Scoring Wilder(63)

"Hi Penn. You have an awesome house," I complimented him, sweeping my hand around the room. "How long have you lived here?" I felt as if I had to carry the conversation. Becca couldn't wipe the smile off her face long enough to actually speak.

He ran his hand along the bottom of his chin in thought. "I think two years now. Liam and I wanted to invest in some neighboring properties so we nabbed these two places right when they went on the market."

Neighboring properties?

"I thought Liam owned the house that the LA Stars live in?" I asked.

"Ah, yeah, he has that house as well as the place next door," Penn clarified, pointing out through the window. I followed his gaze to the house in the neighboring lot. Liam's house apparently. It was beautiful. It looked just as beautiful as Penn's, but the styles were completely different. There was a giant wraparound porch and white siding. Navy blue shutters hung perfectly from each window and light flooded the bottom floor, as if drawing people toward the house.

I wondered if he was there now instead of enjoying the party.

“He was having a few sections completely remodeled, so he was staying at the other house while they finished up.”

Ah, I remembered him mentioning that, and it also explained why he never took me there when we were trying to sneak around.

"We wore our bathing suits. Do people usually swim?" Becca asked, drawing me back to the conversation.

Penn smiled. "Yes, but not until later. Usually when the bigger crowd dies down. It's more fun that way…"

Oh yeah, I bet it is.

Becca bit her bottom lip and nodded. I could tell she was nervous. Her hand was holding her opposite elbow and she only held eye contact with Penn for brief moments.

"Do you guys want me to take you on a little tour?" Penn asked, eyeing Becca. I figured it was probably my time to bow out.

"You guys go ahead. I'm just going to grab a drink and I think I saw a friend of mine over there." There was no friend, but they wouldn't have left me otherwise. Becca's hazel eyes locked on mine, and for a moment I couldn't tell if she was thanking me or pleading with me not to leave her. Either way, I shrugged and gave her a thumbs up when Penn turned. As he waited for her to catch up to him, I wondered if their tour would include a special viewing of Penn’s downstairs.

After they were out of sight, I wandered over to the drink station where a well-dressed server was whipping up cocktails. Technically I wasn't old enough to drink, but it's not like the guy was going to card me at a party like this.

"What can I get for you?" the server asked with a polite smile. He was mixing a drink for another guest while he talked to me, and for a moment I just watched him in action.

"I'm not sure actually. I don't think I want a beer, but I don’t know many cocktails."

"Have you tried a greyhound before?" he asked, finishing off a drink and handing it to the person beside me.

"No, what’s in that?" I asked with a timid smile.

"It's one part vodka, one part grapefruit juice, and then garnished with a bit of lemon or lime," he explained with a friendly tone.

"That sounds awesome. I'll take one of those," I said, reaching into my purse for a tip.

We chatted casually as he mixed my drink. I loved the dark pink hue of the final concoction, and the moment I took a sip, I knew he’d pegged me right. It was delicious. The grapefruit cut the vodka so that the combination was just sweet enough to be deadly.

"I think this might be my new favorite drink," I complimented.

"You come back when you're done and I'll make you another."

I smiled before turning back toward the party.

I took another sip of my drink and surveyed the scene before me. The crowd had grown a little bit since we'd arrived, but his house was big enough that there were little cliques of people rather than a sea of bodies. I was eyeing each of the groups, trying to spot someone from the club soccer world, when I laid eyes on Liam speaking with a pretty woman near the back windows. The sunset illuminated him from behind and he was breathtakingly handsome. He had on black swim trunks and a black LA Stars shirt. His hair was a bit longer on top, tousled more than usual, and I knew he needed a haircut soon. He was wearing a confident smile and sporting a cleanly shaved look that made it impossible not to notice his strong jaw. I could practically feel him dazzling the entire room. Women would regard him with interest as they walked by, but he was focused solely on the woman in front of him.

It was clear they knew each other well. They were laughing and talking with their hands. Before I knew it, I was bee lining straight toward them instead of heading in the opposite direction. I couldn't help it. I was moth to a flame when it came to Liam.

As I stepped closer, his grey eyes landed on me for the first time in three days. There was a flash of something behind his gaze: surprise, lust, hatred— I couldn’t tell, but I took a deep breath and willed my legs to carry me closer. His cool expression gave nothing away and I felt my heart rate pick up, hammering inside my chest, as he watched me approach.

I stepped up behind the woman he was chatting with, who was still oblivious to my presence, and gently tapped her shoulder. She spun around with a residual smile on her face from whatever she’d been discussing with him. It was friendly, even as she aimed it on me, and I wasn’t sure if I appreciated that or not. If she was his date, I didn’t want her friendly smile.