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Her heart did that weird little fluttery thing again and she bit back a groan.
Stop it. Bad heart.
She snapped her teeth together and looked away. The fluttery feeling didn’t go away.
No one was worth it. Especially not James.
*
“Are you goingto the Mariners game tonight?”
James was halfway through composing an email to a client when his cousin appeared at his desk.
“Mariners game?” he repeated blankly.
“You know. Players hit a ball with a bat, run around the bases and stuff.” Ryan shut the door, sealing them off from the rest of the office.
“Yes, I’m aware of who the Mariners are and what the sport of baseball entails.”
“Good. The part you must be forgetting is that it’s one of the social events the firm does now and then to be swanky and keep its employees happy.”
James leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been in small claims court the last couple of days and I’m a bit out of it with the social stuff.”
Did he really want to go to a baseball game tonight? It certainly hadn’t been on his radar, and he’d clearly missed or forgotten any of the promotions for it.
“I thought baseball games were more popular during the summer associate season?”
“It can be. But sometimes they’ll splurge on a suite to keep the natives satisfied or if they’re wooing a big shot attorney from another firm.” Ryan grinned and folded his arms across his chest. He glanced out the glass door and down the hall to where the HR department was. “Victoria will be there.”
James’s blood quickened, but he forced a casual shrug. “And that matters to me because?”
“It shouldn’t matter to you. It matters tome. I need a little more time outside the office with her.” Ryan’s expression tightened. “She’s been remarkably resistant to any suggestions of hanging out.”
It’d been a month and a half since they’d all gone out to the bar and had dinner.
Why did it make him so happy to hear that Tori hadn’t fallen for Ryan’s charm yet?
James lifted a brow. “Maybe she’s not interested?”
“They’re always interested.” The cocky statement rolled right off Ryan’s tongue. “Some just are better at playing the game and making you want it more.”
Gross.“Easy on the predator vibes, cuz.”
He’d intended for it to sound teasing, though he meant every fucking word. Ryan needed to be careful with how far he took this. Tori wasn’t some prize to be won at the state fair.
“You know, you sound awfully prickly about my interest in her.” Ryan leaned down, his eyes narrowed and his voice softer now. “You’re sure you don’t have a hard-on for this chick?”
He absolutely did, but because he refused to act on it, it made it irrelevant.
“She’s my sister’s best friend. I’m going to be a little protective.”
“Good, because I’d kick your assandfire you if you tried anything.” Ryan slapped his shoulder and laughed. “Kidding, not kidding.”
Jesus, sometimes he wondered how they were related. How was Ryan this arrogant?
“And while I get the protective stuff—maybe you feel like her big brother or something—she’ll be fine with me, I promise. I take care of my women.”
Feeling like Tori’s brother was not even remotely possible, but he couldn’t deny he’d been growing more protective of her.
