Player(69)

I chuckled, my fingertips thirsty for her skin, tracing lazy lines up and down her arm. “I’m sure. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You could end up with your head in a toilet bowl. Or with a black eye. Or a broken arm. Or a—”

“Okay, okay, I get it. But I promise, that won’t happen. I’ll be on my best behavior, break out my prep-school charm and winning smile.”

She didn’t look convinced.

“It’s a good smile,” I assured her. “I’ll have you know that smile won over Oprah.”

Her eyes widened. “Oprah? As in, My aunt has a dog named Oprah, right?”

“No, as in the Oprah.”

She blinked once, slowly. “May I ask how in the ever-loving fuck you know Oprah?”

“My mom is Hadiya Haddad.”

Her eyes widened even more. It was a little alarming. “Your…your mom is Hadiya Haddad?”

I nodded, trying to keep my smile in check. Ninety-eight percent of the time, I loathed this conversation. With Val, I only found myself amused.

“As in Be You and Finally Me?”

Another nod.

“I cannot believe that. I watched her Oprah special about failure and cried the entire time. Does that…” It dawned on her, and her face softened. “Your family. They gave up everything…everything for their lives here. For your future.”

My smile was gone, but it hadn’t turned to a frown. It just simply wasn’t anymore. One more nod. I brushed her hair over her bare shoulder, my fingers skimming the curve.

“Can we eat dinner at your house instead?”

The sound of my laughter surprised me. But that was one of the many things I loved about her—surprises. “Another time. Tonight is your family, my charm, and hopefully, a night without wedgies, swirlies, or any other ies.”

Her face quirked. “Analogies?”

“Those are okay. Maybe no maladies though. Or tragedies, I hope.”

“Definitely none of those.” Her smile climbed lazily. “So we have all day, and you promised me we could lie here like wastoids.”

“And you promised me I could touch you wherever I wanted.” My hand found her breast and fondled it without shame.

As she laughed, I twisted us until she was beneath me, her face in my hands and her naked body soft beneath mine. And I collected payment in full.





26





Player





Sam

I waited behind her on her stoop, shamelessly staring at her ass as she unlocked her brownstone door.

The things I’d done to that ass. The things there were left to do. And I wanted to check every one of them off my list. Twice.

My phone buzzed in my pocket again, and my mood soured instantly. Ian. Ian giving me shit.

I turned my phone off and returned it to my pocket without thinking of it again.

The only person I wanted to be able to find me tonight was Val.

She glanced back at me, and we shared a secretive smile before she pushed her door open.

I followed her in to the thundering sound of footfalls on the stairs.

“Oh my God, Val, what the hell? You didn’t come home last night and I was worried to death and why didn’t you call and did you sleep with Adam because—oh!” Amelia came into view, skidding to a stop so fast, the rug almost slipped out from underneath her. She went pale just before all of her blood rerouted to her cheeks. “Sam?” she squeaked. Her big blue eyes bounced to Val, then back to me.

I draped my arm over Val’s shoulders, smirking. “No, she did not sleep with Adam. She slept with me.”

Val laughed, but she pinched the tender skin of my ribs and twisted evilly.

“Ow!” I said on a laugh of my own. “What? We slept.”

She rolled her eyes.

I kept on smirking at Amelia. “I’m her boyfriend.” I rolled the word around on my tongue, felt the shape of it.

“B-boyfriend?” Amelia blinked, her brows sliding together in confusion.

“Boyfriend. As in I’m going to dinner to meet her family. And she’s packing a bag because she’s not coming back for at least two nights.”

“T-two nights?” she stammered. She blinked again.

“At least.”

Val laughed again, swatting at me as she ducked out from under my arm. “Stop it, Sam. You’re gonna give her a stroke.”

“I…I can’t…you left…you were on a date with Adam,” Amelia insisted.

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my peacoat and nodded. “She was. I interrupted and told her what a fool I’d been and asked if I could be her boyfriend.”

“Well, you didn’t really ask,” Val said over her shoulder.

“No, I guess I didn’t.”

I stepped into her with an over-the-top look of earnest devotion—she didn’t need to know the feeling was real. I took her hands, and with a dramatic flair and a stiff back, I got down on my knees at her feet. It was where I belonged anyway.

“Val,” I said somberly, looking up into her laughing face, “will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend? I’ll promise to always call when I say I will. I’ll never forget your birthday—”