Gold (All that Glitters #2)(52)

“I’ll go get you some dry clothes.”

“Oh, come on, E. They’re just boobs!”

He rolled his eyes and then walked inside. All the humor of the moment was gone. What a buzzkill.

She grabbed her dress, downed her margarita, and then followed him inside a minute later. She walked right into the kitchen and refilled her glass. Eric was upstairs long enough that she finished half of another margarita before he returned.

He offered up a pair of sweats and an oversized T-shirt. “Best I could find.”

“Thanks. I’ll swim in these, too,” she joked.

He didn’t look at her once when she hopped off the kitchen counter and tugged on his clothes. Man, she would never have guessed that he was a prude. All the time, he was around sweaty football players who changed clothes in the locker room. This couldn’t be half as bad. Maybe it was the Texan in him.

He laughed when he saw her in his clothes. “You look ridiculous.”

“This is all your fault.”

“You’re right. I did not think this through.”

“Plus, now, I’m cold and tipsy.” She held up her half-finished glass. “I don’t think the margarita is helping with my body temperature.”

“Probably not.” He stood stiffly and shrugged.

She had given him the perfect opportunity to offer to warm her up, and he hadn’t taken it. Clearly, she was losing it if she’d thought for a second that he was acting this way because he was interested. Any other guy would have jumped all over her.

“Anyway, I’m throwing a party once I get the house furnished. A big kegger. We’ll invite the whole team.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. He leaned against the kitchen counter and seemed to relax more now that she had changed the subject. “We’re going to need a lot of booze to get them all drunk.”

“I think we can handle that,” she said with a smirk.

“THIS PLACE IS KILLER,” Trihn said.

Bryna smiled brightly. Yes, her new house had turned out to be incredible. She absolutely had to agree. She had spent the last couple of weeks furnishing the house until it was absolutely the most beautiful, elegant, and perfectly lived-in place she had ever seen. Hugh had even surprised her last weekend with a stunning Swarovski crystal chandelier.

Of course, she didn’t think people could tell quite how lavish it really was with nearly a hundred football players and the entire cheer team crowding into the house and her backyard.

“Yeah, I’m mad jealous,” Stacia agreed.

“As you should be,” Bryna said.

She was happy the weather was holding. They were supposed to have storms, but not a lick of water had hit the earth in more than a month. That meant the weather was gorgeous. It also equated to an even worse drought for the desert.

At least they got to benefit by using the awesome pool, which required wearing swimsuits. Bryna’s was a strappy blue-and-white color block that made her look exceptionally tan. Her hair was pulled off her shoulders and into a messy bun on the top of her head. She had a drink in her hand and was ready to party.

She would recognize the voice of the next person who walked through the door anywhere.

Eric was standing there with Andrew and a few other guys from the team. They were all in swim trunks. Andrew had already stripped out of his shirt—or maybe he had never worn one—but Eric had on a tight-fitting LV State shirt.

“Hollywood!” he cried when he saw her.

Then, he was barreling into her stomach and hoisting her over his shoulder.

She screamed and sloshed some of her margarita on the hardwood floor, “Eric! Put me down!”

He laughed even harder and twirled her in a circle. A bunch of people were laughing at them as she was being held helplessly in his arms.

“Anyone want a take?” he asked, offering her ass for everyone’s view.

“Oh my God! I will kill you! I will murder you and cut you up into little pieces!” she yelled.

“All right, all right,” Eric said. “No spankings for you tonight.”

“She clearly deserves it though,” Trihn joked.

Bryna was placed back on her feet, and she smacked Eric on the arm. “You ass!”

“At least I didn’t throw you in the pool.”

“Again!” she snapped.

“Right. Again,” he said, heading toward the back door with a big smirk on his face.

He was out the door with the team a minute later, and she was left there, shaking her head at him.

“And you think he’s gay?” Stacia asked quietly next to her.

Bryna gave her a fierce look. “Shh!”

“Sorry! Sorry!”

“And yes, I know he is.”

Trihn intervened, “Let’s go dance! Neal is already in a bad mood about coming to another party.”

“Why?” Bryna asked.

She shrugged. “No idea. He would rather be at home, sketching or something. We need to loosen him up with some liquor, and he’ll be fine.”

Bryna started drinking again when the girls disappeared to go dance. She had hired the DJ from the radio station for the party. Apparently, he did that kind of stuff on the side. So far, so good.

She was about to go join them when the last person she’d wanted to see breezed through the doorway.