Round 14

I t had been days since William sat on my couch, and even though nothing had happened and nothing ever would happen, the memory was crystal clear in my mind.

At least that’s what I told myself when Shaun and I walked into his apartment and my eyes immediately landed on William. Standing in the kitchen, he held a spatula while something fragrant sizzled in the pan in front of him.

“Hungry?” he asked.

Was that flirty? Have I completely lost the plot?

Shaun nodded. “Yes, yes, yes.”

“What is it?” I set down my bag and joined Shaun at the island separating the living area from the kitchen. The closer I got, the more my mouth watered.

For the food. Obviously.

“Spaghetti Bolognese.” William reached into a high cupboard and retrieved three plates.

Shaun closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. “You’re gonna wanna say yes to this,” he said to me before hopping off the stool and walking into the bathroom.

As soon as I was alone with William, an easy smile spread across my face. “Well, yes, please. I didn’t know you could cook.”

His gaze darted up to mine and then to the closed bathroom door. Glancing back down at the sauce he stirred, a provocative smile curled onto his face. “I think you might find that I am multitalented when it comes to satisfying cravings.”

His voice dipped as he reached the end of his sentence, and my entire body vibrated.

That was definitely flirty. I was not imagining things.

This wasn’t Playing Nice, but something else. A new round…

A thrill coursed through my veins as one thing became clear: I wanted to play.

But I wouldn’t. It would blow up in our faces, much like Neema had warned.

Why was I even thinking about this? Nothing had happened.

William lifted the plate questioningly, his eyes landing on something behind me.

“Ten,” Shaun answered. “Fill it all the way up.”

“You?” William held a second empty dish in my direction. “One is a taste, ten is as much as can fit.”

“Uh, five?”

He tutted. “You can handle a bit more.”

“Six?” I squeaked out, ignoring the way his gaze dipped to my mouth.

He shook his head and gestured upward with his free hand.

“Seven?”

One end of his mouth quirked up. “You won’t regret it.”

When he finished scooping up everyone’s meals, he handed me my dish and asked, “Do you want to get started? We could work on the balcony or in my bedroom, but I believe bedrooms aren’t part of business meetings.”

“Why not here?” I gestured to the living area, where it was safer.

“Because Shaun isn’t going to leave us alone unless we can lock him out.”

I chuckled. Unable to resist the smell of the food any longer, I took one bite, and my taste buds came alive. Damn this man. Damn him and all his talents.

“Why can’t I be involved?” Shaun gulped down a forkful of food. “I know things about board games too.”

William smiled at his brother. “Okay, name one thing you’d change in her game.”

“Nothing. It was awesome.” Shaun grinned at me.

“Exactly.”

“Well, at least eat here before you abandon me,” Shaun said, shoveling another forkful into his mouth.

“Fine.” William turned to me. “But eat fast before the third part of your weird trio gets here.”

The door opened, and Shaun smiled as Neema walked in. “Too late.”

William threw his head back and groaned.

“Please give me five minutes to catch up?” I said, having already finished most of my meal.

William’s brows drew together in confusion. “You live with her.”

“Yes, but she left this morning before I woke up. It’s been, like, eighteen hours since we’ve seen each other.”

“Rose, can we talk about…” Neema gestured toward my outfit, or my hair, or face, or probably everything. “… this?”

For a moment, I had forgotten I looked like a used washcloth. Mortified, my cheeks heated. “I had a rough day. My assignment was due, I was thinking about my game, and Markham was creepier than usual.”

“What did he do?” Concern laced my best friend’s voice.

“Nothing.” I shook my head, trying to shake away the memory of his voice and the way he stared at me. “He hasn’t done anything, but he kinda lurks around my desk, and in meetings, he either sits right up against me or directly opposite me.”

William turned to Shaun, the muscle in his jaw flexing. “How are you okay with this?”

“He’s our boss, and he hasn’t done anything,” I said before Shaun could respond. “I’m fine. It’s all fine, and everything is fine.” I offered William what I hoped was a convincing smile.

The line between his dark brows only deepened.

“Soon enough, he’ll realize nothing will ever happen between us. He isn’t my type.”

“Who is your type?” Neema asked. “You were with Patrick for so long, maybe it’s time to date again—for fun, at least.”

“How?” I swallowed the last of my spaghetti, wishing I’d asked for more. “I have no idea how to date, and the thought of having to get to know someone new is making me nauseous.”

