Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“Was this your first game, Lilly?” Kirill asks as he steps to her other side.
“It was,” she says, turning toward him. “It was so much fun.”
“What did you like best?” he asks, leveling a charming smile and my hackles rise. Kirill’s the biggest player on our team and can charm ladies right out of their panties.
Not that Lilly would fall for that but still… I should watch over her.
Like a big brother-type thing.
“Hey,” I say, nudging her in the arm when I see Tillie and Coen walk in. They make a beeline over to a table with Hendrix, Bain and Camden sitting with their girlfriends, Stevie, Kiera and Danica. “Let me introduce you to more of the Titans women.”
Kirill looks slightly disappointed but Lilly gives me a bright smile. “Okay.”
“Let the waitress know we’re over there.” I nod toward the other table.
Foster gives me a chin lift in acknowledgment and sticks his hand out to Lilly. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too,” Lilly chirps, and my hand again goes to her back as I lead her over to the other group.
As expected, the women immediately pull Lilly into conversation after I make introductions. They stand together chatting away while we guys sip on beers and talk about the game. I engage in the conversation with my dudes but I keep one eye on Lilly to make sure she’s enjoying herself. By all accounts, her smiles and laughs tell me she’s having a blast.
“Lilly seems nice,” Camden says, abruptly changing the subject from a questionable penalty call against Bain.
“She is,” I reply, my gaze cutting over to her.
“Really pretty too,” Hendrix points out.
“Yup.”
“What the other two are driving at,” Bain drawls as he leans in a bit, “you should ask her out on an official date.”
“No way, dude.” My denial is steadfast. A date hasn’t even crossed my mind and there’s a reason why. “She’s got so much on her plate right now, the last thing she needs is me hitting her up for a date.”
“Or maybe that’s the best thing she needs,” Bain argues. “She clearly needed this night out.”
I turn to look at her again and can see how relaxed she is. It makes me realize that the times I’ve seen her before, she’s always somewhat stiff, a perpetual worry crease between her eyebrows. She always holds herself taut because she has the weight of the world on her shoulders and can’t afford to drop any of it.
Still, I can’t see asking her out on a date. Lilly is my friend and that’s what she needs the most. Besides, I can’t mess up my friendship with Aiden and I want Lilly to rely on me for help without any blurred lines.
“We’re good as just friends,” I say, and my buds all nod in understanding. Not one of them try to argue and that tells me that I’m right about it.
I keep an eye on the time because when I invited Lilly to hang with us, she accepted with the caveat she couldn’t stay out too late since she has to be at the deli at six a.m.
We say our goodbyes to my teammates shortly after midnight and I make the short drive across the Ohio River into the West End Village where Lilly lives and works. The streets are nearly empty as I pull into the back alley and park in the spot next to her car. There’s a porch light on at the top of the staircase but the rest of the alley is dark.
“I’ll walk you up,” I say as I turn off my Porsche and exit the car.
“You don’t have to,” Lilly says as she scrambles out and shuts the door. “You’ve done more than enough for me tonight.”
I grin at her over the hood as she walks my way since the driver’s door is near the staircase. “Although we haven’t known each other long, I feel like I know you well enough to say shut up.”
Lilly barks out a laugh. “That is true.”
We trudge up the stairs together, the worn wood treads groaning. I wonder how old this thing is and vow to take a closer look the next time I’m here in the daylight.
Which means I’ve already assumed I’m going to be a part of the Hoffmans’ lives to the extent I’ll be returning to their apartment.
Lilly pulls her keys from her purse when we reach the landing but turns to me before unlocking the door. “I really cannot thank you enough for tonight, Boone. It was such a special treat.”
My heart feels full. “I bet you forgot what it was like to just go out and have fun.”
Her smile slides a little as she ducks her head. “There was nothing to forget.”
I frown at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” Lilly looks around as if she’s trying to come up with the right words. When her gaze locks back with mine, she says, “Going out, having fun, having a group of friends where we just laughed… I never really had that.”