Page 6 of The Love Playbook

When I turn around, Eli stands in the doorway of the kitchen and tosses his hands in the air, his face a picture of exasperation. “Seriously, dude?”

“What?”

“What? What. Motherfucker’s askingmewhat.” He gives me an exaggerated blink. “What was that tonight? With that chick with the crazy colored hair? What’s her name?”

“Autumn,” I supply.

“Autumn,” he repeats. “Her. She wasall overyou, man. And you were cool with it?”

I shrug, ignoring the blush I know is painted all over my face. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Eli sounds like he’s choking on his own spit. “Are you fucking with me, dude? You’ve gotta be fucking with me. You’ve literallyneverbeen okay with a chick acting like that. You usually get all stiff and quiet and turn red like you’re doing now. And then they get bored and move on to easier pickings.” He holds up his hands, palms out. “Wait, wait, wait. Was she just not getting the hint? You’re usually really good at telegraphing your disinterest. Hell, I’ve even seen you walk away from a chick like you were just bored with her or something.”

To be honest, I probably was. Most of the girls that try to talk to me at parties aren’t exactly scintillating conversationalists. Maybe it makes me weird or old-fashioned, but I don’t really want some girl hanging all over me who only knows my last name, the number on my jersey, and what position I play. If that. Some of them just know I’m a football player, so our conversation consists of them asking for those details. And I’m supposed to … what? Go off in a room and have sex with someone I don’t even know? And risk getting her pregnant?

Pass.

My sister got pregnant at nineteen. At least that was with her boyfriend. And yeah, they’re not together any more, but he’s involved. They share custody and have an amicable relationship.

How would I make that happen if I knocked up some girl I don’t even know at a party? I have no desire to tie myself to some random chick for life after exchanging names, majors, and hometowns at most.

“Don’t worry about it, man. Autumn’s fine.” I move to pass him, but he won’t get out of the way.

Instead, he narrows his eyes at me and stares up at me with the belligerent tilt to his chin that I know and hate. It means he’s digging his heels in, and that’s the last thing I need right now.

Mostly because I’m not sure what to tell him about Autumn. Saying out loud that she offered to be my love tutor is embarrassing. And while obviously it’s well known that I don’t sleep around, admitting that I’m a virgin to my teammates would open me up to endless amounts of teasing. Plus, if they see me with Autumn, which seems likely, they’ll all be hounding me for details of when I finally fuck her, and I don’t need my whole team up my ass like that.

While Eli might keep my secret—he’s been my closest friend for years, after all—there’s no telling what could happen if he got drunk around the wrong person and ran his mouth … Eli’s notorious for spilling his guts when he’s drunk. Which also means that he’ll spill whatever secrets he’s keeping for anyone else, especially if it’s a recent discovery or something occupying his thoughts, and I have a feeling finding out that Autumn is going to teach me about dating and sex would definitely occupy his mind.

“You know she doesn’t do relationships, right?”

That stops me, because I’m not really sure that’s true. I tilt my head and give him a questioning look. “What are you talking about?”

He throws up his hands again. “Seriously? Do you not pay any attention at all? She slept with like half the team last year.” He wiggles a finger through the air like he’s tracing his way through a maze. “Working her way through most of the defensive line before heading on to special teams.” He gives a snort at that. “Special teams. That sounds dirty when I say it like that.”

Cracking a smile, because he’s not wrong, I stick my hands in my pockets and tilt my head at the door. “Can I get past now?”

That sobers him up, and he draws up to his full height, which is a few inches shorter than me, and looks me in the eyes. “You sure you know what you’re in for with her?”

Sighing, I nod. “Yes. I’m sure. Seriously, dude. Don’t worry about it. We’re friends.” Sort of. We’re friendly,at least, after working together in our theatre class on a couple of projects last semester. We even had a stage kiss in one scene, and the memory of her soft lips on mine has haunted me ever since.

Now that she’s kissed me again for real … that’s going to keep me going for quite a while. Our stage kiss was barely anything, just a quick press of closed lips. But tonight’s kiss …

She touched me, pressed her body against me, her lips slightly parted, silky and sweet on mine …

I’m not sure exactly what she has in mind for our … sessions. But if they include more of that, I’ll be a happy guy.

“Friends, huh?” Eli says, doubt thick in his tone.

“Yes, dude. Friends. Like we are.”

He snorts. “Dude. No. You and I are not friends like you and Autumn apparently are. If Ieverleaned against you like she did tonight, you’d punch me in the face.”

“True,” I say around a laugh. “Fine. She’s not my friend in the same way you’re my friend. But you don’t need to worry about me with her, okay? I can handle myself. Promise.”

He gives me another doubtful look, but eventually lets me pass.

I just hope that I don’t have to deal with another round of this in the locker room tomorrow. If I’d known that agreeing to this at the beginning of the party would mean Autumn spending the evening attached to me, I don’t know if I would’ve had the guts to do it. I kinda figured she’d say sure and tell me she’d text me later, then go off with her friends or talk to the other guys, because that’s what she normally does.

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