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I glare at him before scanning across the rest of them—a warning to be on good behavior. “This is Nikki. Nikki, this is the team.”
“Hi,” she says softly, giving them a quick wave. “You guys played great.”
Brett sits up. “You should have seen how excited Cammy boy here got when he found out you were here. Like a kid on goddamn Christmas, I swear.”
I’m going to kill him.
Brett props his head in his hands with a sly smile on his face. “And is she your sister orrrr…just a friend orrrr…”
“She’s my girlfriend. Any other questions, Brett?” I snap at him to shut him up.
Nikki squeezes my hand, gently giggling.
Brett holds his hands up in surrender. “None from me. Guys?” He looks around to the other players.
Almost everyone’s hand shoots into the air with a stupid smile on each of their faces.
“We’re going to the bar to get a drink,” I announce as I spin Nikki around with me. “Try to be less weird when we get back. Thanks.”
We make our way through the crowd, and I watch every wasted guy with extra caution. She is already nervous enough. No one is touching her and making her feel worse.
She approaches the bar, and I stand directly behind her, wrapping my arms over her shoulders.
One of the bartenders walks up to us. “What can I get you guys?” she shouts over the music.
“Vodka cranberry, please,” Nikki orders and shows her ID.
The bartender nods and looks at me.
“Just water.”
“Ten dollars,” she shouts to us.
Nikki goes for her card, and I grab her whole wallet out of her hand and shove it in my pocket.
“Nope. Absolutely not.”
“Here.” I slide her a twenty from my own wallet. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks,” she says and gets to work on our drinks.
I don’t move an inch. Nikki is pressed so perfectly against me right now. I could stay in this spot forever.
I hand her wallet back to her. “I know you can take care of yourself. But I want to.”
She tucks it in her purse and wiggles in my arms as she twists and turns around to face me, her back now pressing into the countertop. “Girlfriend?”
My face heats up. When she didn’t immediately bring it up, I thought she was going to let it slide without comment. I guess I should have asked her about that first. But it doesn’t change the fact that that’s what I think of her as, regardless if she thinks of herself that way.
“Yeah, my girlfriend. I don’t want to even think about another guy getting your attention. I can promise you no other girl has gotten or will get mine.” I pause. “Do you not want me to call you that?” I ask her with bated breath.
She tilts her head side to side with pursed lips. “Hmm.” Her finger taps her chin, and her smiling blue eyes look up at me. “I think I like it.”
“Think?” I lean down, closing the distance between our faces.
“We’ll see.” She smiles and squints her eyes.
She bites her lip as the bartender slides our drinks across the countertop. She turns around to grab it, and I lean down and kiss her ear from behind.
