All the Way (Hot Jocks #2)(50)

While I’m sitting at home worried about Owen’s busy schedule stressing him out, he’s off getting flirty with a random girl at a club?

My stomach in knots, I toss my phone across the couch, letting it bounce off a throw pillow.

No wonder he isn’t responding to my texts. His hands are too busy feeling up some puck bunny. And the worst part? I don’t even have the right to be angry. Owen Parrish isn’t my boyfriend. I have no claim on him. He can do whatever, and whomever, the hell he wants. It’s not his fault that I’m stupid enough to think what we have is different from what he could have with any girl in Seattle he wanted.

I pull a deep, slow breath into my lungs, holding it there. It’s all I can do to keep from screaming. Somewhere on the other side of town, Owen is getting ready to bring some random girl back to his place. And I’m not going to let that happen without him knowing what an asshole move that is.

Mind made up, I grab my phone and fire off a response to Elise.

Be there in a bit. I just need to change.

The lacy plum-colored dress in the back of my closet hasn’t been taken out in what feels like a lifetime. I can say the same for my sky-high black platform heels. But if ever there was an occasion for this outfit, this is it. I pull on a cropped leather jacket to complete the look and mentally thank my past self for not taking off my makeup after work today.

A quick swipe of red lipstick, and I’m looking like sex in stilettos. I dare Owen, and any other guy in the club, for that matter, to keep his jaw off the floor.

From the back seat of my Uber, I can feel the bass thumping as we pull up to the club before I even open the car door. This is so not my scene, but I’m a girl on a mission.

There’s a line outside, but I strut to the front, push my boobs together, and tell the doorman I’m here with the Hawks players, flashing him my employee ID. It works like a charm, and I’m behind the velvet ropes in no time.

If I thought the thumping bass outside the club was bad, two steps inside has me wishing I’d brought earplugs. Who decided we should come to this place, anyway? Our usual hangouts are much more bar/restaurant and a lot less dance club.

Luckily, my friends are easy to spot. One of the many benefits of running with a crew of athletes is that all the guys are well over six feet tall and easy to pick out of a crowd. As I approach the high-top table surrounded by bar stools, I see Teddy and Justin are pouring out shots of tequila for everyone. I guess it’s a bottle service kind of night.

“Pour one for me!” I have to shout over the electronic beats blasting out of the speakers just to get their attention.

Sara gives me a wolf whistle, and Elise’s eyes widen as she takes in my outfit.

“Damn, girl! Nobody told me we invited a model tonight!” Even in person, Elise is speaking in exclamation points.

I smile politely at the compliment while scanning the group until my gaze lands on what I’m looking for.

Owen.

He’s standing in the corner with a blonde whose bandeau top can barely contain her ample chest. She’s completely draped over him, laughing and tossing her hair back like she’s in a shampoo commercial. She looks exactly like the dozens of girls I’ve seen Owen bring home before. Which is to say, nothing at all like me. Flirtatious and confident and carefree.

I’m not going to lie, it hurts more than I thought possible to see him with a woman. It’s all I can do to keep the tears out of my eyes. I draw a slow, shaky breath and fight to keep my expression neutral.

Owen and I lock eyes for a moment, and my heart sinks to the floor. I look for something, anything, in his eyes that might give me some clue of what’s going on here, but I come up with nothing. He doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest by the fact that I’m here.

Tears try to push through but I blink them away, brushing my brown locks over my shoulder. I will not let myself get emotional. Not here. Not in front of him.

I reach out to grab a tequila shot with shaky fingers, and Sara eyes me nervously.

“You sure? I thought you and tequila were mortal enemies now.”

I shrug, holding my shot glass in the air. “I guess I’m ready to forgive and forget.”

That is, forgive my friend tequila and forget Owen Parrish.

“Forgive and forget. I’ll drink to that.” Teddy laughs, clinking his shot glass with mine.

I toss the tequila back, welcoming the familiar burn in my throat. It hurts, but not nearly as much as Owen’s stare, which I can feel hot on my skin.

“Another one?” I ask.

Sara and Elise turn me down, opting to join the other girls on the dance floor instead, but Teddy pours two more shots for us.

“Parrish, you want one?” he calls over his shoulder.

Blondie giggles and drapes her hands over Owen’s chest, tugging playfully at his shirt. “Yeah, Owen, let’s do a shot together!”

He brushes her off, annoyance building in his voice. “For the third time, stop touching me. I told you I’m not interested. In you or tequila. I’m driving tonight.”

Blondie rolls her eyes and adjusts her top with a huff before storming off to find some other guy to hang on. In the meantime, Owen makes his way over to me.

“Becca, can we talk?” He nods toward the door, clearly suggesting we should take this conversation outside.

“I just got here,” I snap, hearing the bite in my own voice. “We could’ve talked earlier if you had responded to my texts, but message received loud and clear. Besides, I’m here to have fun.”