Play Maker (Bitsberg Knights Duet)

“I don’t mind driving you home,” I offered. “If the sweepers don’t make it out in time.”

Shelby looked up at me, her eyes wide. “Guess we’ll see.”

My dick twitched. I needed to step up my game. I wanted to know how gorgeous those eyes would look rolled back into her head, with my name on her lips, while I made her come over and over again. I couldn’t wait to see how the night would end.

“Table for two?”

I glanced over at Shelby at the hostess’ question. We’d only agreed on getting a drink, but the bar entrance was locked, so we had to go around to the main restaurant entrance instead. Before I could ask which she’d prefer, she nodded and offered the young woman a smile. “Please.”

“Right this way,” the hostess said, grabbing two leather-bound menus from the front counter.

“I’ve never been here before,” Shelby said as we walked a few paces behind the hostess. “Wasn’t this a Mexican place?”

“I’m not sure.”

“It’s hard to keep track. The city changed so much while I was away at school.”

The hostess indicated which table was ours, and I stepped forward to pull out Shelby’s chair before the hostess could do it for me. She gave us a smile, deposited the menus, and informed us that our server would be on the way shortly. Shelby shrugged out of her coat, revealing the curves I was fixated on since the first time I saw her at Maggie’s diner. Damn, she was beautiful and in a blue sweater as well—team colors.

“Spirit sweater?”

“What’s that?”

“Your sweater, it’s the same color as the team’s blue.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” She smiled up at me and caught me checking out her ass before she lowered into her seat. “Thank you.”

I inclined my head and took my seat. “Did you come back often? While you were in school, I mean.”

She shook her head. “Not really. Flights were always really expensive during the holidays. My dad’s a high school principal, and my mom has a part-time job at a craft store, but spends most of her time doing volunteer work. It was a miracle I was able to even come up with the money to go to an Ivy League school.”

“Understandable.” I grabbed a menu and popped it open. I didn’t want to leave too much space for her to ask about my family. It wasn’t fit for a first date kind of conversation. Hell, it wasn’t really fit for any kind of date conversation. “Well, I’ve only been here a few times and can recommend the braised chicken cutlets with the garlic baked potato.”

Shelby smiled at me over the top of her own menu. “Sounds good.”

Our server approached us and we placed our drink orders.

“How long have you been in Bitsberg?” Shelby asked, cocking her head ever so slightly.

“Almost four years.”

“Do you go somewhere else in between seasons?”

I shook my head. “No.”

She gave a slow nod. “Where is your family?”

My heart jumped in my chest. Shelby was circling around the darkest part, poised to ask the questions I didn’t want to answer. I couldn’t sway her in another direction without looking completely shady. Damn it. I swiveled a quick glance around the restaurant, hoping that the server would conveniently come over with our drinks and save me.

Shelby fidgeted in her seat and glanced down. “If you don’t want to—”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m originally from Arizona, and that’s where my mother still lives. As for my dad, well, even I don’t have the answer to that one. He walked out when I was two, and I’ve never heard from him.”

“Oh,” Shelby said, her full lips forming a soft O.

“It’s kind of a fucked up situation, so I don’t really talk about it with people.”

Her eyes flashed with something. Pity? No. Sadness. I hated that I didn’t have a better answer. The normal, Dad and Mom were still together and we spent every holiday together type of story. But no. That dream had been ripped to shreds a long ass time ago. “I’m really sorry, Ross.”

“It’s all right. You didn’t know.” I replied, offering a smile that felt strangled.

“I guess I could have done a more thorough Googling job,” she said, a teasing smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

I chuckled. “Oh, yeah? Trying to dig up the dirt?”

“I’m a lawyer. Rule number one is to know what you’re getting into.”

My chuckle rolled into a full laugh, and it felt good. Like a heavy weight was starting to lift. I leaned forward, bracing my forearms against the edge of the table. “Fair enough. What did you find out? You’re here, so I assume you didn’t dig up all of my skeletons.”

She laughed, and I memorized the sound. It was melodic and unapologetic. The kind of laugh that was impossible to hear and not join in. “Oh, you mean the part where you have three families stashed across the country? No, I found that. I just decided it wasn’t a deal-breaker.”