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"Nothing." I shook my head and took out a sharpie. In big letters, I wrote RYAN on the front and slipped it into my pocket.
"Did you get the card?" Piper asked, stepping out of the bedroom.
I gazed at her. "Hello, gorgeous."
We were past the coldest part of spring and she wore a dress, showing off those long legs of hers. Piper strode past me and grabbed the door handle but I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her forward, brushing her blonde hair over her neck. The anxiety melted away and I grinned down at her.
Piper raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said we have to go?"
I took her hand in mine and held it up, kissing her fingertips. "We could be late."
"Uh-huh. Did you get the card?"
"I got the card," I murmured, leaning down and brushing my lips against hers. Goddamn, I could kiss her every day and still not get enough. She curved against me, an instant response. I kissed her long and slow and deep and when she bit my lower lip, my cock swelled against my zipper.
If we took twenty minutes and said traffic was—
"No. No." Piper pushed away from me. "Birthday party. Come on."
"I love you." I grinned and opened the door.
The words were so easy to say. Easier than breathing.
Piper checked around the door and hurried out to the elevator bank and on instinct alone, I strode up to meet her. The anxiety was gone with her so close but that didn’t brush everything away. I kept close and pressed the button for the elevator.
The drive wasn’t bad and we made it just in time. Everybody was there. Football players, Kassie’s design department friends who adopted Ryan into their circles, and everybody in between.
I tried to wrap an arm around her waist but Piper stopped me. She raised her eyebrows.
Goddammit.
"Later," she promised.
I resisted the urge to grimace.
There went my good mood.
On the loveseat, Ryan sat with his legs stretched out to the farthest they could go, taking up all the room in front of him. For a minute, I was going to call him an asshole. Making everybody step over him - I knew it’d get a laugh. But I realized what he was doing too late, grabbing Kassie by her waist and hauling her on his lap. She burst into laughter and roped her arms around his neck.
Must be nice.
I couldn’t let jealousy get me. It was Ryan’s birthday party after all and he was my brother without a blood relation. I could be happy for him. And not be a little bitch about how badly I wanted to do the same thing with my girl.
My eyes flickered over to Piper, leaning in close to help King out with his dating profile.
What happens when your parents approach her at the grocery store and you’re not there to do anything about it?
I resisted the urge to crumple the envelope in my pocket and fished it out instead. The gift cards felt weird congregated together but I honestly couldn’t remember how many Piper and I had picked up.
"Here, man." I passed it over to the birthday boy on my way to the couch, conventionally close to Piper. "Happy birthday. One day closer to the old man you were meant to be."
Ryan frowned at the envelope. "What is it?"
"There’s this cool thing the kids are doing called opening envelopes." Nope, I needed to be lighter. "Just kidding. It’s a mark techno two point oh nanobot extension for your phone and your laptop. I know how much you wanted one."
The quarterback stared at me. Kassie tried to hide a smile and couldn’t.
"Is it now?" she feigned curiosity. "That’s the one Ryan was talking about."
