Page 67 of Pick Six
“He has a heated pool and a couple of hot tubs. Thought it might be fun to have as an option.”
I raise a brow at him.
“And I might just want to show off how fucking sexy my girlfriend is.”
“Is Gabe going to be there?” I give him a playful smile.
His eyes darken as they lift to mine. “Don’t joke, Saint. I had to watch you with someone else before. I won’t do it again.”
“All right. I’m getting ready.”
My heart flutters like I’m a schoolgirl at the implication of this lasting beyond whatever short-term end this fake relationship has. How much I should let myself hope, I’m not ready to think too much about it yet.
THIRTY-SIX
Harper
Tobias’s place is gorgeous.Apparently, he has an apartment downtown close to the stadium, and then this house on the outskirts where he can have a retreat of sorts. Alex has given me a mini tour and introduced me to what feels like dozens of people.
I can’t remember people’s names on a good day. Faces, maybe what they’re wearing or something they said, but not names. Even one or two is usually hard unless I force myself to repeat them five times after they first introduce themselves. Remembering this many people? There is no way, so I hope he’s not expecting it.
The party’s catered and the food is insanely good, with pretty much any and everything on the menu—tacos, BBQ, wings, and desserts. The liquor is also flowing freely and the later it gets, the faster it flows. Waylon, Mackenzie, Ben, and Violet all stick around for the early celebrations, but as people start to get drunker and wilder, both couples say their goodbyes, and I’m left with no group to float around the party with.
Alex is winding up a conversation with one of his teammates and I’m just sipping my drink and people watching off to the side. After a few more minutes he turns to me, kissing me and running a hand down my side.
“Wanna go get in the hot tub for a bit?”
“Um.” I peek out the window where there are a dozen bodies in and around the hot tub by the heated pool as we speak. “It seems a little crowded.”
“There’s another one up on a private deck. He doesn’t let anyone go out there usually because it’s his, but he won’t care if it’s me. We can sneak off for a bit.”
“Sure.” I smile because more time alone with Alex tonight is honestly all I want.
He takes my hand and I follow him up the stairs and down a hall.
“Here, you can change in here.” He pops the door open to a bathroom just outside the deck door.
“Okay.”
I slip inside with my purse and turn on the light. Changing quickly I put my hair up in a messy tie to keep it from getting in the water. Then I turn in front of the mirror and smile. I don’t know if it’s the divorce or Alex, or some combination of the two but I definitely feel better than I have in a long time. Sexier. More confident. I could get used to this new version of myself.
When I leave the bathroom, Alex is leaning against the wall in a set of swim trunks smiling as his eyes run over me.
“Oh, I need to do this with you way more often.”
“Agreed,” I say as I look him over before meeting his eyes again. He closes the distance between us and kisses me.
“I am so fucking lucky,” he mutters, kissing the side of my jaw before he looks at me again.
“Me too,” I whisper. “We’re going to freeze though, aren’t we?”
It was a cool night despite the fact the day had still been relatively warm for this time of year.
“Not once we’re in the water. Just have to hurry.” He smiles and I kiss him again. Something I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough of. He makes me feel so giddy, I almost feel silly for how much.
“Here, you can put your clothes and purse in here.” He opens a door across the hallway, and I set them on a chair in what looks like a guest bedroom before I follow him back out.
When we get out to the hot tub though, someone else has already beat us to it—Gabe. He grins when he sees us. His eyes fall over me slowly and then slide back up my body until he meets my eyes.
