Page 8 of Playing for Keeps
Rylan was his sister’s friend. Hell, she was damn near a sister to him. How many times had Rylan spent the night at their house, been at the table first thing in the morning eating cereal right alongside him and Lance? Wherever Camy was, Rylan wasn’t far behind. Except when Camy sang, danced or was on the cheerleading squad, Rylan was usually at her dad’s body shop. When the hell did the tomboy get a woman’s body?
“It’s about time,” she said and Del’s eyes shot open.
“What?”
Rylan was sitting on the couch now, the remote in hand as she held it up in triumph.
“I found the remote,” she announced with a smile and immediately changed the channel.
A really nice smile, Del thought.
Her hair came to her chin, black with golden highlights, in what looked like soft waves. She removed her leather jacket. The yellow t-shirt she wore was as tight as her jeans, the material smoothly stretching over palm-size breasts. She kicked off the short black boots she was wearing before tucking her legs beneath her.
“There,” she said when he was too dumfounded to speak another word. “Christmas Vacation. That’s a holiday movie worth watching.”
“Absolutely,” he replied, rubbing a hand down his face and taking a deep breath.
He was trippin’. Rylan wasn’t sexy. The woman he was really thinking about was MercedesGril926. It was her body that Del wanted to see. Her long legs he wanted wrapped around his waist as he plunged deep into her. Not Rylan, who he knew hated ketchup and couldn’t dance to save her life but could ride a bike and hold a wheelie for longer than any of the guys that had lived on their block.
“Wait. Who changed the channel?” Camy asked when she came back into the room.
“Not me,” Rylan answered quickly and tossed the remote across the room to Del.
He caught it without a second’s thought and tucked it under the pillow of the loveseat.
“Oh, so that’s the game we’re playing now,” Camy said with a frown as she put the glasses on the table and tossed the beer to Del. “Well, I don’t really care. It’s a Christmas movie so I’m good.”
Camy plopped down on the couch beside Rylan and crossed her legs. “I love the holidays.”
Rylan looked at Del. He shrugged and they both grinned. His sister was something. And Rylan, well, she was his sister’s best friend.
The movie was halfway over when Del thought he felt his phone vibrate. He dug into his pocket and pulled it out, only to sigh with disappointment at the sight of a text message from Lance letting Del know that he would not be crashing at his place tonight. That meant his brother had probably found a woman to spend the evening with instead. Del sighed as he stared at the television once more. He wished he were spending the evening differently. Perhaps with MercedesGirl926 was a thought.
4
Del: Been thinking about you all night.
It was easy to admit that via messages.
MercedesGirl926: I thought about you too.
That made him feel good.
Tonight had been mad busy at the bar with people coming in after concluding their Black Friday shopping at the outlet mall just down the road. All hands had been on deck with the guys pulling double duties and shifts and calling in mostly all of their staff to do the same. Business had definitely been good, but damn he was tired as hell and feeling edgier than he had in he couldn’t even remember when.
After a quick, hot shower when he came home, Del passed on the beer and grabbed a bottle of water instead. On the ride home, he’d thought about the other half of a foot-long hoagie he had left over in the fridge, but now, he’d decided against that as well. What he really wanted wasn’t going to be found in his refrigerator. He wanted to talk to MercedesGirl926 more than he wanted to eat.
Their messaging had resumed hours after he’d finished watching movies with Camy and Rylan, with both of them ignoring his request to meet. They’d simply continued chatting as if that comment hadn’t been made. She wasn’t looking forward to Thanksgiving any more than he had been. Even though they didn’t discuss the specifics of why, they were still able to commiserate together. She did mention being stressed about her business and Del had wondered what kind of work she did. Instead of asking, he offered some advice based on his newfound experience and the business classes he’d taken last year. She’d been very receptive and thanked him as if he’d answered some sort of prayer when all he’d done was convey some of the organizational tips he’d learned and a bit of the marketing stuff Noah had taught him. Still, it had made Del feel good to read the lighter, more relieved tone of her messages.
In return, chatting with her had lifted some of the stress Del had been feeling as he contemplated what he was going to do about the subpoena he’d received to testify in the final drug bust of his law enforcement career. There was also the issue of Lance and how he was coping with his life’s changes. Del didn’t want to admit that thinking about either of those things struck a chord of fear in him. So instead, he reluctantly accepted that his friends may have been right all along. These burdens Del was carrying might not be as heavy if he’d found some sort of relief.
Preferably of the sexual kind.
Del: Never thought this much about a woman before.
He was sitting in his recliner, the towel still wrapped around his waist. It was dark in his room at almost four in the morning.
MercedesGirl926: It would be cliché if I said the same to you, but since I’m up at this insane hour waiting for our nightly chat, I guess my actions speak for me.
