Page 72 of Player For Hire
“What’s the look?”
“Epiphany.” He slapped my arm. “Don’t look so shocked. I know the big words too.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not why I’m shocked. Though I am a little surprised you knew that word.”
He snickered. “Shan has me watching that damn Bridgerton show. They talk all fancy, but it makes her happy, so I watch. And I bet you find yourself doing shit you usually wouldn’t with Naomi, now don’t you?”
I swallowed. More than I could ever explain.
“Don’t rabbit. She seems to be a solid one.”
I didn’t want to. In fact, I was afraid it was the exact opposite. I was going to hold on too tightly and she might be the one to try and wiggle free. “She is. I just don’t think she sees me as a solid one in return. That’s the problem.” I gripped the back of my neck. The small welts from her nails were hot under my hand.
“So make her see it.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “She keeps looking over here. I bet she likes you for more than your…talents.”
“Asshole.”
He threw back his head with a hearty chuckle. “Another Banks trait. When the one comes into our lives, it’s never easy.”
That was for fucking sure. I hadn’t been prepared for her, or for that damn pink raincoat that first drew my attention. Now I was so off-balance I was rethinking my whole damn life.
“Now can we go have a damn beer? Enough of this mush crap.”
I laughed. “Yeah. I could definitely use a beer.”
Cal speared me with a look. “You finally ready?”
“Start the game, man. I’m ready.” I passed Naomi on the couch, and she caught my hand. I smiled down at her, and relief washed over her face. I tugged her to her feet and got the second reproachful glance of the day from Iona. “I’ll bring her right back.”
“Are we okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah.” I drew her over to the coffee station and automatically fixed her a ginger ale and tossed some strawberries into the cup before handing it to her.
Her eyes softened before she took a drink. “You always remember.”
“My job to remember what people like.”
She licked her lips as she glanced at my mouth, then she looked back up at my eyes. “You left so fast.”
“I know.” I tucked the stray strand of hair that kept falling into her face around her ear. “Because these lessons are becoming more than research to me.”
Her eyes widened.
“Just letting you know.” I grabbed a beer from the cooler and nodded back to the couches where Cal was waving us over. “Ready for round two?”
She nodded.
The tightness in my chest eased a little after my first confession. Now I just had to find a way to deserve her.
The rest of the trivia day ended with us transitioning into watching a new movie that had recently come to Netflix. Cal left to open the bar for the evening. Sundays were a slow day, but people liked to watch sports with a beer and Cal was happy to oblige. A few people drifted off to do other things leaving just me, Naomi, Iona, and my brother.
We reheated the pasta and my brother conveniently left before cleaning up. Considering the amount of food he’d brought, it only seemed fair. Iona also managed to make herself scarce, leaving me and Naomi alone.
She was just as fastidious with our communal space as she was when she came to my place. I put on some music, and we finished up in comfortable silence. I still wasn’t quite sure what to say to her after what had happened in the storage room.
I’d left the ball in her court once more—which I hated.
But I’d changed the rules, and it was time for Naomi to decide if she was good with that or if she wanted to see if we could be more than just sex and research.