“Hey, trying to keep things polite for the lady. It limits me.”
“Trust me, theladycan handle it,” Grayson snarks. “You might even inspire her.”
“I have all the inspiration I need with you,” I say sweetly.
“Must be why your work has been so exceptional,” Anson comments with mild amusement. “All thatinspiration.”
JJ rolls his eyes. “Man, you can’t help but slip work into every conversation, huh? It’s like a fucking reflex.”
Anson raises a brow. “Know what else is a reflex? Mopping this court with your chatty ass.”
“Hope you brought some of your fancy wine to wash down those words when you choke on ‘em.” JJ taunts, jogging onto the court. “Two-minute warmup.”
I follow him, tossing my ball when he opens his hands for a pass. “When I said I was a little rusty, I mean I haven’t touched a basketball since high school.”
He shoots, and the ball swishes in. “Don’t worry. Grayson’s always sore from work, which slows him down. And Anson will be too busy thinking over his next business deal to do much damage.” He retrieves the ball and passes it to me. “If anything, you’re leveling the playing field.”
“I’m fine with leveling it. I just don’t want to sink our end.” I line up, shoot, and completely miss.
My face floods with heat, but JJ isn’t put off by my failure. “Your follow-through,” he says, returning the ball to me. “You’re cutting it short. You want your hand to point all the way through the shot.”
I nod, remembering I used to be good at that. I line up and shoot again, this time focusing on making a swan with my arm and hand.
The ball swishes in.
JJ tosses it to me again, and again, I shoot. The ball sinks right in.
“Rusty, who?” he calls out, as he grabs the ball and sinks an easy layup.
A cautious grin crawls up my cheek, and I catch sight of Grayson taking a shot—that ends as an air-ball.
Well, then.
11
ELIZA
JJ takes the ball first,dribbling with easy swagger as we get into position.
“You ready, Boston?” Grayson sidles over, placing his bulky body between me and JJ.
Apparently, we’re matched up, but this isn’t a surprise. It’d be weird to get physical with my boss, and two-person teams don’t leave many options.
“Ready to make you regret inviting me to play? Yes.”
“Careful about underestimating us.”
“It’s impossible to underestimate you.”
A chuckle erupts from his chest, one that’s immediately cut off when JJ suddenly drives to the basket.
Anson’s on him like glue, so I dart to the side, hands open for a pass that JJ throws. Either Grayson is taking it incredibly easy on me, or he just wasn’t ready for the game to start, because I have a wide-open shot that Idrain.
JJ howls.“You boys are fucked.”
Jogging backwards, I open my arms wide at Grayson, whose jaw is parted in surprise. “That regret sinking in yet?”
“You have two points. Cool it,” he chirps, starting a slow, controlled dribble down the court.
