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Vivi spent the rest of the night telling herself she was an idiot.
She knew Justin had a thing for her. She saw the way he looked at her. He was into her.
Not that that was a problem. Justin was too much of a boy scout to ever do anything to make her uncomfortable.
A damn cute boy scout.
Okay, not cute. The guy was handsome, from his square jaw to his straight nose and those fascinating brown eyes.
She’d found herself staring into them several times tonight.
What the hell had she thought she was doing, showing him her photos? The only person she’d ever shown them to was her sister and then only because Aly threatened to sic their mother on her if she didn’t.
Since Vivi did everything she could to avoid having her mother on her ass, she’d caved and showed Aly her portfolio. Of course, Aly had raved over it. Vivi was used to her family praising her art. Mainly because it was the only thing about her life her parents approved of.
But having Justin think it was amazing...
Yeah, she was an idiot.
“Hey, Viv, where do you want me to put this bowl?”
“Soph, you didn’t have to help me clean up. There’s not much to do and I was gonna just throw it all in the dishwasher.”
“I don’t mind. Besides, the guys are so into the game, I doubt they even notice we’re gone.”
Vivi looked over her shoulder at Sophie with raised eyebrows and a grin. “I’m pretty sure Derek notices everything about you.”
Sophie’s smile was so sweet, it made Vivi’s chest hurt. So she rolled her eyes and sighed but her grin let Sophie know she was only teasing.
Her friend shrugged and kept on grinning. “I’m probably just as bad. He’s just...so...”
“Annoying?” Okay, so Vivi couldn’t help but needle Sophie a little.
“I was gonna go with sexy but, yeah, that works, too.”
They both laughed as they worked together to clean up. There really wasn’t that much to do but Sophie had followed her into the kitchen with a dish in her hand and a look in her eyes that Vivi recognized. Sophie wanted to talk. And she thought she knew what the topic was.
Didn’t mean she had to make it easy.
“Soooo. Justin’s a really nice guy.”
Okay, not how she’d expected this conversation to start but she could roll with it.
“Seems like it, yeah.”
“He’s a real sweetheart. And he might seem shy but he’s really not. Not when you get to know him.”
Taking a break from loading the dishwasher, Vivi turned to lean against the counter so she could look at Sophie. “Okay.”
Sophie made a face at her then huffed. “All right, yes, I’m fishing. But with good cause. He’s single, by the way. He and his girlfriend broke up over the summer. Derek said it should’ve happened years ago. He doesn’t even think Justin was upset when it happened. He just kinda shrugged and went back to playing hockey.”
“Okay.”
Sophie huffed and rolled her eyes. “All right, fine. I’ll just come out and ask. Do you think...maybe...you and he could...”
“Could what? Come on, Soph. Use your words.”
Now Sophie gave her the finger and stuck her tongue out at her.
“Fuck you.”
Sophie said it with clear affection in her voice and Vivi grinned back.
“Do you think we could all just get along? We do. He’s a nice guy. Which means he’s not at all my type.”
Maybe you just haven’t tried dating a nice guy before.”
She snorted. “Ya think? I scare off nice guys. They usually think I’m a bitch.”
Sophie swatted Vivi’s ass with her hand. “Stop that. You’re not a bitch. You’re strong and you know what you want. So what do you want?”
“You mean like long walks on the beach and romantic dinners under the moonlight?”
Fluttering her eyes, Vivi held her hands up to her cheeks and did her best impression of an angel. And got hit in the face with the dishrag Sophie picked up off the counter.
“What’s so wrong with that?” Sophie huffed. “It’s not all I want, but those are kinda nice to have sometimes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you’re into.” Vivi shrugged. “I’m just saying I’m not into it.”
“So what are you into? I mean, I assume you’re into guys. If you’re not, that’s not a problem and I’m sure—”
Waving her hands in front of Sophie before she could set her up with some female friend of a friend, she laughed. “Slow your roll, girlfriend. I’m into guys. I just haven’t found one I want to keep around for longer than a few nights. Most turn out to be dicks.”
“Then you definitely haven’t been dating the right men.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say I was dating them.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Then you haven’t been sleeping with the right guys, okay? But, Viv, Justin isn’t a dick.”
She knew that. She’d just been giving Sophie a hard time.
She turned back to loading the dishwasher. “He seems like a sweet guy. I’m just not looking for anyone right now.”
