Ryder was the resident good guy. Always making people feel comfortable.
Nate leaned into my ear. “Why do you look so tense?”
I shifted nervously and shot him a look. “I didn’t realize the entire team would be here tonight.”
Everywhere you turned, there were men with muscles so big they looked like they bench-pressed cars for fun.
Nate rested his arm casually behind my stool. He wasn’t touching me, but he was close enough to make me squirm in my seat.
Jax squinted his eyes over his beer. “You two kids are looking all cute and cozy.”
“Don’t start,” Nate warned, but Jax just stared back at him.
Jax either knew what was going on, or he was figuring it out.
I curled my fingers around my glass, pretending I wasn’t hyperaware of his eyes on us.
The conversation shifted to their upcoming game. To anyone else, this would look like nothing more than a casual group hangout. Reporters and players crossed paths all the time.
Except this wasn’t just a random run-in. Nate was sitting on the stool next to me. Every time his knee would brush up against mine, it made my pulse do stupid things that it had no business doing in a bar full of witnesses.
This was exactly why mixing business with pleasure was such a terrible idea.
I forced my attention back to my drink.
“Ember.” Jax leaned forward, giving her a smile so perfect I bet he practiced it in the mirror on a daily basis. “Are you having fun, or did she drag you out tonight against your will?”
She glanced at me, pretending to think about it. “There was a little manipulation involved.”
He sat up straighter and grinned. “Well, if that’s the case, then I feel it’s my responsibility to make sure you have a good time.”
She picked up her wineglass, not seeming even the slightest bit impressed. “Do you use that line on everyone?”
He leaned back on his stool. “Only when I see a beautiful woman who looks like she would rather be anywhere else but here. I feel a little compelled to look out for you.”
“Don’t I feel special,” she said flatly.
“Jesus.” Ryder nearly choked on his beer.
Nate slid his hand along my thigh and rested it there. No one could see under the table, but I sure could feel him. Every so often, his thumb would move, and every time it did, it made it harder for me to keep up with the conversation around me.
He tapped my leg and motioned to the back hallway. “Meet me upstairs.”
I blinked at him. “Now?”
“Yes, and don’t make it obvious. Give me a head start.”
Then he stood. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was his plan all along.
I waited a couple of minutes and slid off my stool. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” I said to the table, but they were all too busy debating if kangaroos could hop backward to hear me.
Listening to them was part entertaining and part alarming. I could understand now why the coaches needed the patience of a saint to deal with them.
The hallway upstairs was dark, with a row of doors lining one wall.
Nate glanced up as soon as my feet hit the landing.
“You know, asking a woman to meet in a dark hallway is a little suspicious.”
