Page 58 of Tripped Up

“Come to the bar with us?” My hand roves over her upper back. “Please?”

“Okay,” she mumbles.

She usually takes an Uber to the game and I drive her home, so she’s familiar with the walk to the garage. She has one arm linked through my sister’s, and they’re giggling ahead of me. I’m struck by the sudden need to hold her hand. What am I, fifteen? I don’t know the last time I did that with a woman.

Still, I want to hold her hand.

But when I reach for her, the back of my knuckles brushing against hers, she shifts away and sticks her hand into her sweatshirt pocket.

Shit. Did I mess this up already?

I open the back door for Bex and the front for Elsy. She slides into my car like she was meant to, like the seat was made for her.

The last time we were in here together, she let me touch her thigh. Then she took me up to her bedroom and…

Somehow, I doubt that’s happening tonight.

Elsy and Bex chatter throughout the drive, and when we get to the bar, I’m not surprised to find most of my teammates have already made it. A cheer goes up when we get to our reserved section.

“Now we can party,” Miller calls, making Lathan laugh.

As promised, I arrange with Tina to buy the guys a round of drinks.

We crush into the booth, and somehow, Elsy gets pressed into my side, Bex beside her. As much as I want to chat with my sister, I know they need each other, too. So I settle for curling my arm around Elsy’s shoulder, smiling when she leans into me. I play with a tendril of her hair, the noise of the pub filtering around me, calming some of the post-game adrenaline coursing through my system.

“You good, man?” Henry asks as Tina sets my usual burger in front of me.

“Thanks, T.”

She gives me a tired smile and moves on.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say to my teammate. “Just been a long day.”

Movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I turn in time to see Elsy sneaking a fry off my plate. When I tug on a lock of her hair, she looks up at me innocently.

“Oh, did you want this?” She brings the fry to her lips, preparing to take a bite.

Instead of rising to her challenge, I push my plate to the middle between us. “Have at it, babe.”

Her pretty cheeks glow pink, and I duck down and bite the end of the fry, leaving plenty for her.

“Wyatt…” Her voice comes out in a whisper, but I hear her perfectly.

“Yeah?”

“What is this?”

I look around the pub. “Do you really want to have this conversation here? Now?”

She frowns.

Tightening my arm around her, I lean down to speak directly into her ear. “We’re going to talk this out. But this isn’t the time or the place.”

Elsy swallows, so loud I can hear it. “You keep calling me ‘babe.’”

“Do you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head.