Liar.
With a sigh, Sophie dropped the subject.
“So is Aly still not ready to make the leap and move to Philly? Riley had a great game today. He keeps that up and Derek said the Colonials could look at trading him. They’re heavy on defense and need some more scorers. Which might just mean they’re gonna pull up some of our guys.”
And Sophie managed to put her finger directly into another sore spot.
Riley had had a good game today, according to the players in her living room. Even though he hadn’t scored, he’d gotten a couple of assists, which was almost as good as a goal, apparently.
“Actually, I think she is. She said she’s going to be looking for jobs in Philly.”
Sophie gave her a sympathetic grimace. “Sorry. I know how close you two are.”
Vivi shrugged. “It’s not like I thought we’d live together forever. But I will need to find someone to share expenses with. I barely make ends meet and I work three jobs.”
“I know what you mean. It’s tough without a full-time job and benefits. So what about you? Are you looking for a full-time job?”
The easy answer was yes and it would’ve been a fast way to shut down a conversation she really didn’t want to have.
She’d have to “grow up,” according to her parents.
Damn it, she was an adult. But that didn’t mean she had to tie herself to a nine-to-five job and become a zombie.
“Not really, no. I like what I do. It’s different every day and I think I’d go crazy if I went to work at the same place every day and did the same thing for forty hours a week. I like being my own boss.”
She loved doing freelance design, but it was isolating. That’s why she liked being able to talk to people at her waitressing jobs. And working with the tattoo artists at the studio simply made her happy.
Sophie smiled and nodded. “I know what you mean. And if you’re happy and you can pay your bills, who cares what the hell you do with your life.”
Laughing, Vivi gave Sophie a one-arm hug. “I knew there was a reason I liked you...” she saw movement in the doorway out of the corner of her eye, “...in spite of your taste in men.”
“Hey, you talkin’ about me?”
Derek wrapped his arms around Sophie and pulled her back against his chest. Sophie went willingly, her smile so bright as she tilted her head up to him, it almost hurt. And when he bent to kiss her, Vivi sighed and looked away.
“Get a room. And not here.”
“We’ve got a room,” Derek said. “Actually, we’ve got two. I’ve got to be up for practice tomorrow so we need to head out, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t need more help putting shit away before we leave.”
And this was the reason no one could hate Derek. The guy could dig himself into a hole with his mouth faster than anyone she knew. But then he showed you the decent guy under the smart-ass.
“Nope, I’m good. Only a few dishes left to put in the dishwasher.” Then she thought of something. “Are you going home with Sophie?”
“Yeah, why?”
She realized her massive error in judgment a second before Derek. The damn guy was fast on the uptake. And his grin widened.
“I think Soph and I can drop Robbie off at the apartment if you wanted to ask a certain someone to stay behind. For a few minutes. Or, you know, the night.”
Vivi whipped out the dishtowel in her hands and smacked Derek on the hip. He didn’t even flinch, just laughed.
“Hey, I’m just sayin’, if you need some help with, I don’t know, washing up or stripping down—”
Sophie slapped her hand over his mouth before he could say something worse while Vivi started to laugh so hard, tears fell down her cheeks.
“Dude,” Vivi finally said after she calmed down, “how the hell have you never been smacked down by a mob of angry women? Seriously.”
“Because women love me.”
Vivi snorted. “Yeah. Keep telling yourself that. A hot bod only gets you so far in life.”
Derek’s grin got wider. “You think I gotta hot bod? Awww, Viv, I didn’t know you cared.”
“And I think that’s our cue to leave.” Sophie was still laughing, her arm slung around Derek’s waist in a way that clearly claimed ownership. Same with his arm slung around her shoulders.
They belonged to each other. A two-person team against the world. Vivi thought they were a perfect match. And so fucking adorable, it hurt to watch them grin at each other.
“Hey, Viv, thanks for having us over.” Robbie stuck his head into the kitchen as if on cue. “D, I’m heading out with I-Ian. We gotta make a run to the grocery store. We wanna g-grill some steaks.”
No one said anything about it being close to nine-thirty at night.
“Be home before curfew, boys. It’s not safe out on the streets for kids your age.”
Derek’s taunt about Robbie’s age earned him a punch in the arm, which had to hurt because Robbie was a big kid. Only nineteen and still growing, he was going to be massive in a year or two.
