I nod. “Sometimes, I forget that.” Somebody starts speaking through the sound system, and he gives me a reluctant look. “I think that’s our cue to find our seats.” I look up at him again. “Thanks.”
We walk back to the table that has our namecards on it, and I really am regretting not getting a plate of appetizers. As we approach the table, I take in who’s seated there and realize it's Reid’s teammates and their plus ones. Caden sits at our table, just like he said. Next to him is a pretty girl that he’s talking to. Then there are two more of his teammates and their dates. Reid pulls out my seat for me, and I sit. Thankfully, the speaking part goes quickly, and we’re dismissed by table to get food. I try making small talk with the girl next to me, while we wait to be dismissed. But she can’t stop talking to her date for longer than thirty seconds to talk to me. Reid has been pulled into conversation by a teammate who’s sitting on his other side; so he’s busy. I use the time to look around the room. I spot most of my teammates. Most of them are at two tables towards themiddle. There are a few exceptions. Star, of course, is seated with Cameron at what looks like a table full of the practice squad. Brene appears to be with one of Reid’s teammates; that makes me smile. They look cute together. The host finally tells us we can go get food, and I’m pretty sure I’m the first one on my feet. Reid stands up next to me. “Hungry?” he asks with a smirk.
“Starved! I hope it’s not teeny, tiny food,” I whisper under my breath. His warm chuckle follows me as we walk towards the food table.
Chapter 28
Reid
I keep Riley in front of me as we make our way to the food table. It does not escape my notice how many guys turn to watch her, and it makes my already tense self even more on edge. It’s been that way since the moment I laid eyes on her tonight. I still have to catch my breath every time I look at her. Riley is beautiful, always has been. But tonight...there are no words to describe how my mate looks tonight. Beautiful doesn’t even come close. But I’m not the only one that thinks that, and it’s been driving me crazy all night. I’m hoping the night will go quickly, so we can take our leave. While I would love nothing more than to take her in my arms and dance all night with her, I don’t think I could handle all the males in this room staring at her. I watch as she steps up to the buffet at the same time another girl does. Riley says something, and the other girl laughs. That, in turn, makes my girl smile. They talk back and forth, and I wonder if she’s on Riley’s team. They chat all the way through the line, and I hang back just a little bit to give Riley some space. They part ways at the end of the food table, and Riley turns around, looking for me. I finish putting food on my plate; I’m not even really sure what because I’m distracted. When I turn back, there are two different girls standing in front of Riley. I notice immediately that her face is closed off, not open like it was moments ago.
The girl closest to Riley looks down at Riley’s plate. “Wow, it must be so nice to eat as much as you want, to not have to care about what you look like.”
“Right?” The other one says. “I try to eat healthy and small amounts, so I don’t put on weight.” She shrugs. “But not everybody’s like that.”
“Clearly,” the first one says, eyeing Riley with a look that I don’t like at all. When I get close, I recognize both of them as players from the women’s team from events in the past. Angeline is the more well-known of the two; and I’ve had my own share of run ins with her over the years. The girl doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.
Shock rolls through me now at their words. I stop next to Riley with my plate in my left hand and slip my arm around her and stand at her back. “Hey, Gorgeous,” I say just loud enough for the girls to hear and drop my head to her neck for just a brief moment before I lift my head.
“Reid, this is Angeline and Jaida,” Riley says by way of introduction. “Girls, this is Reid—”
“Marshall,” Angeline fills in. They both turn brilliant smiles on me, and I grind my teeth. They just treated my girl like trash, and now, they want to play coy with me. I hate that.
“Yes, I know Reid very well,” Angeline says, implying something between us. There never has been and never will be.
“They’re my teammates,” Riley adds.
“Ready?” I ask my girl, ignoring them.
I place my hand at her back and direct her back to our table.There’s never been anything between Angeline and me,I feel the need to inform her.
I know.
And just like that, it’s a non-issue. I pull out her chair for her, and she slides gracefully into it with the ease of a shifter. Her movements are always so smooth and graceful. As soon as I’m seated, I angle my body slightly towards her and drop my arm over the back of her chair. I can’t help it. With all these males around and Riley looking the way she does tonight, I’mbattling the desire to pick her up and carry her out of here or at least give her my jacket to cover up with. But I know neither of those are good options, especially if I want her to continue to speak to me after tonight...or ever again. Dropping my arm over the back of the chair is as much claim as I can have on her publicly. Everybody at the table starts eating, and I feel myself relax marginally.
You good?Riley sends me through the pack link. She surprises me by putting her hand on my thigh.You seem pretty tense.
I remove my arm from the back of her chair and take her hand in mine. The contact eases something inside me, and I try to focus on the conversations happening around us. Riley laughs at something somebody says, and I turn her way. I love her laugh and could listen to it every moment of every day. I take a few bites of food and listen as Caden regales us with stories, most of them too dramatic to be true. “You wish,” I tell him after he tells everybody he’s going to be MVP this year. The guys around the table laugh and give him a hard time.
“I’m pretty sure Reid’s got that spot buttoned up,” Riley adds.
Caden leans forward. “You that confident in your man?”
Riley doesn’t bat an eye. “Yes.”
Caden shakes his head in disgust, but I know he’s just playing at it. Caden and I have been teammates and friends for three years now, and I know all of this is for show. He’s a good guy and a good player. He’s not in it just for himself. The conversation continues around the table, and I like it that Riley feels comfortable enough to jump in. “Want to get dessert?” she asks when her plate is empty.
I grin. “You and your sweet tooth.” Riley’s always had a sweet tooth. When she’s in sports season, that usually means something like berries and whipped cream for her. I stand upand put my hand out for her. She takes my hand, and we make our way over to the dessert bar.
“Why do they even put all this out when all of us are athletes?” she asks, looking over the dessert table.
“Because most of us are not as disciplined as you,” I tell her.
She scoffs. “Oh please, Mr. I-can’t-ever-eat-anything-sweet.”
I lean forward so my lips are against her ear. “You eat something sweet, and I’ll get a taste of it later.”
She turns and looks up at me, and I don’t miss the heat in her gaze. I step forward, closing the distance between us. She puts her hand on my chest, and I feel my muscles bunch beneath her hand. She’s playing with fire, and she has no idea. Or maybe she does because a glint enters her eyes. She turns back to the dessert table and fills her plate with berries and of course, fresh whipped cream. I follow her back to the table. Once we’re seated, she wastes no time grabbing a strawberry and dunking it in whipped cream before pulling it to her lips. Right before she takes a bite, she turns to look at me. Then she takes the bite slowly, being sure to lick her lips when she’s done. I resist the urge to growl and grab her and kiss her, so I can taste the sweetness of her lips and the berry at the same time. “Reid.” I realize belatedly that Caden is calling my name. I’m honestly not sure if he’s called my name more than once. It takes effort to pull my gaze away from Riley and focus my attention on Caden.
