Whatever the reason was, I found myself fighting the urge to run over there, punch Marcus and take Mae inside where nobody else could look, touch, or talk to her. Yeah, I was being absolutely ridiculous. Maybe I needed to get laid. By someone who wasn’t Mae, so that I’d quit thinking about her exclusively. I opened the door to my place and walked inside, making it a point not to look back at them. The last thing I needed was for him to know just how interested in her I was. As it was, I’d made an exception for tonight’s initiation and I knew I’d never hear the end of it from them.
Chapter 26
Amelia
I got a text at four thirty that I thought was going to be from Logan, until I remembered he didn’t have my phone number. It was from Travis. I hesitated opening it. I hadn’t spoken to him since the location incident, and even though we’d ended that conversation politely, I was afraid of what talking to him would lead to. On my end, I was one-hundred-percent done with Travis, but I knew him. He was the kind of person who was never done with you until you moved on. It had been like that with his ex-girlfriend Tasha. He’d only let her go because we’d gotten together. At the time, I’d found it hot. Now, it was not.
Travis: Hey. In town this weekend. We still hanging?
Me: I have some things to do, but maybe we can meet up at some point
Travis: You going to the toga party?
Me: Yeah, I think so, if I’m done with everything else.
Travis: It doesn’t start until ten. Wanna go together?
Me: Let’s meet there. Are you with the entire team?
Travis: Yes but I can ditch them
Me: Nope, it’s okay.
Travis: See you later then
I sent him a thumbs up in response. I dressed in jeans, black long sleeve shirt, wool tan jacket, and black slip-on sneakers. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I definitely wanted to be warm and comfortable. He knocked on my door at four fifty-five, and I grabbed my camera, bag, and rushed over and pulled it open. Logan looked like he’d just stepped out of the shower, hair slicked back, beard trimmed perfectly, green eyes looking right into mine. He looked rough, with a dangerous air to him as he looked at me intensely.
“Do you think I should switch out my khaki jacket for a black one?” I licked my lips. His expression softened.
“You look perfect.”
“You guys are always wearing black though. I can . . . it would take me a second.”
“You look perfect.”
“Are you sure? Because I could—” I turned slightly. He grabbed my hand to stop me from walking away. I whipped back, heart pounding.
“You couldn’t look more perfect if you tried. Leave the jacket.”
“Oh,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
He let go of my hand and I locked the door, walking beside him to the elevator.
“So, that was weird with the bag and the blood and pee and stuff,” I said.
“It’s necessary.”
“The card said they wouldn’t clone me.” I felt myself smile as we rode down in the elevator. “And that it’s not a sex club.”
“Pity.” He glanced over at me.
“Which part?”
“Both.”
I laughed. “The world does not need two Amelia Bastón’s.”
“I beg to differ.”
I thought about it some more as we walked through the lobby and decided I would hate having a clone.
“Do you normally go to football games?”
“Not really.” He walked to the left. I stopped.
“Isn’t it that way?”
“I’m driving.”
“Oh.”
“Are you going to follow me or are you expecting me to pull the car up like one of your chauffeurs?”
“I don’t have chauffeurs.” I blinked and started walking toward him again.
“You don’t? Wow. Could’ve fooled me.”
“I use Uber drivers, thank you very much.”
“Do you always request a black car?”
“First of all, I feel judged.” I paused, pursing my lips. He bit his lip to keep from laughing and I wondered what I could say to push him over the edge. “Secondly, I am not that much of a diva.”
“No? What sneakers are you wearing?”
“I said diva. I didn’t say I don’t buy nice things.” I stuck my tongue out.
He smiled, pulling out car keys and clicking the button. I stopped walking again, this time right in front of the passenger seat, which he opened for me and helped me as I got inside the cabin. I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. It smelled like him, like his sheets, like what I’d been craving the last few days but couldn’t have because I mean, what was I supposed to do? Tell him I found him insanely attractive and funny and fun to be around and that I never wanted to leave his bed again? Yeah, it didn’t work like that. He climbed into the driver’s side, shut the door, strapped on his seatbelt and started the truck.
“I don’t know what I was expecting you to drive, but a Ford truck wasn’t it.”
“What were you expecting?” he glanced at me. “A Chevy?”
“Not a truck at all.” I laughed. “Nolan has a Porsche and you guys are like twins, so I figured something like that.”
“I’m not willing to ask my father for anything, especially not a fucking Porsche.” He winked. “But if that’s the kind of stuff you’re impressed by and you want me to get a Porsche next year, I will.”
“I’m not impressed by that.” I felt myself blush as I looked away. “Besides, who’s to say you’ll even know me next year?”
“You don’t think you will?”
“I’m not sure. You’re already sort of famous. By then, you’ll be off in the NHL getting paid big money. I doubt you’ll want to hang out with me.”
“Whose bed will you sleep in when you’re tired and can’t get any rest in your own?”
“I guess I’ll have to find another willing participant.” I focused on the way his hands seemed to tighten on the steering wheel.
It was impossible that he was jealous, right? I mean, Logan Fitzgerald jealous of a hypothetical scenario in which I shared a bed with another man? Yeah right. Still, from where I was sitting, it looked like he cared. We arrived at the football stadium and walked inside, through the door labeled for media, where a security guard was manning the door. I flashed my badge. Logan flashed his smile. We both got in easily.
“Do you think they always have security here?” I asked as we headed toward the field.
“Only when both teams are using the premises to practice. It’s new. We have them too.”
“It’s so weird that they’d think two-hundred-pound of muscle guys would need protection.”
“Do you feel like you need protection?” he asked. I made the mistake of whipping my head toward him too quickly before saying no and I could tell he didn’t believe me. He stopped dead in his tracks. I did too because it would’ve been weird not to. “Why do you feel like you need protection?”
“No reason. I never even said those words.”