Page 28 of Playing for Keeps

Grinning, I took a deep pull from my bottle before turning my attention back to the dresses.

Vivian was a master. I knew she was good—Vinny was in awe of his sister’s abilities and business sense. And earlier this year I got a text from Frankie, a picture of one of the windows at some department store in New York that showcased Vivian’s line. Apparently, that was a big deal in the world of fashion. I never paid too close attention. But seeing her now—sketching out her ideas, white paper magically transformed into the most stunning designs I’ve ever seen—I realized that she really was a big deal.

Over lunch from my favorite little sushi restaurant in the city, Vivian painted a picture of the most beautiful wedding imaginable. Lavender silk dresses for the maids, two shades of gray tuxes for the men, with lavender ties and accents. Every shade of purple flower available at the beginning of December lining the aisles and the altar of the church. Frankie had this dreamy look in her eyes as she pictured it, a piece of sushi held between chopsticks in her hand.

“You ever think of being a wedding designer?” I asked as the three of them dug into the sushi.

Vivian glanced up at me, her ice blue eyes piercing yet warm. She smiled, then wrapped her arm around Mitch’s leg and snuggled into him. “No way,” she said, her eyes flashing to Frankie. “I’m only planning on doing this a few times. Only for the people I love.”

Frankie grinned. “Ah, Viv, you’re so sweet.”

“She meant Corey,” Mitch deadpanned. Vivian slapped his leg as Frankie and I laughed, but I turned my eyes away as Mitch leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

“So, you’ll plan your own someday?” I asked, risking a glance at them. There was no doubt in my mind the pair was madly in love. It oozed out of their pores and filled the entire room.

Vivian answered me, but her eyes never left Mitch, her voice breathy and sweet. “Someday.” She turned back to the coffee table and grabbed a piece of sushi with her chopsticks. “And I’ll do Vinny’s someday, too. But no one else.”

“Don’t be like that, sweet girl,” Mitch said, his words rumbling out of his chest in an admonishment as smooth as honey. “What about Jen here? You’ll do her wedding, too, yeah?”

My cheeks warmed and I was sure a flush of color flooded my cheeks.

Vivian looked me over, her eyes narrowed and her head tipped to the side. She chewed on her bottom lip—looking so much like her brother as she did—before she finally responded, her clipped voice making me feel as if I’d done something wrong. “I’ll consider it.”

Swallowing hard at the rebuke I felt like a punch to the gut, I waved them off, dipping a bite in soy sauce and bringing it to my lips. “You’ll have years to consider. Marriage is the furthest thing from my mind.”

Mitch chuckled at me and I imagined he knew what I was thinking. I’d have to have a boyfriend first. A real one, not some ex I was hung up on who hardly gave me the time of day. It was something I needed to remedy. I needed to get back out there and start dating again. I wasn’t old, by any means, but I felt as if my life was flashing before my eyes.

* * *

When I said I needed to get back out there again? Yeah, well, it wasn’t happening tonight. I returned home to an empty apartment and had no desire on leaving once I swapped out my blue jeans for a much more comfortable pair of thin cotton pajama shorts. Intent on licking my wounds, I pulled my comforter off my bed and curled up on the sofa with my tablet, perusing my social media pages before settling in to read a new book. I was two chapters in, my fingertip between my teeth as I devoured the words before me, my mind forced away from the pain Vinny had left inside me, when a knock sounded at the door.

The clock on the wall read eight o’clock. Kelly had texted me twenty minutes before to tell me she was out at a bar with some friends, and I wasn’t expecting anyone to stop by. I hesitated before I set my tablet on the coffee table and extricated myself from my blanket, mind immersed in the story I was reading. I was at the door when another knock sounded, my hand already on the knob and the lock removed. It was then that I thought of the black-clad motorcyclist, and my heart began to race. I slowly pulled the door open and peeked out into the hall, and a smile broke out on my face.

“Aaron? What are you doing here?” I asked as I pulled the door the rest of the way open.

Aaron was propped against the jamb, and he leaned forward so just his head was in my apartment. “I came to see you,” he said, a crooked smile on his face.

“And you just assumed I’d be here?” I asked, taking a step back, arms wrapped around my middle.

“Just a lucky guess.” He gave me a grin, his eyes trailing down my body, sending chills up my spine.

Pulling my hair over my shoulder, I ran my fingers through its length, chewing on my lip.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

“What, are you a vampire?” I asked, forcing a laugh. “Of course, you can come in.”

Aaron launched forward, somehow kicking the door closed as he did. I was in his arms in an instant, his leg hitched up around my hip, my head tilted to the side, his teeth sinking into the sensitive skin of my neck. I squealed in surprise and pushed my hands against his shoulders.

“Aaron!” I laughed and he pulled back, his teeth dragging along my flesh before his eyes meet mine. He dropped his leg and took a step back, giving me a slow once-over.

“Damn, drowned rat, you keep looking like this and vampires will be the last thing you need to worry about.”

“You’re so weird.”

“Says the girl in her pajamas,” he said, like he was asking if it was true, “at eight o’clock on a Saturday night?”

Dropping my chin, I shrugged. “Well...”