Page 48 of Locke

Crosby has his drink in hand, watching the dance floor, except he’s watching one specific person on it and the whole rest of the room has ceased to exist for him.I recognize this because I have the same problem.My eyes keep seeking out Livia, who’s talking to some of the coaches in the corner.

Juno and Birdie are living it up on the dance floor and Crosby has an amused, fond smile on his face.Birdie dances like she’s entirely at home in her body and Juno laughs, head thrown back.

I look away from them and think about the offer I left sitting on Livia’s desk yesterday.

Haven’t figured that out yet.

Which was true when I said it and is less true now.I know what I want.I’ve known since somewhere around the third time I kissed her and she kissed me back and then told me it was wrong.The problem is that what I want doesn’t have an obvious name that I’m willing to say out loud yet, so I’ve left it open, deliberately deciding to let her sit with the uncertainty of it.It’s my way of keeping control.

What hasnotbeen deliberate is how much I’ve been thinking about her since.

I pick up my beer and take a sip.I intend to make it last because this is my one and done for the night.I’m not a big drinker, never have been, but a social beer is on point.

I glance over again at Livia, still standing with a couple of coaches.She’s dressed for a night of celebration.Gone is the Wildfire athletic gear and in its place are tight jeans, an off-the-shoulder blouse, and heels that add three inches she doesn’t need.Gone is her normal ponytail and her hair is a wild mane of shiny brown waves.Her makeup makes her eyes almost incandescent.

She laughs at something one of the coaches says and then hands off her drink before making a beeline to Juno and Birdie on the dance floor.

I’m not prepared to watch Livia Cross dance.Her body moves fluidly and while I don’t think she’s purposely trying to be sexy, she’s sexy as fuck all the same.The combination of the music and the dim lighting and the way she’s not thinking about anyone watching her does crazy things to my ability to think clearly.

Birdie whispers in her ear and she laughs—full, unguarded, head tilting back the way it did at her parents’ table.I look down at my beer and make myself count to five before I look back up.

The friends move together, the easy physical language of women who are comfortable with one another.Standing here watching it is… a lot.

“I’m going to get some air,” I say to no one in particular.

Arch nods.Crosby says nothing.

I move toward the back of the bar where a corridor runs past the bathrooms to a rear door that probably leads to a service alley.The crowd thins back here, the music dropping a few decibels, but the lighting is even lower.I stop near the end of the corridor and lean against the wall and breathe for a minute.

“Where are you going, tough guy?”I hear from behind me and turn to see Livia.Her face is flushed from dancing and she has a goofy smile on her face.“Not running out on the team, are you?”

“Getting some air.”

“There’s no air back here.”

“Less noise.”

She considers that and moves toward me, a censuring look on her face.Her eyes are bright and she’s clearly buzzed.The professional composure is gone, replaced by a woman out having fun.

“You were watching me,” she says coyly, moving closer.

“The dance floor is hard to miss.”

“That’s not what I said.”

I look at her in the dim corridor and don’t bother disagreeing.

She shifts her weight, that half step of someone who’s recalibrating.“About what you said in my office—”

“You’ve been thinking about it.”

“I’ve been thinking about how ridiculous it is,” she says with a dismissive wave.“You can’t make a bargain without naming the terms.That’s not how things are done.”

I push off the wall and close the distance between us in two steps, her back meeting the opposite wall with a soft sound before I’m kissing her.She sighs into my mouth, compliant, which tells me she doesn’t have a single worry about someone seeing us.We’re in a private area, the music dulled, and I could be a gentleman and remind her that someone could walk up on us.

But I’m not a gentleman and I don’t give a fuck if anyone walks into this craziness.

Livia kisses me back like she’s been thinking about it since the last time and that knowledge is very dangerous to me.