Page 98 of Just for the Plot

“And you’re drunk.” I laugh.

She pats my chest. “I am, but you’re catching up. We have drinks ready for you.”

She tugs me toward the booth and Ryland, also looking lit, pulls me into a hug and pats me rather aggressively on the back. Whispering in my ear, he says, “I love your sister so much.”

Chuckling, I reply, “Good thing since you married her.”

“Very good thing.” Then he lets go. “Good game.” He then grabs Gabby and pulls her into the booth and starts kissing her, which she obliges, tongues and everything.

Jesus.

I glance at Bower and she mouthsTold you so.

I walk up to her and to my pleasure, she gives me a hug as well. My hand briefly skims her bare skin before she pulls away and winks at me. “Hell of a game, laying off that curveball only to take the fastball yard for a walk-off game-winning home run.”

I raise one brow. “Did my sister tell you to say that?”

“I memorized what she’s been repeating in between making out with Ryland. Did I do a decent job?”

“Very good,” I say.

She smirks and with a flirtatious wink, she says, “It was a really good game.”

“Did I impress you?”

“Tremendously.” Then she tugs on my hand and has me sit right next to her. Ryland and Gabby are still going at it, so Bower turns toward me, holds up a shot glass to me and says, “Bottoms up.”

“What is it?”

“Does it matter?”

“I guess not.”

And with that, I tip the liquid back and swallow.

“Never have I ever…uh…licked ice cream off a person’s body,” Gabby says with a giggle and then turns to Ryland, who rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his beer.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Ryland Rowley, that wicked tongue of yours strikes again,” Bower says. “So far we’ve learned that you have licked Gabby—”

“Don’t need the recap,” I say, holding up my hand. “For the love of God, no recap.”

Bower bumps her shoulder with mine, her hair brushing up against me, the sweet scent of her shampoo so goddamn intoxicating. It smells sweet like coconut with some sort of rich musk, fuck if I know, but I’m going to tell you right now, if I ever see a coconut in person, I’ll probably get hard.

“Okay, your turn,” Gabby says, pointing to me as she waves back and forth.

Finally. I swear she and Bower have been going back and forth for the last ten minutes, not letting me or Ryland say anything, not that Ryland would, he’s just over there, feeling up my sister every chance he gets. It’s weird, not just because that’s my sister, but because he’s my former coach as well.

“My turn?” I ask, trying to play it off as if I haven’t been waiting for this goddamn moment once I figured out what I wanted to ask. “Uhh…never have I ever…kissed someone on the lips in the last three weeks.”

Gabby and Ryland both groan while Gabby says, “You did that on purpose to make us drink.”

Yup, that’s exactly why I did that.

Please note the sarcasm.

As they both drink, my heart beats wildly in my chest as I turn to Bower, waiting for her to take a sip.