All the Way (Hot Jocks #2)(30)

As we head for the door, Owen loops one muscular arm around my waist and pulls me in for a quick good-bye kiss to my forehead. “Have fun with that thing,” he whispers coyly, giving my butt a quick squeeze.

I shoot him a squinty-eyed smile. “I don’t think I’ll have to try too hard.”

Owen chuckles again and finally releases me. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

I watch his bulky frame disappear down the corridor until he’s out of sight, my heart knocking steadily against my rib cage the entire time.

? ? ?

It’s a quick drive from the office to the sushi place where Elise and I agreed to meet. I spot her bright blue Toyota across the street while I’m parallel parking.

It’s no surprise that she beat me here. Preschool gets out a bit earlier than the rest of corporate America, probably to give teachers a few extra hours to scrounge up some patience. Elise, like the saint that she is, runs her classroom of mini humans like a pro. I could never do what she does.

Inside, I spot Elise at the far end of the sushi bar, munching on an order of edamame. She waves me over, shifting her purse off the seat she saved for me. It’s surprisingly packed for a weeknight. We’re not only ones in Seattle who are suckers for half-priced sushi happy hours.

As I slip into the seat, I say a silent thank-you to the restaurant owners for keeping the lighting in here so dim. Less of a chance of Elise spotting the bright pink present in my purse.

“Hey, hey,” she says, smiling at me as she bites into a bright green edamame pod. “How was work?”

“Super slow. I spent the entire time fantasizing about spicy tuna rolls.” It’s not a total lie. Work was slow, and I did spend the whole time fantasizing. It’s just that my fantasies had nothing to do with raw fish.

Once we’ve placed our orders, I ask Elise about Justin. She immediately launches into a story of a date he planned for the two of them at Pier 66. I nod along as she gives me all the cute details, oohing at the appropriate places and throwing in the occasional “he’s so sweet!” All the while, my brain is wandering to what a date night with Owen would be like.

Would we do something weird and spontaneous, like going to that crazy massage place? Or would he be more of a stay-home-and-cook-together guy? I’ve never once in our whole friendship heard about him going on a date with a girl. Unless you count one-night stands in the media room as a date. Which I definitely do not.

“What about you?”

I zap out of my daydream and back to reality, where Elise is blinking at me expectantly.

“Wh-what about me?” I stutter.

“Your love life,” she says gently, leaning forward with interest. “Have you thought about getting back in the dating game? I just wondered if you’re starting to feel ready?”

Before I have a chance to respond, our waiter slides two beautiful plates of colorful sushi rolls in front of us. I thank him out loud for the food, and silently for the much-needed interruption.

I love Elise, and I don’t want to lie to her. But I don’t want to know how she’d respond to the truth about my current love life.

Especially not if she knew I have a sex toy in my purse, courtesy of none other than her older brother. I stuff a piece of sushi into my mouth to buy myself some time.





11




* * *





Patience Was Never My Jam





Owen



“When you toast, you have to look straight into the person’s eyes. Otherwise, it’s seven years of bad sex,” Teddy says as we all raise our beer bottles over the poker table.

Teddy has a mouth like a wind chime in a tornado, and you never know what’s going to come flying out of it. But when my gaze strays toward Becca, I see that she’s laughing and shaking her head.

We’ve been home from Denver for two days, and while Becca and I have talked on the phone and texted, I haven’t seen her in person until now. And she looks damn good, dressed casually in a pair of formfitting dark jeans, a cozy gray sweater, and brown boots on her feet that make her legs look long and tempting.

Everyone is here tonight, hanging out at Teddy’s place for a poker tournament. Normally, I’d be into the hockey smack talk and strong beverages, but instead I find myself wishing it was just me and Becca someplace quiet. The idea of undressing her slowly and worshipping every inch of her sexy curves is so much more appealing than playing Texas Hold ’em right now. Even if I am up fifty bucks.

I release a sigh and scrub one hand over my face.

“Your move, Parrish,” Teddy says, eyeing me from across the table.

I chew on my lip and lay a queen on the felt-topped table. Then I pull my phone out of my pocket and quickly type a text to Becca.

Have you used your toy yet?

Her eyes widen as she reads my text from across the room while standing beside my sister. The game I’m playing is a dangerous one, but fuck it, I can’t find it in me to care. I’m desperate for her answer.

Her reply comes in a second later, and when I look down at my phone, I smirk.

Behave.

Rolling my eyes, I fire off another quick message.

I want to make out with you.

I love being able to watch her reactions when she reads my messages. It’s almost like I’m flirting with her, even though we haven’t spoken more than a few words all night. If she doesn’t want our friends to know there’s something going on between us, I’ll have to respect that.