Delay of Game (The Baltimore Banners Book 6) Read Free Page B

of getting him undressed after the mess he made all over her bathroom—and himself.
    Justin Tome was too much of a partier and she shouldn't be thinking about him. Or his ass.
    But what an ass it was. And not just his ass. He had the whole package, top to bottom and everywhere in between. Definitely in between.
    "Oh for crying out loud, knock it off."
    "Talking to yourself now?"
    Val started, her hand automatically going to her chest as she turned in the chair. Alyssa laughed and walked over to the desk, sinking into the chair with a loud sigh. "My feet are killing me."
    "I was thinking the same thing."
    "Really? Is that why were you telling yourself to knock it off?"
    Val looked away, surprised to feel her face heating. Silly, completely silly. And completely unlike her. She shook her head, more to tell herself to stop then as an answer to Alyssa's question, and lowered her feet to the floor. She bent down with a groan, not wanting to put the heels back on but knowing she had to—she certainly couldn't go back out to the floor without them.
    "So you're blushing, and refusing to answer my question. Why do I think your mind was on something else besides feet?"
    "It was nothing, honest. Just me being silly."
    "Silly?"
    Val waved away the question then leaned forward to make sure the latest entries were up-to-date in the computer program before saving it. No, she wasn't avoiding Alyssa's question, she really wasn't.
    "So what happened last night?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "Val, this is me you're talking to. I know you took Justin home because he got trashed. Again."
    Val whipped her head around so fast that strands of hair struck her face. She batted the loose strands from her cheek and mouth and pinned Alyssa with a death stare. "Alyssa, you have to swear you won't tell Randy. I mean it. Pinky swear."
    "Why would I tell Randy?"
    "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you're living with him? I mean it, pinky swear right now."
    "I'm not going to tell him." Alyssa leaned forward and wrapped her pinky around Val's, squeezing once for good measure. "I know how your brother gets. And honestly, it's none of his business anyway. So—did anything happen?"
    "No, nothing happened." Val leaned back in the chair but couldn't quite meet Alyssa's whiskey-colored eyes. Which was ridiculous, because nothing happened. Nothing at all.
    "Really? Are you sure about that?"
    "Of course I'm sure. I would know, wouldn't I?" Val shook her head. "He was drunk, you saw that."
    "Yeah. I'm still not sure why you volunteered to take him home, though."
    "What was I supposed to do, leave him here? It's not like he could drive and all the other guys left. It wasn't a big deal."
    "Are you sure about that?"
    "Yes, I'm sure. I barely got him inside before he passed out. The man weighs a ton." Val didn't think she needed to tell Alyssa that he was pure solid muscle. Or how well-defined those muscles were. Or how—
    Yeah, she so needed to stop thinking like that. What was wrong with her? She was working too much, that had to be it. She could afford to take time off now, and she should do exactly that. First thing in the morning, she'd call and schedule that massage.
    Alyssa shrugged, the move almost too casual. "Okay, if you're sure nothing happened that you would tell your best friend about."
    "Alyssa, of course I'm sure." Val met her friend's eyes but only for a second before she looked away. She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Okay, fine. He got sick and I had to undress him. But that was it. Nothing happened. Well, okay. Maybe I peeked. A little. No. A lot. Oh hell. Okay, I ogled the man's naked body while he was passed out on my bed. I'm a pervert. There, I said it. I'm a twisted pervert. Are you happy now?"
    Alyssa laughed, the sound almost too loud in the small room. Val muttered then reached for a pen and tossed it at her friend. Alyssa ducked and the pen bounced off the wall with a tiny ping.
    "It's not funny! I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all