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Like everyone else, his eyes had been glued to her sexy dance show, and then his vision had gone red when Beckett had laid hands on her. If Holly’s friend Dante hadn’t stepped in, he would have ripped that guy’s goddamned head off.
Eli watched as she exhibited the same sexy, confident dance moves as she’d done in the past. That quickly, the past collided with his present, so fast and intense that he lost his breath. He jumped out of his chair, pulling at the collar of his shirt as he began to pace.
His teammates exchanged alarmed glances before Ryder stood up and took him by the arm.
“Donnelley, are you all right?”
“No,” he said, shaking him off. “I can’t let this happen again, O’Bryan. I let her go last time because I thought I was doing the right thing. But this... I really fucked up this time. I can’t stand by and let her walk out of my life.”
West’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, are you finally admitting you want Wilkes for real? Not just in your bed?”
“Jesus, Kellz. It’s not just about that,” he said, slashing a hand through the air. “Back then, we were friends. We weregoodfriends. I need to fix the damage I’ve done.”
“So basically, that’s a yes,” Brandon said, smirking at West.
Eli swore under his breath and started for the VIP exit.
“Woah there, cowboy.” Ryder grabbed him by the back of his shirt. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Downstairs. I have to talk to her.”
“Uh-uh.” Ryder shoved him back down into his seat. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“What are you going to do, O’Bryan? Tie me to the fucking chair?”
Ryder grabbed an apple slice from the appetizer tray and took a bite as he sat down across from him. “Sure. If I have to.”
“Why would you think that—”
“Hey, dipshit. Listen to your captain. You need a strategy,” Brandon told him. “You can’t just run down there and expect her to be thrilled to talk to you. Not after what happened. She’d probably punch you in the face.”
“And you’d deserve it,” Ryder said pointedly.
“Yeah, after all, this is Wilkes we’re talking about,” West chimed in. “She’s feisty as fuck on her best days. You’re going to need a plan and a hell of a lot of luck on your side, D.”
“Exactly,” Ryder replied. “So, we are going to sit up here for a while, and you’re going to enjoy the view. We’re going to eat, shoot the shit about some of those possible strategies, and relax. Then at the end of the night, I’ll let you out of this box to do whatever the hell you want. Deal?”
Eli glanced back down at the dance floor. Holly and Penn were standing off to the side near the tables with their heads bent together, talking.
His heart skipped a beat just looking at her. No one had ever affected him like Holly did.
“You care about her a lot,” Ryder said quietly. “What’s up with you, D? Are you finally growing up?”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
It was going to be a long few hours, but he was determined to break through Holly’s doors—emotional or otherwise—by the end of the night.
* * *
“Are you sure you’re ready to call it a night, Hol?” Penn asked. “It’s barely after ten.”
Holly dug her room key out of her purse as they walked down the long hotel hallway. “Yeah. I just want to kick off these heels and climb into my pajamas. Maybe watch a movie. I don’t know.”
“Do you want me to stay and hang out?” Penn asked, giving her a worried look as they stopped in front of her hotel room. “I don’t mind.”
Holly put an arm around her best friend. She probably shouldn’t have told her what had happened with Eli last night, because now Penn felt guilty for telling her to confront him.
“Curly Cue, I’m okay. And your man is one floor down, waiting for you. Go spend some time with him before the playoff series starts.”