“Use Spark,” Neema said.

William cringed and shook his head. “Don’t use Spark.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“It’s good for casual hookups, and according to you, you’re not that kind of girl.” He stood, and with a final huff, disappeared onto the balcony.

“I think it might be what I need.” I turned to Neema and immediately hated the idea of it. “Maybe not. I don’t know.”

Neema shook her head. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Holding out her palm, she said, “Give me your phone.”

I handed it over, and within three minutes I had a Spark profile set up with her choice of photo and bio.

“You can go talk board games.” She made a shooing gesture with one hand. “I can do this on my own.”

I grabbed my game and joined William on the balcony, where he was playing on his phone.

I dropped the game onto the table before closing the balcony door behind me, separating us from the rest of the world. “So, you’ll have to show me how online dating works.”

He looked up, his eyes dark. “Nope. You can do that on your own.”

“Why?” I bristled.

“Because that’s not part of our game.” He tucked his phone into his pocket, a challenge spreading across his handsome face.

The out-loud acknowledgment of our game set me alight. Had I heard him correctly?

I blinked twice, and a wicked expression crossed his face as he registered my speechlessness. He patted the space beside him with a smile so smug that it tore at the part of me that needed to win.

If life was a game, I couldn’t resist playing.

Sitting next to him, I leaned toward him and whispered, “Maybe when you’re done showing me how to make that game better”—I pointed at my game on the table—“you can show me how to make this game better too.”

His eyes widened, and I was tickled by his shock.

He turned to face me, his mouth far too close to mine and his eyes changing dangerously between light and dark.

Did I misread that? Does he think I’m a joke?

When he said nothing, I sprang to my feet, but he was faster, sandwiching me between his hard body and the railing. A shiver traveled down my spine and settled in the depths of my stomach, and not because of the cold metal pushed against my back.

With his tan arms outstretched on either side of me and the muscles in his arms flexing, he leaned down and whispered, “I have a few comments on this game too.” His voice was thick, his breath tickling my ear and slipping down my neck. I wished it were his lips.

What am I doing?

My brain screamed, telling me to stop. It’s William, your best friend’s brother!

But my body—my body wanted something else as I looked into onyx eyes that invited me—dared me—to do something. William’s attention on my mouth, on my lips, on my every move, left me feeling alive and… sexy. Something I hadn’t felt in months, years even.

I knew I shouldn’t play this round, but I wanted to.

So I did.

Before I could change my mind, I lifted my hips toward him, grinding upward ever so slightly until I felt him pressed against me. Lava spiraled from my midsection throughout my body. His already-dark eyes turned black, and a groan at the back of his throat had me dropping down to my heels.

“Oof.” He pushed himself back and ran a hand through his hair and down his neck. His chest rose and fell. “I forgot my notebook.”

My pounding heart made me dizzy. Spinning around, I inhaled a deep breath, forcing oxygen into the depths of my soul as I tried to clear my mind. I gripped the metal rail and lifted a hand to my hot cheeks, hoping I could cool them down before he returned. But it was no use. My body was awake and waiting for him.

William walked back onto the balcony and held up the little notebook before closing the door behind him. I wanted to throw that notebook into the ocean and continue doing what we had been doing, otherwise I’d have to throw myself into the ocean to cool down.

“We don’t have much time.” He took a seat beside the game. “We should get started on this.”

I nodded, confusion sneaking in. I was afraid speaking would give away how little control I had over my voice.

We spent the next hour deciphering the rules from my brain, and though William’s tone was even and calm the entire time, I couldn’t help noticing his reddened cheeks and the way his eyes traveled from my lips to my chest.

I avoided looking at his mouth and used all my energy to process what had just happened. What I had done and how good it felt. How natural.

William read another note out loud and then bit down on his lip—and the truth was, I wanted to bite that lip.

I swallowed hard. This wasn’t a good idea.

“Best man and best woman,” Neema yelled, flinging the door open, “we want to ask you about wedding stuff. How much longer?”

William’s long fingers leafed through his notes, and he blew out a breath. “We won’t finish tonight anyway. Her game needs a lot of work.”

I narrowed my eyes to slits.

Dragging his teeth over his bottom lip, he dropped his voice so only I could hear. “Feel free to come by whenever you want to continue, Rose.”

I stood, and my knees wobbled, but I managed a brief nod before following Neema into the lounge, where her Pinterest board was open and waiting.