Page 12 of Secret Puck
“I’m okay for now.” There’s an empty seat next to Maverick, so I head for it and sit down.
“Where is Payne?” one of the guys asks him.
“Still showering and jerking it to Mariah, probably.” Maverick stills, looks to me, and clears his throat. “Shit, sorry.”
I laugh and wave him off. “Good for him. And Mariah.”
“I like you.” Maverick puts his arm around me on the back of the couch, but it’s in a friendly way that doesn’t feel like he’s hitting on me.
“Hands off,” Adam’s deep voice bellows from the kitchen.
Maverick rolls his eyes and I’m glad he’s not so easily intimidated by my brother. It was a real issue in high school before Adam graduated. He would look at guys the wrong way for talking to me and they’d scamper off too afraid of him.
He stands and looks down at me. “You need a drink? A smoke?”
“Yeah, I think I might need a drink after all.”
The party, or what’s arrived of it, moves outside on the deck off the kitchen of the apartment. It’s nice out. Still hot like August nights always are in Arizona, but a nice breeze and the cold drink in my hand helps. Even Adam seems to relax as the guys kick back with their beers. It’s still just the guys on the team, but it’s early.
“I’m going to get another drink.” I head inside to the bathroom and have to use the flashlight on my phone to see anything. Why my brother hasn’t changed the light bulb is beyond me.
I can’t really see much in the mirror, enough to make out my French braid is mostly still intact. In the kitchen, I rummage through the refrigerator looking for something besides beer, but it’s that or Wild Turkey. Definitely no.
As I turn, movement catches my eye and I jump in surprise. “You scared me.”
He grins, hand gliding through the wet hair sticking up on his head like he ran a towel through it and said fuck it. He looks me over carefully. I’m frozen, my tongue feels heavy or too wide for my mouth or something.
“Hey, Ginny.”
“Hi.” I look around dumbfounded. I’d expected to run into him, but not half-naked. “Do you live here?”
“Well, I don’t usually walk around in my boxers at other dude’s houses.” He looks to the ceiling and a smirk pulls at his lips. “Well, not often.”
I’d been actively avoiding the wall of nakedness in front of me, but now that he’s acknowledged it, I can’t look away.
The only thing he wears are a pair of gray boxer briefs that hug his huge thighs and—oh my god, Ginny, do not look at his crotch. Shit, too late. I tear my gaze away from the bulge and up to his abs. Forget a boring six-pack, Heath has ridges and lines that wrap around his midsection. I follow the line to his chest and biceps. It shouldn’t be possible for someone to look this good naked.
And oh my God, stop looking already!
Adam comes through the door before I can make words come out of my mouth.
“Payne, fucking finally. We thought you drowned in there.” Adam tosses his empty in the trash and grabs another beer, his face hardening as he gets a good look at him. “Dude, what the hell? Put some clothes on in front of my sister.”
“Relax, I didn’t know she was here yet.” Heath’s tone is agitated, rightfully so.
“Pants, dude. Now.”
“Adam,” I admonish.
“And no hitting on my baby sister.” His demeanor relaxes slightly, and he punches Heath playfully in the arm, although it seems a little harder than necessary.
“Are you coming back outside?” Adam asks me, pausing at the door that leads to the deck.
“I’ll be right there,” I assure him.
Heath brushes by me, the heat of his body licking flames up my arm and grabs two beers from the fridge. He hands one to me. “So, I hear you’re sleeping with me this weekend.”
“Umm… what?”
