“Hi, Brent. Welcome, guys. Gav is just setting up in the back on the patio for tonight’s game night.”
They each stepped in as one of them handed me a bottle of wine for the evening. I decided to keep the door ajar, just in case any other guests decided to show, and I made my way over to the kitchen.
I placed the bottle on the kitchen island and grabbed a large bowl to put together the last-minute snacks for the afternoon before I got started on dinner. Pouring the chips into the bowl, I jumped as I felt a hand on the small of my back, dangerously close to lowering to my ass. Looking up, my eyes caught Beckham’s, cautiously watching him as he gazed down at me. I immediately pulled away from him and looked over my shoulder quickly before glaring back at him.
“What is wrong with you?!” I asked angrily.
He bit his lip as he did a once-over of my outfit. “I can’t come to tell you how pretty you look, Flower?”
I narrowed my eyes at him as he shamelessly ran his eyes over my hips in these tightly fitted jeans and the way my long sleeve knit shirt consequently accentuated chest and waist.
“Not when my husband is only one room away!” I seethed, but he simply continued looking down at me as I fixed the snacks. He stepped a bit closer, and I reluctantly felt a bit of warmth as he placed his hand on the small of my back once again. My face burned as I did my best to ignore whatever feelings started building.
I couldn’t fall for a man like Beckham. It wasn’t possible. He wasn’t able to reciprocate feelings and I was too busy at the moment trying to hold on to my marriage. But at that moment, I felt like leaning my head on his shoulder and breathing him in as he would do with me.
Fixing the bowl, I pulled away from him as he remained in his spot. I could tell he was feeling irritated, but I couldn’t do much about it. Lifting my eyes, I almost flinched as I noticed Brent coming in with a beer. He looked at me, his eyes lingering for a moment, and I gulped. Surely he didn’t hear or see anything?
Beckham maneuvered as if I wasn’t there before he grabbed one of the bottles of water on the counter. His eyes did linger on me for a moment, but he simply walked past me, nodding casually at Brent.
Brent paused, a little too long. His eyes had flickered between us a few times, but thankfully, he casually nodded to the front door, only a hint of something unreadable in his expression as he didn’t pry. “Forgot something in my car,” he uttered, shrugging, and I gave him a small smile as I walked past him and toward the patio.
For a moment, I could have sworn I felt his eyes on me as I walked, though I shook it off as I took a few deep breaths, trying to rule it as a coincidence that he seemed to walk in at a rather questionable and inconvenient situation. He probably didn’t hear anything. Right?
Entering the patio, I placed the chips and dip on the refreshments table and looked over to see the guys getting ready to be engrossed in a game of heavy poker, some of them puffing on expensive cigars. One, already lit, smoldered at Brent’s place.
Walter, one of Gavin’s older partners, said, “Hey, maybe the wife should join us in the game, huh? Why don’t we see if she’s any good?”
I crossed my arms playfully, ignoring the dark gaze from my personal incubus at the end of the table, which was making me go slightly weak in the knees.
“I should warn you, Walter. I don’t play nice…” I joked.
He took a puff from the cigar. “And how do you play, Rosenna?”
“Let’s just say I’m not afraid to get dirty.” I winked, and laughed as the men threw in a few whistles while Gavin wrapped his arm around my waist.
A certain someone, however, didn’t laugh… and from the corner of my eye, I could see him trying to hold back a smile while he took a sip of his drink, as if he knew the double meaning of my words.Which he most certainly did.
“Pile on a bit more now, guys, will you?” Gavin commented, rolling his eyes.
I giggled. “I kid, I kid. And no, I will save you all the trouble and not barge in on your fun. I’m just here to provide the refreshments and make sure you guys are well fed and not too wasted by the end of the night.”
“She’s a keeper, Johnson. They don’t make them like that anymore these days,” one of Gavin’s other partners laughed, taking a heavy puff.
I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes.
Gavin’s partners were nice but they were a bit conceited, self-centered and only a bit misogynistic and sexist when it came to men vs. women.I hated imagining why Gavin got along so well with them.
“Surely you’ll stay around and watch, at least?” I heard from the end of the table.
I looked over to see Beckham waiting for my response as he held my gaze.
“...I’ll be around.” My voice was steady despite the quick flutter in my stomach.
Deciding I would take my leave for the moment, I gave Gavin a slight shoulder rub before making my way inside. Later, I started on dinner and, occasionally walked past the glass door as I waited for the water to boil or the oil to heat up.
From where I stood, I could see Beckham was doing fairly well.Not that I was particularly rooting for him or was expecting it.
Though, even as I tried to convince myself to ignore the man, my eyes lingered on him for a moment.