And according to what Derek had been telling her earlier, Robbie wouldn’t be in the minors long. The guy was hockey royalty, apparently. His dad had been some big star twenty years ago and all his brothers played too.
“At least I can s-still stay awake past t-ten o’clock. Not like you old people who n-need your beauty sleep.”
“So you think I’m pretty?”
Derek’s smart-ass grin earned him another shot from Robbie, who rolled his eyes, even as he shook his head to hide a smile.
The kid turned to leave just as Justin walked into the kitchen. “Derek, you ready? Rob told me he’s going with Ian.”
“You’re on your own, dude. I’m going back to Sophie’s.”
Justin’s gaze flipped to Vivi’s for a split second before he blinked and looked away.
And the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“Hey, Justin, can stay for a few minutes and help me move the furniture back to where it was?”
His gaze snapped back to hers in a flash and she saw surprise in his eyes. She bit into her bottom lip so she wouldn’t smile. And possibly scare him away.
Not because he wasn’t a big strong hockey player. Sure, he was long and lanky, but the guy was solid muscle under the loose t-shirt and jeans.
She’d never seen him this dressed down before and she had to admit she felt a hitch in her breath every time she looked at him.
Which was unusual. And dangerous to her state of mind.
She didn’t allow guys to get to her like this anymore. Not after that fiasco with Jamie. Who she immediately pushed out of her head.
Jamie was long gone.
And Justin was nothing like Jamie.
Which meant he probably didn’t want to stay—
“Sure.” He nodded. “No problem.”
Her house cleared faster than if someone had yelled “fire.”
It helped that everyone was mostly on their way out. And not one other person offered to stay behind and help.
It should’ve been funny. Instead, she had butterflies in her stomach.
Gah, you’re an idiot. He’s just helping you move sofas. Not throwing you on them and stripping off your clothes.
And the fact that she’d had that thought explained exactly why she’d asked him to stay.
She just hoped he never figured that out.
Closing the door behind Derek, who gave her one last shit-eating grin, she turned to find herself alone.
Heading back into the living room, she found Justin sitting on the edge of one of the couches, watching another game.
But when he realized she was there, he stood.
Damn it. Every time she looked at him now, she felt like a stupid teenager at her first dance.
“I wasn’t sure where you wanted them or I would’ve started.”
Did he really want to leave that badly?
“No problem. If you have somewhere to be, I can—”
“No. No, I don’t. Have anywhere to be. I’m glad to help.”
Now he smiled.
Her body flushed with heat because...holy shit. Had she ever seen him really smile? She couldn’t have because if she had, she’d have asked him back to her place the first time he’d done it.
Justin was good-looking, no doubt about it. But his quietness was a shield designed to make eyes pass over him. She recognized the maneuver. Her mom had that tactic down to a science.
Vivi had always taken the opposite approach. The louder you were, the more people tried to avoid you.
Worked like a charm most of the time. Those people who put up with her the way she was she’d learned to count as true friends. Her sister. Sophie. A few people from high school she still kept in touch with.
And people who didn’t... Fuck ’em.
Justin didn’t seem to be put off by her. Yet.
“Thanks for sticking around.”
It didn’t take them long to move the couches. Only a couple of minutes.
And while they did, she let herself watch the play of muscle under his shirt. She’d really love to see the body he hid beneath those clothes, especially the art. She had a feeling he’d been downplaying his ink.
But how did she politely say, “Hey, will you take off your shirt so I can see your tattoos?”
He’d probably think she was trying to get into his pants.
Aren’t you?
Good question. One she’d have to think about.
With the last chair back in its proper place, they both straightened, staring at each other.
And finally, she just thought, Fuck it.
“So do you need to leave right away? Or would you be willing to show me your tattoos now?”
Justin practically swallowed his tongue as he tried not to embarrass the hell out of himself by blurting out, “Yes. Hell, yes.”
He wanted to stay. And he had no trouble showing her his art but...
But what?
He needed to get some sleep. They had practice Monday and Tuesday, a home game Wednesday, then they got on the bus and had a game Friday in upstate New York and another Sunday in Massachusetts. Then they returned home for games Friday and Saturday the following week.
He was used to the physical demands of the game, but he knew what his body needed to function properly.
He also knew he wanted to stay tonight for however long she wanted him to stay. It wasn’t that late. Only a little after eleven.
And he wanted to spend time alone with her.
“I can stay for a little while.”
