Erik (Arizona Vengeance 2)

Or the easy way we talked.

Her laugh.

That fucking Catwoman costume.

“Earth to Erik,” Dax says as he snaps his fingers in front of my eyes. “You in or out?”

“Huh?” I say stupidly as I keep my eyes on the galley for Blue to reappear.

Dax, Legend, and Bishop all start snickering and I look around the table at them. Legend shakes his head with a knowing smirk.

“You’ve got it bad, brother,” Bishop says with a chuckle.

I toss my cards facedown and push up out of my chair. I smile down at my teammates. “A lesser man would deny that, but I’m confident enough in myself to own it. I’m out the next hand.”

The guys laugh as I retreat to the rear of the cabin and walk straight into the galley. Blue doesn’t hear me as I enter, allowing me to walk right up behind her where I do nothing more than place my mouth near her ear. “You look especially gorgeous today, Miss Gardner.”

Blue jumps slightly but continues to load empty glasses into a dishwasher that had to have been custom built to fit into this sleek, efficient kitchen, because it’s really narrow but taller than standard ones.

“You shouldn’t be back here,” she admonishes me but I can hear the playfulness in her voice.

Taking her by the arm I spin her toward me and remove a glass from her hand. After I set it on the counter, I pull her in closer to me with my hands at her waist. Her arms dangle by her side and her head tips to look up at me. She’s got her blond hair in a sleek ponytail that’s tied at the base of her neck and it makes her look younger than her twenty-six years.

I grin down at her. “Did you miss me these last couple days?”

Her lips twitch and her eyes sparkle with mischief. “Not a bit.”

“Little liar,” I reply with a chuckle. “Tell me truthfully…Have you been thinking about the way you came writhing on my leg?”

Blue sucks in a tiny amount of air and her eyes darken slightly. “A little bit,” she admits to me.

I dip my face closer to hers and give her an admission of my own. “I’ve been thinking about it too. You were spectacular.”

Her gaze cuts away from me as her cheeks turn a brighter pink. I find it absolutely fucking adorable that a compliment such as that embarrasses her.

“Did you like what we did, Blue?” I murmur and her eyes slide back to me slowly. She gives an almost imperceptible nod but it’s enough for me.

“Do you want more?” My voice is husky and raw.

“Yes,” she whispers and it makes me want to beat my fists upon my chest like Tarzan.

I rub a thumb over her cheekbone letting my eyes roam over her face before I answer. “We’ll see…I’m not in a rush.”

I’m teasing her, of course, and she well knows this. She gives it right back to me with a bland smile. “Neither am I. I’m a very patient woman.”

I can’t help but laugh because I doubt either one of us are patient enough to drag this out too far.

I didn’t get to see Blue yesterday as she had plans with Billy during the day and plans with Sadie in the evening. I was too proud to ask her to ditch Sadie so I could see her and I wasn’t about to interfere with anything to do with Billy. I realize that Blue might not be able to be as spontaneous as me when it comes to plans, because much of her free time is devoted to her brother. I’m going to have to plan ahead if I want to spend time with her.

After our game in Houston tonight, we’ll be flying to Dallas in the morning where I will have a good chunk of tomorrow free as our game won’t be until the night after that. I capture her hands in mine and squeeze.

“Would you like to go with me tomorrow to the Dallas aquarium?” I ask her. “It would have to be after our morning practice, but then we can eat a nice lunch somewhere and if you’re not sick of me, we can do dinner out too.”

Blue’s entire face brightens and the smile she gives me is almost blinding. “That sounds like fun. Do you think we should invite the others?”

By “others” I know she means the group that we’ve normally been hanging around with for meals or drinks during our road games. That would be Valerie, Lyla, Sadie, Bishop, Legend, and Dax.

“No fucking way,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “This is a date and it’s just me and you.”

Blue tilts her head and grins. “In that case, I gladly accept.”

“Can’t wait,” I tell her and that is the honest to God truth. While I’m excited about our upcoming games against Houston and Dallas, I’d have to lump a date with Blue right up there with them on the exhilaration scale.