Down and Dirty (Hot Jocks #5)(10)
“Okay,” she says, her voice unsteady, her fingers curling tightly around the soda can.
She’s fidgety and nervous around me. Why now? Last night was fun, nuptials aside. And the hot make-out session that followed was extra fun.
But right now, things are tense. And I’m guessing it’s my job to make her more relaxed.
Shit. Well, here goes nothing.
4
* * *
An Unexpected Development
Aubree
“To us.”
Landon’s toast echoes in my ears like a gunshot. I blink down at the gorgeous ring on my finger, trying to absorb his words.
Something about him referring to himself and me as us, a single unit, stirs something inside me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a relationship, but I never thought that my return to the dating world would cut straight to the end result. And now, staring at this ring, I feel the strangest mix of excitement and regret.
When I turn toward the man who gave it to me, I see that he’s staring at the ring too. Shit. The poor guy is probably thinking about all the much better things he could have done with such a major chunk of his salary. And I work for the team’s charity. What would people think if they saw me with such an expensive piece of jewelry? Probably that the money would have been better spent as a donation.
“So I’ve been thinking,” I say, holding back a sigh. “You should take this back.” I take one last look at the most beautiful ring I will ever see before shimmying it off my finger and holding it out to its rightful owner.
His thick, dark eyebrows pull together. “Why? Don’t you like it?”
Even the suggestion makes me scoff. “Oh, come on. This is the kind of ring a girl dreams about.”
Nodding, he meets my eyes with a sincere expression. “That’s exactly what you said at the store.”
“But you spent a fortune on it. And if we’re not going to stay married, then there’s not any—”
He holds up a hand, cutting me off. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to make any decisions about that tonight, so set that stuff aside. Forget about that and tell me straight out. Do you like the ring?”
I slip the ring back on, chewing thoughtfully on my lip as I gaze down at its brilliant sparkle. As I rotate my wrist, the light bounces off the enormous diamond, casting a spray of tiny rainbows around the room. Never in my life did I think I would get the chance to wear such a gorgeous piece of jewelry, not to mention own it. If not for the unusual circumstances, I’d be drooling over this thing.
“I love it,” I finally admit on a whisper, my eyes still locked on the center stone. When my eyes meet Landon’s again, his mouth quirks up, one dimple just barely visible.
“Then keep it. It’s yours.”
My lips part, ready to protest. Instead, I release a slow, staggered breath accompanied by a gentle fluttering in my chest. The feeling is unexpected, but welcome.
“Thank you,” I finally manage to say.
“You’re welcome.”
As we sit here, our eyes locked on each other for a long, quiet moment, I take the opportunity to study Landon. Yes, he’s an athlete, so his body is off-the-charts incredible, but his face is striking too. Bright blue eyes, high cheekbones, a square jaw. Dark tousled hair that’s a bit too long on the top. Full, kissable lips that part slightly as he inhales, as though he’s readying himself to say something.
But a knock on the door interrupts him, snapping us both back to reality.
“I’ve got it.” He breaks eye contact, swinging one muscular leg over the side of the bed and stalking toward the door.
As he walks away, my gaze lingers a little longer than it should on his toned backside and broad shoulders. Can you blame me? Anyone with eyes can see that this man is drop-dead gorgeous.
But as much as I’m hesitant to admit it, there’s more to him than that. There’s something potent about him that my body reacts to on a basic level, which makes no sense because I don’t know much about Landon. And what I do know leads me to believe we have little in common.
But the feeling that I get when I look at him, that warm, breathless feeling that makes my skin all tingly and makes naughty thoughts pop into my head, is undeniable. I literally just said we should go back to being friends, so why does the idea of waking up naked next to him again set my skin on fire? It’s a question to ponder later, because Landon has turned around and is welcoming a tuxedoed man into the room.
“Hope you’re hungry,” he says, allowing the attendant to push the cart of food in before signing the check and sending him on his way.
“Wow. That’s a lot of food. Where should we start?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starting with that expensive-as-fuck wine.” He disappears into the kitchenette and returns with a corkscrew and two stemless wineglasses. “Want some?”
I shake my head, then get to work removing our silver trays of food from the cart and laying them out on the bed. I already said I wasn’t sleeping here tonight, which means getting crumbs on the sheets isn’t my problem. When I finish setting up our meal, I slide back into bed to watch Landon try to wrestle the cork out of the sleek green bottle. The muscles in his huge forearms flex and jump, more entertaining than any show in Vegas tonight, I’m sure.