Rush Me (New York Leopards 1)

David appeared shell-shocked, and now, no longer able to contain it, he let out a brief, almost professional gushing of how much he enjoyed Ryan’s game.

“Hi,” Sophie purred when Ryan folded himself down beside me in the booth. She leaned forward, thrusting her breasts towards him. “I’m Sophie Salisbury.”

From bad to worse. I was offended on David’s behalf. “Sophie is my brother’s girlfriend.”

Sophie passed a cool look over me, and smiled. “We’re still waiting on Rachael’s date. But poor thing, I don’t think he’s going to show.”

Ryan didn’t laugh, but it was a close call. “I’m not that late.”

I tried not to smirk, but alas, I was not that good a person. David picked it up first. “Wait,” he said, voice strangled. He stared at Ryan. “You’re not...”

Sophie’s poise dropped, and she gaped at us. “No way.”

Ryan slung an arm around me. I rolled my eyes at him; he grinned back. “Oh, sorry,” he whispered to me. “Does this fall under the ‘I’m-not-allowed-to-mark-my-territory’ clause?”

“This is my boyfriend.” I tried to restrain the corners of my mouth from tipping up. “Ryan Carter.”

Ryan nodded briefly. “Good to meet you.”

My thick-headed brother had trouble processing. “You’re dating—but—you can’t be dating Rachael.”

Such fraternal support. “Thanks.”

“I just—” He shook his head, and then drew himself together and gave Ryan a professional smile. “Rachael never told us she was dating a legend.”

“Oh, she probably didn’t notice.”

“Oh, yes I did. Didn’t I tell you I read your Wikipedia page just a couple weeks ago?”

He grinned. “But my homepage is so much better.”

“Rachael doesn’t even like football.” Sophie sounded personally insulted.

“Luckily, she likes me, so it all works out.”

There was a little silence.

I turned back to my brother, pasting on a bright smile. “So, how’s the company?”

My brother darted a glance at the man he’d just tried to land as a client. “Good. Better every day. It’s a great gig.” He slid from awed fan to patronizing older brother in an impressively short breath. “You know, Rach, you should really try your hand at something green. Print’s a dying industry, and really, who’s surprised?”

I bristled. David hadn’t even known “green” equated “environmental” until he started in at his job. I had always been the family member saying “Don’t throw that away! Recycle!” and it galled me to hear David suddenly playing the environmental hero.

Beside him, Sophie nodded. I was impressed by how her long hair never lost its form. “David’s right. I just watched this segment about how more and more people are publishing online. Soon they’re going to cut your job altogether.”

Everyone had an opinion, didn’t they?

Our dinners arrived as David finished giving us the news on San Leandro and his hoped-for promotion, and then he turned to Ryan. “So, how did you meet my sister?”

Ryan leaned back against the booth. “She broke into my friend’s apartment.”

I started speaking almost before he stopped. “Shut up. I did not.” I paused. “Or only, you know, technically. I was going to a party near his friend Malcolm’s apartment, and accidentally stepped in the wrong door.”

David swallowed hard. “Wide-receiver Malcolm Lindsey?”

“It’s like they’re living, breathing human beings and not just action figures,” I chirped.

I was pretty sure everyone glared at me, then.