“That is my ex-boyfriend.”
“I hate him.”
“Shocking,” I laugh.
“What did you mean your brother doesn’t know what he said about you? What did he say about you?”
Zanders’ hazel eyes are pointed and focused, urging the words out of me, but my brother is right there, over his shoulder at the bar, and now is just not the time.
“Can we talk about it later?”
“Will we? Will you tell me later?”
“Yes, I will.” Which is true. I find myself being completely open and honest with Zanders, and I like talking to him. So yes, I will tell him if he cares to ask again.
Following his eyes with mine, I watch him take in every inch of my body. And I let him. I feel no need to cover up or turn to a more flattering angle when it comes to him.
“You look…” Zanders loses his words as his stare bounces between my breasts then lingers on my exposed leg, the one the thigh-high slit can’t cover.
“You’re beautiful, Stevie.” His tone is soft and authentic. “Unreal.” He shakes his head. His hazel irises make their way back to mine as they dance all over my face, taking me in.
“This dress is…yeah. Wow. Makes the green in your eyes disappear. They’re just blue tonight.”
Why is he saying it like that? It’s making my heart flutter and my lungs shrink.
“Your hair is pretty like this.” He doesn’t touch me. Instead, he nods towards it. “But I miss your curls. They’re your signature.”
A small smile lifts at my lips. I love my curls too, and here I am straightening them to impress someone who didn’t care to choose me.
The way Zanders is looking at me doesn’t feel sexual. It feels like he’s seeing me, and it’s throwing me off.
Zanders is physical. Sex. Attraction. These are the things I know as fact. But his expression right now is soft, like he’s in pain from attempting to hold himself back as he takes me in.
Clearing my throat, I pull my focus away from him, needing to not feel the things he’s making me feel right now. “This is amazing, the turn out for Maddison’s foundation.”
Zanders’ brows crease in confusion. “Stevie, you know that—”
“Vee,” Ryan interrupts, holding a beer in each hand. “Where’d Brett go?”
Ryan’s blue-green eyes bounce between Zanders and me.
“I’m not sure.” I motion towards the defenseman. “Ryan, this is Evan Zanders. Zanders, this is my brother, Ryan.”
“Hey, man, nice to meet you.” Zanders stands up straight before putting his hand out for Ryan to shake.
Ryan returns the greeting. “Yeah, I know who you are.”
Fuck.
The tension is thick between the three of us, no one saying a word, and Zanders is clearly unimpressed with my brother trying to play hardball.
“Should we go find Brett?” Ryan turns towards me. “The three of us haven’t hung out since college.”
“I don’t want to.” My eyes dart to Zanders’， silently asking him to stay quiet.
Zanders leans his elbow on the high-top, crossing one foot over the other, looking casual as can be and not intimidated by my brother in the slightest.
“Well, we should go get a fresh drink at the bar then.” My brother attempts another excuse to get me away from the defenseman, but this one is a terrible try, seeing as I have an almost full drink in my hand and another fresh one waiting for me in his.
Zanders lets out a knowing chuckle before standing up straight. “Ryan, it was nice to meet you.” He pats my brother on the shoulder.
“Stevie…” Zanders slides his hand on my waist, splaying it over my rib cage and not giving a shit that my brother is two feet away, watching. “Save me that dance.” His warm lips graze my cheekbone, placing a soft kiss there before he takes off, leaving my twin and me alone.
“Vee,” Ryan whines. “No. Please no. Not him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t lie. You like him of all people?”
“I don’t…like him.” Keeping my eyes off my brother, I add, “But I don’t not like him either.”
“Stevie, that guy goes through women like it’s his job. He’s a fucking media personality that gives Chicago sports a bad name.”
“He’s not like that. There’s a lot more to him that outsiders don’t see.”
“And you’re not an outsider?” Ryan’s question might sound condescending to anyone else, but I know my brother, and with the worried expression he’s wearing right now, it’s simply just a concerned question.