Page 34 of Play Fake
“I don’t want these assholes looking at them like that,” he grits out. And I know by them he really means Olivia. Someday I expect he’ll finally admit the truth to himself, but I don’t know that it’ll be tonight.
“I suppose it is a safety issue,” I admit, as Wren nearly trips off the table after another ill-advised drop and shake.
“Let’s break it up.” He fists his hands and then stretches his fingers as a hockey player I’d seen dancing with Olivia earlier whispers something in her ear and slides a hand up her thigh.
“Just keep it calm, yeah?” I give him a meaningful look and he nods, but I have little faith he’s really listening to me.
As we walk up, Mac does a little spin and takes another sip of her flask before she whips her hip out to the side, and Wren and her both double over with laughter. As her eyes lift again, they land on me, and I hold my breath for half a second while I wait to see what kind of reception I’m going to get after our earlier encounter. While it had been an act, my reaction to her had been real, and I was pretty sure she was affected too. But I also knew the real Mac, the one I normally interacted with, would be horrified at that idea, doing her best to blow it off as nothing.
So I brace for an eye roll or a derisive little sneer, but instead a wide grin spreads across her face.
“Wayyyloonn.” She slurs and holds up her drink. “Do you want a drink? It’s excellent liquid courage.”
“Oh, yeah?” I can’t help but smile back, but now I’m confident she’s had way too much for her own good.
“Need help?” Ben comes up behind me, slapping my shoulder and giving a worried look at the girls.
I nod toward Wren. His help is welcome, but Mac is getting all the help she needs from me.
Mac leans over, crouching down and placing her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes meet mine with obvious interest and her grin spreads even wider. Apparently, she was all in on this little act tonight.
“I have an idea,” she giggles and leans forward, nearly falling into me.
“Yeah? Why don’t you come down here and tell me about it?” I extend my arms and thankfully she doesn’t fight me, instead she leans into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I wrap my arms around her waist, gently pulling her down off the table, biting back a groan as her curves slide their way down my body, and deposit her carefully at my feet.
“You smell so fucking good. Do you know that? You have to tell me what kind of cologne you use. Every time you’re around, it drives me crazy.” The words come out in a flurry, half slurred and half giggled, and her hands travel down over my shoulders and arms.
Fuucckkk. Her admissions are like little spikes of adrenaline to my system.
“Good to know,” I say, my throat going dry as I try to swallow.
I press my hand to the small of her back as I try to make room for Liam to get Olivia down. She’s much more stubborn about being removed from the spotlight. Several boos break out around us as the show is ruined. Liam shoots them a look that tells them they better shut the fuck up.
“I thought about it, and I was thinking you’d be perfect, being my fake boyfriend and all.” She blurts, suddenly bringing my attention back to her.
The way she says the word “perfect” sends little sparks of hope through my chest. I didn’t think I even met this woman’s definition of acceptable, let alone anything approaching perfect.
“Perfect for what?”
“Hooking up. You and me, Captain.” She gives me a devious little drunken grin and the tiny sparks of hope catch fire across my lungs, stealing all the oxygen I have. My cock, my ego, and the desperate part of me that thinks if I could just get my hands on her she might come around to seeing me as something other than a joke, all scream for me to grab her hand and find a place where we can be alone. But my conscience, and fuck having one at this point, has other ideas.
When I don’t immediately respond, a look of doubt flashes across her eyes before being replaced by determination.
“Think how much it would piss off the blonde, right? It would help you, and then I can stop wondering.”
“Wondering what?” I choke out.
“About the rumors. Duh. You’re… hot even if I hate it. And you fuck whoever no strings, so it’s not like it would mean anything. Right?”
I can’t answer.
“I get my rebound from Ezra and get to put a little check next to ‘fucked hot football player with big dick’ on the bucket list. And you get to have a different flavor than jersey chaser, but without any of the work, so perfect, right?”
As she says the words, I see a fist go flying out of the corner of my eye, a table being shoved out the way, and faintly, beyond the beating of my pulse in my ears, I can hear shouting.
I know I need to ignore what she said because there’s a skirmish breaking out next to me I definitely need to pay attention to. I can all but guarantee I’m going to look up and find Liam involved. Except all I can do is replay what she’s just said over and over in my mind on a loop.