Her lips curved in a smile that made heat pool in his gut.
“Good.” Then her arms crossed under her breasts and her smile got a little wider. And now that heat spread through his body, making his cock thick and hard and his chest tight.
“Why are you smiling at me like that?”
He had to ask. Usually, he’d let something like this slide. A lot of girls he met at signings and bars flirted because he was a player, not because they were really interested in him. Usually, it made him uncomfortable as hell.
He didn’t think Vivi was flirting with him just because of what he was. But she did flirt a lot. And he still didn’t know her well enough to know whether she was flirting because she liked him or she was flirting just because she flirted with everyone.
He wished he was the kind of guy who flirted just as easily. But that wasn’t him.
“’Cause you didn’t say no to showing me your ink.”
No, he hadn’t.
Rolling up his sleeve, he showed her the inside of his left arm. It was the first tattoo his brother had done for him and it was still one of Justin’s favorites.
A stylized hockey stick with his number incorporated into the design. So simple and yet so beautiful. It looked like a photograph, it was so detailed.
Vivi lifted her hand and gently ran her fingertips over his skin. Every hair on his body stood on end and his cock twitched in his jeans.
“Wow, it’s beautiful.” Her head cocked to the side. “The detail is amazing.”
Then she looked up at him with raised eyebrows.
“So...how about the rest? Is this all I get tonight?”
Swallowing hard, he forced himself to nod and play a game he rarely played. He attempted to flirt. “Yep. Because I’d have to be naked to show you all of it.”
Her smile widened until her eyes nearly closed. She looked so fucking hot, he had the almost undeniable urge to put his hand around her neck and pull her close to kiss her.
He talked himself out of it. Not because he didn’t think she’d let him do it but because he also knew he could be reading this situation totally wrong and he didn’t want to embarrass himself completely.
“And is there something wrong with nudity?”
She was teasing him, that much he could figure out. And not in a mean way. Still flirting.
“No.” He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking her. Then he sucked in a breath and forced the next words out of his mouth. “But maybe I’d like to buy you dinner first.”
She didn’t look shocked at his half-assed way of asking her out on a date. In fact, her smile got a little softer. He’d never seen her smile like that before. At anyone.
“I could go for that.”
He’d half expected her not to say anything so he was surprised she’d agreed so easily. But he didn’t want to give her time to rethink.
“You free tomorrow or Tuesday? We leave Thursday for a road trip.”
“Tomorrow would be good. I work Tuesday.”
He grinned. “I’ll pick you up around six. That okay?”
“That’s great.”
“Anywhere you don’t want to go?”
He wasn’t sure but he thought her smile got even sweeter.
“I’m more of a diners, drive-ins, and dives kinda girl,” she said. “I’ve got a place in mind, but it’s out in the boonies.”
He’d go anywhere she wanted. Hell, he’d drive to New York City if she wanted to have hot dogs from a street vendor.
“Sounds like you and I have the same taste in restaurants. Is six still good to pick you up?”
“Yep.”
He nodded then forced himself to head for the door. Which meant he had to walk by her.
The urge to stop by her side, frame her face in his hands, and kiss her grabbed hold of him and wouldn’t let go. But he didn’t want to push his luck. He hadn’t done anything to embarrass himself all night.
So he dropped her gaze so she didn’t accidentally read his thoughts and walked to the door, grabbing his coat off the couch on his way by.
Vivi followed along but stopped him at the door with her hand on his arm. “Oh, wait. Let me give you my number.”
Damn, he should’ve thought of that himself. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he opened it then handed it over.
She took it with another one of those smiles he couldn’t decipher. He couldn’t tell if she was amused or what. But the look she gave him when she handed back his phone after punching in her numbers was something completely different.
This look made it hard for him to breathe.
Holy crap. That look made him feel like she wanted to make a meal out of him.
And he’d be more than happy to be the main course.
Kiss her.
He really wanted to. But he had a crappy track record with women. He didn’t want to screw up this relationship before it even got started. So he dropped her gaze, slipped on his coat, and palmed his keys.
“See you tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Her smile got a little wider. “And to seeing more of your...ink.”
Okay, he hadn’t imagined that pause. The heat level in his body ratcheted up another couple of degrees.
A few more seconds of silence passed before he nodded again and grabbed the doorknob to let himself out.
And cursed himself the entire walk to his car for not asking if he could kiss her good night.