She lunges forward, and since I know how strong she is, I swiftly put my hand on her shoulder. Easy there, partner.
“You cheated on me and lied about it!”
The valet chooses that moment to approach with Case’s keys. He takes one look at the confrontation in progress and wisely steps away, trying to meld into the background.
“I didn’t lie. I came clean the day after it happened.”
“You told me you made out with her when she fucking gave you a blowjob.”
Oh, Colson. You stupid bastard.
Case freezes. “That’s not…”
“Not what? Not true?” Gigi snaps. “Can you look me in the eye and tell me it’s not true?”
I see the wheels turning in Case’s head as he calculates what his play is here. Whether he should fess up and admit he lied （because, hell, of course he lied） or try to maintain his moral high ground. If he picks the former, he sinks right back down to all our levels, and he knows it.
In the end, he proves to be a smart man.
“I knew you would never forgive me if you thought it was anything other than a kiss,” he says in a hoarse voice.
“You had a better chance of forgiveness if you’d been completely honest.”
“Bullshit. You think kissing is cheating.”
“Kissing is cheating,” she argues. “And let’s not talk about respect right now. You disrespected me. All I did was try to spare your feelings by not flaunting my relationship with your teammate. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move on my part, but I’m not fucking perfect. Nobody is. Least of all you, with your secret blowjobs.”
“Who even told you?” Case mutters.
“Why? So you can go yell at them? Bullshit. Own this. You made the mistake. You lied to my face.”
“And you told me you still cared about me and wanted to be my friend,” he throws back.
“I did.”
“Really, this is you being my friend?” Sarcasm drips from his voice. He glares at me again. “Yeah, Ryder? You really wanted to be my friend?”
I don’t answer. But yes, I did want to be his friend. I like the guy and I feel bad. This is a shitty situation all around.
“Well, excuse me if I don’t bask in the glow of either of your friendship.” Noticing the cowering valet, he stalks toward him and grabs his keys.
Without another word, Case gets in his car and speeds off.
I stare at his disappearing bumper, then give Gigi a dry look. “So it was a power play.”
“It wasn’t. I mean, yes, I just found out he lied to me. But I swear I asked you to dance because of the song.”
“Are we lying to each other now, Gisele? Because my favorite thing about us is the honesty.” I raise a brow. “Was it just the song?”
She sighs. “Ninety percent the song. Ten percent scorned woman.”
I chuckle and reach for her hand. “Fuck. That was rough.”
“I know.” She gives me a glum look. “Should we get out of here?”
When I nod, she signals the valet.
“Let me pop inside and hit up coat check. Oh, and I need to make sure Whitney and Cami can get a ride with somebody else. Do you have a coat ticket?”
I hand it over.
She leaves me in the brisk December night, and I breathe in the cool air and wonder what the hell practice will be like on Monday. Probably not good.
But then Gigi returns, and I’m not sure I care whether Colson hates me or not. She’s a walking wet dream with her high heels and plunging neckline. I want that dress off her so bad.
“My place or yours?” I drawl.
She winks when she notices the look in my eyes. “Your place is closer.”
“Good call.”
The next morning, I roll over to find a naked Gigi in my bed. Strong limbs spread out on my sheets. Long dark hair fanned over the pillow. Her hand and forearm are tucked beneath her silky cheek as she quietly breathes in slumber.
Not wanting to disturb her, I tiptoe out of my room to go take a leak and brush my teeth. I’m just stepping out of the bathroom when Beckett’s door swings open.
I’m startled to see Will Larsen walk out wearing nothing but boxers.
Eyebrows soaring, I gaze past his shoulder and glimpse a naked Beckett and an equally naked blond sprawled on Beck’s bed.
Will follows my gaze and speaks in a soft, sheepish voice. “It was…kind of a night.”
“Yeah, I see that,” I say dryly.
It’s none of my damned business, so I slip back into my bedroom, where Gigi is stirring.
I climb into bed and plant a kiss on her nose. She gives a sleepy laugh when I try to kiss her lips and squirms away from me.
“No kissing,” she protests. “You just brushed your teeth. I still have morning breath.”
“Fine. I’ll kiss you other places.” I bury my face in her neck and breathe in her sweet, feminine scent. It gets my blood going. Everything about her is so stupidly sexy. I want her all the time.
“What are your plans today?” she asks, pushing me onto my back so she can snuggle up beside me.
“I was planning on spending the whole day in bed with you.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan, but I have to drive into the city today. Doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. Do you want to come?”
“Oh boy. You want me to come shopping with you? Will you dump me if I say no?”
She snickers. “No. But don’t you have to buy Christmas presents?”
I think it over. “No.”
“Wait, do you celebrate Christmas?”
“I did growing up, and most of the foster homes I lived in did stuff for the holidays. But it depends on the year, I guess, and whether I have anywhere to go. Last year I was with Owen and his family in Phoenix.”
“What are you doing this year?”
“Staying here.”
“Alone?” She’s aghast.
“Yeah. Shane asked me to go home with him, and Beckett’s fucking off to Australia for two weeks. Tried to get me to go too. But I’m not feeling either of those invitations.”
She hesitates for a moment. “What about this invitation—do you want to come home with me?”
“Home,” I echo.
“Yes.”
“With your parents.”
“Yep, that’s what home means.”
“Will your father be there?”
“He lives there, so yes.”
“Your father, Garrett Graham.”
“Okay, you know what? I revoke the invitation.”
I sit up, thinking it over for a minute. “Do they even know we’re together?”
“No, but I’ll make sure to tell them before I bring you home. If you want to come, that is.” Gigi sits up too, running a hand through her sleep-mussed hair. “For what it’s worth, I think you should. You’ll have a full week to make him like you…” She trails off enticingly. “Plus, my mom is a great cook, and she and my brother can harmonize on every Christmas carol ever written, so it makes for some awesome singalongs. Oh, and I forgot the best part: the Boxing Day Beatdown.”
“What’s that?” I ask in amusement.
Rather than answer, she lifts her T-shirt by the hem and pulls it off.
My mouth waters the moment her breasts are exposed.