“That’s just a friend-with-benefits thing. He’s free to do whatever he wants here in New York, I’m sure.” I accepted my vodka from the bartender. I took a big, bracing swallow, trying to read Miles’ body language. He looked loose, casual. He laughed at one point, but I couldn’t tell what was going on in their conversation.
Sydney was like a feisty little elf in a cocktail dress, bouncing up and down, gesturing wildly with her arms. For a split second I felt another tiny little ounce of regret. Not a lot. Just a little. You couldn’t argue she brought enthusiasm and dedication to the subject of sex. At one point, she bent over and briefly touched the back of Miles’ calf. What the fuck was that about? She didn’t seem to realize that her dress was too short to do that. We all caught a glimpse of her ass cheeks peeking out.
It was a tight ass. A nice ass.
“Oh, shit!” Eloise said. She shoved her wine at Dak and went in pursuit of her cousin, presumably to tell her to stand up.
I sipped my vodka and enjoyed the show. It was a good view, I’m not going to lie. Plus it had been nine months since I’d had sex. I was still alive enough to be aware of what my cock could do in that particular position and what I had just turned down.
“You’re not reconsidering, are you?” Dak asked, eyeing me. He raised his girlfriend’s wineglass to his mouth and drank it, then made a face. “Shit. Wrong drink.” He lifted his other hand and took a long swallow of his beer.
Maybe. “Nope. Why?”
“I don’t know. Part of me thinks the whole thing is fucking crazy, the other part of me thinks that if the girl is going to go around asking for a sexual tutorial, I’d rather it be with you than some asshole I don’t trust. Sydney is important to Eloise. She’s family. Therefore, she’s important to me. I don’t want to see her get in over her head.”
“But you trust her with me?” I asked, really fucking touched, to be honest. Dak was all about family.
“Yes, I do. You don’t even need to ask that.”
Huh. He had a point. Who was on that damn list? Not every guy would treat her right. Some guys could be cold, insensitive pricks who wouldn’t teach her anything other than she was a five-minute fuck for them. Shit. Did that mean I had to root for Miles to say yes?
But Sydney and Eloise were walking over to us and it was clear by the look on Sydney’s face that was not the case.
“No luck?” I asked her, feeling some sympathy. She was definitely trying.
“No. Miles said he can’t risk an injury because he is playing in two weeks. He seems very concerned about his hamstrings.”
Dak laughed.
“You guys aren’t in the final round, are you?” Sydney asked.
The final round? I couldn’t help it. The corner of my mouth lifted up. Eloise was extremely knowledgeable about football. It was clear her cousin was not.
“No, we’re not,” I told her.
“Then you can get injured and it won’t matter.”
She had an answer for everything. “I don’t want to get injured, whether I’m playing or not. I want to be in shape for next season. Though I don’t know how the hell I would pull a hamstring having sex. That makes me really concerned for Williams’ sexual playbook.”
“So then we should be good,” Sydney said. She gave me a smile. “If you have a better playbook.”
I had a really fucking good playbook, I had to say.
“Syd,” Eloise said, firmly. “Let it go.”
Sydney rolled her eyes and made a sound of exasperation. “Fine. I’m down to my number four pick.”
“Who is that?” I asked. Not that I gave a shit. Which I did. Dak’s words were getting under my skin.
“JJ Beckett.”
I nodded in acknowledgement and gave a grunt.
Beckett was no stranger to women. He liked to party hard, dressed in designer clothes, and have sex with multiple women. Often at the same time. He definitely brought the experience. I didn’t think he would have the patience, though. Sydney needed slow and steady, someone who would take the time to get her where she needed to go. Get her comfortable, keep her mouth busy elsewhere other than talking.
Sydney walked away, in hot pursuit of her target.
I was starting to get angry, picturing her with Beckett. He would smooth-talk her, give her phony lines about love, shower her with gifts, and reel her in. Then she would fall in love with him, and he would disappear. We’d seen that play out a dozen times. He came on strong, because he liked the chase. Or rather, he liked to win the chase. Then he got bored almost immediately.
Sydney wasn’t the kind of woman who would understand that game. She was way too direct.
I sucked down the rest of my drink in one swallow, feeling agitated and annoyed all of a sudden.
“Train.” Dak eyed me. “What are you thinking?”
“You know what I’m thinking. I’m thinking Beckett is the wrong man for Sydney’s sexual adventures. What do you think about her and JJ?”
“I agree with you. Not the best choice. She is, I think you can agree, very intelligent but a little naive.”
“She’s going to get herself into trouble,” I said, setting my glass down on the bar and shaking my head when the bartender asked if I wanted another one. I suddenly felt like I needed a clear head.
“You know, this wouldn’t be a bad deal for you either,” Dak said. “You can trust that she really means no-strings. What other woman can you trust that would be true? You’ve got a big wallet and you know how that goes.”
“I have a big dick, too,” I told Dak with a grin.
He rolled his eyes. “Hey, it looks like she scored with Beckett. He’s holding her hand.”
Of course she had. Beckett would fuck anyone, at any time. He was a first-class manwhore. I looked around the suite and spotted them. Beckett had her by the hand and was pulling her down the hallway. “He’s taking her to the bedroom.”
“Looks that way.”
I felt both anger and a surge of protectiveness towards the goofy little law student with the heart-shaped ass. She definitely needed to be taught a lesson, starting with how it wasn’t smart to go off with playboys at parties.
“Fuck. I have to go after her, don’t I? North, I really hate myself.” I sighed. “Why am I like this?”
“What, kind of a decent guy? Your secret is safe with me, Train.”
I peeled off my jacket and tossed it over a nearby chair. Just in case I needed to punch JJ. Which was kind of a thrilling thought. I cracked my knuckles. We might be best friends going back damn near a decade, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t love to knock that smirk off his pretty face.
“Jesus,” Dak said. “Don’t make a scene at my party. You’ll upset Eloise.”
“I’m not going to upset Eloise. I’m going to rescue her insanely naive cousin.” I loosened my tie. “I’m a regular knight in fucking armor.”
Chapter Three
Sydney
I sidled up to JJ Beckett. Or at least I attempted to sidle. Mostly I just moved in beside him, flipped my hair back over my shoulder, and said, “Hi, are you having fun?”