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“You were that sure I was showing up, huh?”
I give her a peck on the tip of her nose. “I told you from the very beginning that I’m irresistible.” I skip the part where I had my doubts and worried that the dinner would have been more of a sympathy get together than a welcome dinner.
“I can’t argue that. Especially now,” she jokes, pushing up to give me a chaste kiss. “I won’t change, but I need to do something with this wild hair.” When she pulls out of my grasp, my fingers are already itching to reach for her. What the fuck? This needs to be controlled before I smother her.
“I hear you’re a baker,” Addie says. “Or as Ryker has mentioned, his new sugar dealer.”
She glances over at me from across the table. “Yeah, his addiction is out of control.”
That’s the truth. Except she’s the addiction.
“You ready for Sunday?” Aiden finally chimes in after being quiet the entire dinner. Always the one to analyze a situation first. Aspen found out that Addie was a crime scene investigator and she’s been drilling her about it so his aloofness wasn’t obvious.
Aspen puts her wine glass down with her brows furrowed and asks, “What’s Sunday?” In the corner of my eye, Aiden shakes his head. I hadn’t told Aspen yet. I haven’t had a chance.
“Our last game of the season.”
Her smile grows and her voice turns up an octave when she says, “I’m going to an American football game?”
Her excitement is why I wanted to bring her here now. “Sorry, I hadn’t told you yet,” I direct my glare toward Aiden, “this bastard beat me to it.”
Palms up with a gaping mouth, he huffs. “How the hell was I to know that you didn’t tell her about the most important game coming up?”
“All games are important,” I clarify.
He shrugs a shoulder and bobs his head. “You know what I mean.”
“What’s special about this one?” Aspen asks.
“It’s the last game of the year—”
“And they have to win,” Addie interrupts me, “or they’re out of the playoffs.”
One of the best things I like about Addie, she loves football. But she needs to shut the hell up. I don’t need a reminder about the importance of winning. I give a hundred percent to win every damn weekend. There’s enough pressure thrown at me from everyone else.
I lean back in my seat and cross my arms. Addie reads my irritation. She winces and mutters, “Sorry,” and stuffs a chunk of steak in her mouth.
“Ryker, are you sure this was a good time for me to visit?”
“Yes. I brought you here so you could watch a game. Don’t listen to them,” I wave my fork at my friends. “Every game is as important as the last. This one is no different. I have practice during the day, but I figured you could explore the city while I’m gone. Pete will drive you wherever you want to go.”
“Oh,” Addie quips, practically choking on her bite. She grabs a quick drink of her wine and then continues. “I can play hooky one day and we can hang out. Do some girly stuff.” I narrow my eyes at her. Addie is not a girly girl.
Aspen smiles at her. “I’d like that.”
“Ryker, can you show me where you keep your bottle opener?” I turn to Aiden, wondering why he’s asking. He knows damn well where it is. He does a small jerk of his head toward the kitchen. I hesitantly get up and follow him. This can’t be good.
“What’s up?” I ask, leaning against the counter, crossing my arms. He reaches into the fridge and grabs a beer and holds it up.
The smartass replies, “I really needed one.” I point to my other side where the drawer is and I stare at him. He cracks a smile as he opens the drawer, taking out the bottle opener. “I have some concerns.” He wipes his mouth after taking a long pull. He’s FBI, he always has concerns.
“Why? You knew I sent her a ticket. Where the hell is this coming from?”
“I see how you’re looking at her. You like this woman.”
I hold my arms out and try to keep my voice down. “What did you expect? I flew a woman who lives thousands of miles away here to see me because I didn’t like her?”
“Are you sure you’re not an out for her?”
