While it’s true our esteemed owner is equal parts generous and giving to his team, he also demands excellence on all fronts. Having his players arrested for any reason would not sit well with him.
Of course, I suppose it all worked out for Tacker. He got arrested for drunk driving, but Dominik made him jump through some pretty tall hoops to stay with the team, one of which was mandatory counseling.
Tacker’s my best friend, head and shoulders above the rest. We played together in Dallas, and luckily, we reunited on the Vengeance. But there were hard times in between, most notably Tacker losing his fiancée in a plane crash while he was piloting. If anyone had reason to spin out of control, ending up driving drunk and crashing his truck, it was him.
Luckily, that’s behind him. He battled through it with the help of counseling and falling in love with Nora. While there’s no wedding planned for them yet, I expect it’s just a matter of time.
Speaking of weddings, I glance around the table. “Are all of you going to Erik and Blue’s wedding tomorrow?”
I get four nods in return, which is what I expected, but I wasn’t quite sure. Tomorrow’s nuptials were thrown together spontaneously after the season concluded. Turns outs, when a surprise baby happens along, people need to adjust their plans. Erik and Blue traded in a big fancy wedding for a get-together at their house with just the team and close family. Erik is renowned for his parties, and there will be food, cake, and music, promising a fantastic time for all.
“Want to come back here tomorrow?” Jett asks the group. “After all the frivolity dies down? We can probably steal the Cup right out from under Erik’s nose, then bring it here with us.”
We all laugh at the thought. It’s tradition that each player of the team is allowed twenty-four hours with the Cup, and Erik’s going to have it at his place tomorrow for the wedding. But there’s no way in hell it will get snatched out from under his nose as that Cup travels with an attendant who will never let it out of his sight.
Jim shakes his head. “I’m out. I have Lucy for the weekend, so we’ll be hanging out together or she’ll be locked in her room refusing to talk.”
I wince. Jim’s had it tough since separating from his wife, Ella. It’s been bitter with a lot of recrimination on both sides, and their daughter, Lucy, has not been making it easy on Jim, seemingly laying the blame on his doorstep. I truly don’t know what’s happened between the two, but I know Jim’s been struggling with it all.
“I’m in,” Baden replies to Jett’s invitation for another Sneaky Saguaro night out.
Kane nods. “Me too.”
All eyes come to me, everyone expecting me to throw my hat in the ring. After all, I’m the most notorious playboy on the team. There’s a reason everyone calls me Wylde instead of my first name, Aaron.
“I’m out,” I reply, smirking at the shocked faces staring back at me.
“Got a date,” I tell them, purposely leaving the vague words hanging.
I get nothing but blank expressions.
“You know… man takes woman out?” I tease.
“No, seriously,” Kane says, shaking his head. “There has to be some other reason. Aaron Wylde does not date.”
The resounding laugh comes from deep within my belly. What he said was usually true. Asking the hot nerdy bookstore owner out was definitely uncharacteristic of me, so I feed them a bit more. “She’s my date to the wedding tomorrow.”
Kane looks to Jett. “We can bring dates to weddings?”
Jett shrugs as if this is a foreign concept. “Maybe in this country, you can, but in Sweden… never heard of this.”
There’s more laughter, but Jim is the one who presses me. “You’re bringing a date to the wedding? Is it serious?”
My chin pulls inward, my eyes round with faux horror. “No, it’s not serious. Just met her yesterday, as a matter of fact. She owns a bookstore downtown, and I wandered in—”
“You wandered into a bookstore?” Baden gasps outrageously. Wildly, he looks around the table. “Dudes… I fear Aaron Wylde has been kidnapped by aliens, and they currently possess his body.”
Chuckling, I aim a sly wink his way. “Trust me… if you’d seen this woman, you would have wandered in, too.”
“Smokin’ hot?” Baden guesses.
“I wouldn’t say smokin’,” I hedge, thinking about her striking features.
“Big tits?” Jett asks.
I shrug. “Couldn’t tell. Her shirt was too baggy.”
Frowning, Jett looks to Jim for perhaps some explanation as to my weirdness. Jim just shrugs helplessly.
“Let’s just say,” I drawl, resting my forearms on the table, “that she pushed some of my buttons, and, if all goes well, the wedding and reception will then turn into an all-night event back at my place.”
Kane slaps me on the back, pride on his face. “There’s the Wylde we all know and love.”
“I don’t know,” Jett drawls, staring pensively. “I think you’re losing it. Not going to be the team playboy anymore. I mean… who picks up someone in a bookstore for a hookup?”
I lift my chin, giving him a cocky smirk. “I’ll always be the team playboy.”
“Prove it,” Jett challenges, giving a long slow scan of the place. “Plenty of ladies in here right now. Make a move.”
I’m enjoying the ribbing. It’s half the fun of hanging out with my mates. “Hey.” I hold my arms out, trying for innocent. “I’m just enjoying my time with my buds, but the night is still young.”
They make scoffing sounds, shaking their heads. Not buying it at all. And I simply can’t have my reputation diluted by inaction, so I peruse the surrounding tables.
And right there.
Hot blonde with her friends, watching our table… clearly knowing who we are. When she locks eyes with me, I crook my finger, summoning her to my table. Her friends giggle, pushing her playfully out of her chair, and she rises. Tugging on her short skirt, she wobbles my way on ridiculously high heels and all the guys at my table start hooting at my bold move.
“He still has it,” Kane says confidently, just low enough I can hear it.
“Hi,” the blonde breathlessly says as she wedges her way in between Baden and me.
“Hi, yourself,” I reply, checking her out. She’s exactly my type, or, at least, the kind I preferred before a nerdy redhead caught my eye yesterday.
Regardless… it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a blonde tonight.
I open my mouth, getting ready to offer to buy her a drink, when my phone buzzes on the table before me, the screen lighting up.
And lo and behold, there’s a text there from the exact bookworm I’d just been thinking about. Leaning forward, I read the message.
What’s the dress code for tomorrow?
Smiling, I nab the phone—hot blonde forgotten. My fingers race across the screen.
Summer casual. Flirty if you’re feeling it.
I had texted her the address of the wedding last night, which is Erik and Blue’s house. I’d told her there would be valet parking, and I’d meet her in front at the valet stand at 5:45 PM.
She had simply replied, Okay.