Erik (Arizona Vengeance 2)

We find Legend in the kitchen and Erik gives him some sort of sideways bro handshake. Legend isn’t wearing a costume which I find amusing since this is his Halloween party. However, he’s got his arm causally draped over a beautiful woman dressed up in a borderline sleazy vampire costume with a tight corset that barely covers her nipples.

I wonder briefly if he had invited Valerie as his date and she said no, or if he didn’t invite Valerie as his date and is exercising his right to play the field. I doubt Valerie would be offended, because she’s a playgirl herself.

Legend looks to me after he and Erik break the handshake. His eyes travel the length of my body and there’s no hiding the appreciation in his tone. “Damn, Blue. You put the real Catwoman to shame.”

“That would be the Halle Berry version,” Erik adds on. “Who was way hotter than Michelle Pfeiffer and Blue pretty much outshines them both.”

“Absofuckinglutely,” Legend says with a fist bump to Erik.

Legend’s date wrinkles her nose slightly but says, “Yeah…it’s a cute outfit.”

“Oh, Blue…this is Waverly,” Legend says by way of introduction. “Waverly…this is Erik’s girlfriend, Blue Gardner.”

I nod at her with a smile but the one I get back is disinterested. She snuggles closer into Legend with her hand at his stomach, but he continues to look at me. “How’s Billy doing?”

“He’s awesome. I spent the day with him doing some fun Halloween stuff.”

“He’s going to come to the home game against Detroit Saturday after next,” Erik tells Legend and that warms me all over again. That Erik wants to do something like that and he sounds excited by the prospect.

I guess that’s why I slide my arm around his waist and give him a little squeeze because of how good it makes me feel over the interest he takes in Billy, when he hardly knows Billy and me at all.

Erik makes us some drinks at Legend’s splendidly stocked wet bar in the living room. We munch on yummy finger foods that Legend clearly had catered and I chat with a lot of the players. It’s nice to finally be able to meet some of the wives and significant others that don’t travel with the team. While I didn’t get any weird looks from the players because Erik and I are together, I do get some second glances from wives and girlfriends. Not that they haven’t seen Erik with a woman before, because I’m sure they have. Rather, they seem intrigued by how attentive he is to me. He is always touching me, but in a very respectful way as we mingle with others. Sometimes his arm is around my shoulder, other times it might sit at my waist. He’d also just hold my hand, and at one point we sat on the couch to talk to another couple and he perched me on the edge of his knee. It was like we were a solid couple, despite the fact this was only our second date, and just a few weeks prior I had nothing but scathing remarks for Erik that I never held back for others on the plane to see.

About an hour into the party, Erik takes my hand and says, “Let’s get some fresh air.”

It is getting stuffy in Legend’s house because it’s packed with people and I am dressed head to toe in vinyl. He leads me out to the front porch and pulls the door behind him. I see a swing on one end and think we might go sit there, but instead, I’m totally stunned when he pulls me into his arms. He doesn’t even give me a chance to understand what is going on before he presses his mouth to mine for a very soft kiss.

Our first kiss and I wasn’t even prepared for it.

Well, not our first kiss, but this is the one that actually counts.

My hands automatically rise with the intent to go around his shoulders, but he’s already pulling away from me. He gives me a sheepish smile and says, “Sorry. I just couldn’t wait another fucking minute to kiss you.”

“Really?” I ask in a dreamy sort of voice, my head still swimming from the touch of his lips to mine.

Erik chuckles and releases his hold on me. “Really. I’ll give you a better one when I take you home tonight.”

My belly flutters over the thought and my chest squeezes over how silly and romantic Erik is being, and I don’t even think he’s really trying to be. It seems natural to him and I realize I have seriously misjudged the man when it comes to his intentions.

Something catches Erik’s attention over my shoulder and I turn toward where he’s focused, at the neighbor’s house to Legend’s right. We watch as a woman—presumably his neighbor—carries an armful of pink plastic flamingos to the end of her yard that borders Legend’s. The landscape lighting in the yard illuminates the area enough that I can see a wicked smile on her face as she proceeds to start planting the flamingos in the lawn, following the line of Legend’s driveway out to the street. It looks to me like they are still on her property but they’re so gaudy they’d be an eyesore planted a half a mile away.