Page 34 of Pick Six
“Mine, huh?” I smirk at her.
I’m tempted to say and do so many things right now, none of which would be appropriate or well received because we’re standing in the entryway of Ben and Violet’s home, and the last time she’d touched me, she’d ended the evening abruptly. But how I’m going to make it all night like this, I’m not sure.
She just gives me a shy grin in response and Ben and Violet finish turning off the lights in the house, and we all head out to the car so we can be on our way.
The event iseverything it was billed to be, and Colt has just won an award for his work with nonprofits in the city, doing his usual stoic act while he accepts and talks about how much this team and the city mean to him. There’s a short intermission between the speakers and we’re grabbing cocktails when I feel a hand on my arm. Thinking it's Harper I turn to greet her, only to be confronted with one of my worst mistakes in recent history: Danica Hart.
She’s one of the latest social media success stories, a singer and songwriter from Seattle with a reputation almost as wild as mine. We’d dated for a couple of months and then gone our separate ways on a mostly amicable note when she’d gone on tour, and I’d been back in the season playing. Her name’s on the rise again because she’d just done a set of risqué ads for her new album wearing the latest line of lingerie by a controversial brand.
“Xander,” she says my name in the husky way she always did when she wanted my attention.
“Danica.”
“I didn’t know you were going to be here. I’m surprised they let us both in to such a classy event.”
“Well as long as you donate enough…they usually do. I think it’s called buying your way in.” I give her a half smile, glancing up to see where Harper’s gone because this is exactly the reason I didn’t want to be alone tonight.
“You want to head out early? I can think of better ways we could spend our night.”
“No. I’m just waiting on my date to get back.”
“Your date…” She rolls her eyes dismissively.
“His date.” Harper slides up to my side out of nowhere, her fingers running their way over my chest as a saccharine smile plays at her lips.
“You look familiar.”
“We’ve met before. You came to a party at my home with Xander.”
“A party?”
“Memorial Day BBQ,” I add.
“Oh, yes. That was the epitome of middle-class domesticity. I remember it now.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” The other hand Harper has at my side, the one hidden from Danica’s view, is currently curling into my flesh through my suit.
“I think we probably should get back to our seats,” I suggest because I’d like to not have a matching wound on my other side, and I can guarantee with enough time Danica will create a reason for it.
“Yes, well. We need to catch up, Xander.” She gives me a little wink before she heads off down the hall.
“I hope she was really good in bed and…” Harper mutters until the last bit she says is inaudible.
“What?” I almost choke on my drink at her bluntness.
“I said I hope she gave you mind-blowing head because she’s a terrible person. Even for you, that was a questionable choice.” Harper looks at me with a hint of disapproval. “I still can’t believe you brought her to my house.”
“We were dating at the time.”
“Dating? Is that what you’d call it? She was incredibly drunk in the early afternoon at what was clearly a family event, practically dry-humping you in my living room while losing pieces of her clothing all over my house. I’m surprised she wasn’t naked and running through the sprinklers by the end of the night.”
“She had her charms.” One of them was the fact that her chaotic wild personality was almost enough to distract me from Harper while we were at her house. Almost, until I saw Harper giving me the same look she is now. The one that tells me she’s disappointed in me.
“I’m sure she did.” She gives me a tight smile. “Let’s get back to the table?”
I nod and take her hand in my free one, a gesture she reciprocates by threading her fingers through mine like it’s second nature. She was playing her part well tonight. Acting like the perfect girlfriend and making it seem like we were always like this together. Almost hard to believe this was the same woman that fled my living room a few short days ago.
When we getto the table, I sit the cocktail I’d gotten for her down in front of her like a peace offering. I can tell she’s still not thrilled to have seen me talking to my ex. An interesting note because while I absolutely believe she’s not a fan of Danica’s, the way she’d quickly wrapped her hands around me made me wonder if there wasn’t a touch of jealousy under it all.
