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I gave a start. “Why are you bringing me up? I don’t have anything to do with this.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He brushed past me, then stopped at his bedroom and suddenly turned around. “You have everything to do with this, and you know it. You’ve been trying to one-up Lexi all night.”
A bewildered laugh rumbled out of my throat. “What are you talking about?”
He stepped forward until he loomed over me, and casually flicked back a lock of my hair. “Wearing your hair down. Putting on makeup.”
“I always wear makeup.”
“You just can’t stop lying to me, can you? First about being a lesbian, now this. Oh, and practically dry-humping that guy at the club.”
I jabbed a finger at his chest. “Youtold me to dance!”
“Not like that, with some random dude you just met. Maybe it was a mistake bringing you along.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I snapped. “You’re the one who led me on about tonight!”
He blinked. “What?”
“Last night, you asked if I wanted to get sushi tonight. On the way back from practice today, you told me you hadn’t been on a date in a while, and that you were excited about it.”
“Yeah, excited about my date withLexi. I thought I mentioned that last night.”
“You did not.”
“In my defense, I was a little drunk last night. I never meant to imply thatwewere going on a date.”
Humiliation crawled up the back of my throat. I swallowed it down and said, “Then why did you tell me to wear something nice, like a dress?”
“Because all I ever see you in is suits,” he replied. “You look like a Secret Service agent. I thought you would blend in better in a dress. Also, I wanted you to enjoy a night out for once.”
I scoffed. “Enjoy a night out as the third wheel on your date? Yeah, that wasso much funfor me.”
“Don’t blame me for this,” he said. “After our kiss, you made it clear it was a mistake. You told me it would never happen again. Why would I then invite you out on a date?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But this whole night was a mistake.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm and spun me back around. “You lied about the kiss, didn’t you?”
“No,” I breathed.
“There’s real chemistry between us,” he insisted, leaning close to my face. I could smell the gin and mint from his drink. “Admit it. I’m not just some football player you’re assigned to protect.”
“Only if you’ll admit I’m more than just a bodyguard to you!” I replied.
“Of course you’re more than that!” he roared. “You’re my goddamn friend, Caz!”
I immediately bit back what I was about to say. His piercing blue gaze bore into me as he continued.
“You have no idea how lonely I felt when I first came here,” he said in a more measured tone. “All my life, I’ve had people around me. I even went to college just a few hours from home so I could see my family whenever I wanted. But when I was drafted by the Stallions, and then moved here, I was suddenly alone. I have my teammates, sure, but they feel different to me than friends. Those first few weeks during the pre-season and the first game of the year were rough for me. I didn’t realize just how rough untilyouarrived. Once you saved my ass in Las Vegas and I started treating you the way you deserved, I mean. Since then, I’ve loved having you around. You’re so much more than a bodyguard, Caz. You’re my friend. My roommate. I feel close to you in so many ways. But now…”
He took a step back and ran a hand through his hair. “It was so much easier when I thought you were a lesbian. At least things were clear-cut, then. Now…” He looked around the room, anywhere but at me. “Now, I don’t know how to feel about you. I’m confused. And I fuckinghateit.”
I stood very still during his explanation. It wasn’t what I expected to hear tonight, but somehow it was what Ineededto hear. Suddenly, I began understanding what he was going through. Now I realized why he was so upset to learn I had lied about my sexual orientation, and why he had acted strangely since then. It even made sense why he would take Lexi out to try to help make sense of his feelings.
“Luke…” I began.
An alarm sounded, high-pitched and loud enough to make my ears hurt. I covered them and said, “What is that?”
