Rush Me (New York Leopards 1)

I could contribute to their giant economy. “How did such a large place go so broke?” I mused.

The rest of the table winced and Ryan, sitting to my left at the head of the table, kicked me. Then everyone’s expressions glazed over as Abe launched into a long speech about taxes and Briana, also a native Californian, contributed a dissertation length diatribe on the effects of direct ballot initiatives. “What’s to be expected,” she argued against no one, raising her voice over Abe as he mourned Apple paying its taxes in Nevada, “when people keep voting the budget away into every cause they support?”

Somewhere I’d gotten the idea Californians were supposed to be mild-mannered. Apparently not.

“Now see what you’ve done,” Ryan murmured to me. “I bet we’re the best educated East Coast team on California finances.”

“Well, maybe you could use your knowledge about the broke state to keep yourselves from going broke.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t get smart, Hamilton.”

I grinned at him, delighted by his wry expression and small smile, until Abe’s arm jostled me, and then I looked away.

Chapter Eleven

After dinner everyone migrated to the couches, and Briana came to stand by my side, a hint of expensive perfume pearling off her skin. “So. I hear you’re in publishing.”

A smile tugged at my lips. In publishing sounded so dashing, and for a moment I wanted to lie and say oh, yes. Definitely, and buff my nails against my shoulder. I reined in the impulse since I barely knew Briana. “I’m just an intern.”

“Right. Where’d you go to school?”

“Uh, BU.”

“And you studied English?”

“I did. Where’d you go to school?”

She took a moment before responding, as though to remind me this was her interrogation, not the other way around. “UCLA. Do you know much about football?”

“Absolutely nothing. How about you?”

“I should write a book. You kind of have an attitude, don’t you?”

“Just a small one.”

“So does Ryan. His is large. What’s your deal? The general consensus seems to be that you’re Ryan’s girl, but he’s not saying anything, not even to Malcolm.”

I choked on air. Ryan’s girl? “I thought you were supposed to be a little more circumspect. Like, invite me out to lunch so you could grill me.”

She finally cracked a smile. “No, that’s the second step. And it includes a couple of the other Leopard girlfriends, too.”

“That sounds...vaguely cultish.”

“Oh, it is.”

I laughed. “I am not anyone’s girl.” Because I was a woman! I had to get better at my roaring. “I just—sort of stumbled into this.” I tilted my head. “Are there are a lot of other girlfriends? Most of the guys seem serially single.”

Briana smirked. “It’s this crowd. They’re the young, Manhattan living, commitment-phobe group. A lot of the team lives in Jersey or Westchester, married to college sweethearts with two-point-four kids.” She shuddered.

“Except Malcolm can’t have commitment problems.” Because, you know, the ring.

“They call me the beginning of the end.”

“But you’ve been around a while. Two years?”

“Two and a half. But we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. Why are you here?”

I should have Briana interrogate my brother’s girlfriend. “Abe wanted to have dinner.”