on the baseball field, with the caption:I call dibs on both of them
Morgan nudged me. “What’s with the face? And don’t say ‘nothing’. You only frown like that when you’re annoyed.”
I sighed, then turned my phone toward her.
She scrunched up her nose. “Eww.Again? She might as well hold up a sign that says, ‘I’ve ridden both their dicks.’”
