Page 37 of Ruled Out

He shrugs. “Tell me something I don’t know. But you gotta admit, it’s a great idea.”

“Yeah. If it wasn’t fucking weird, asking her to babysit my goalie’s children when she’s never even met you guys before, then it would be a great idea.”

Jensen lifts a shoulder and pushes his empty beer glass away from him. “When you come up with a better idea to spend the time with her you so clearly want and away from prying eyes, then I’m all ears. Until then, I’ll wait.”

MIA

“Seriously, I love it.” Leo brings me into a hug again as we shrug on our jackets at the door to Riley’s Bar. “I know it’s only been a few months, but it feels like our group is really close. It’s nice to have a picture of everyone together.”

I inwardly cringe again at the gift. All I could think of was the picture of the four of us standing in front of the Space Needle. So, I grabbed a black frame from Target and wrapped it up.

Picking up flirtatious signals has never been my strong point, but even I can tell from tonight that Leo wants more than just this frame for his birthday.

Trying to remain friendly but uninterested is impossible. He’s edged closer to me all night, and I lost count of the number of times he brought me into a hug, even kissing me on top of my head at one point. If Jessie saw—which I doubt since I’m certain he’s not noticed me at all tonight—then I know it would bother him.

Or maybe I’m just fooling myself. He told me nothing more could happen between us. He couldn’t have made that any clearer.

“Okay, I’m going to head out and flag down a taxi,” Tara shouts over the music.

I point behind me. “I’m going to use the restroom before we leave.”

Tara smiles and pushes through the door, Hugh following closely behind. Leo lingers for a beat, unsure of what to do.

“I’ll meet you outside,” I say. “I’ll only be a second.”

He nods and follows, finally leaving me with a moment to breathe.

The two free cocktails I had, courtesy of Felicity Morgan, are definitely more than I would normally drink, and it kind of shows as I wobble my way to the restrooms.

Just as I’m about to push through the door, a hand wraps around my upper arm, pulling me away from the entrance and into an opposite room. I’d squeal if I had time to register what was happening, but then a light flicks on in the dark space, and Jessie’s face comes into view.

His blue eyes are darker than usual, but not as glazed as they were the last time I saw him. He hasn’t been drinking heavily tonight.

“Fancy seeing you here”—I look around the space filled with boxes, mops, and various cleaning products—“in this closet.”

He bites on his bottom lip as he casts his gaze down my body. I can’t tell if it’s to fight back his laughter or in response to my outfit. “I haven’t seen you with your hair like that in a long while.” His voice is playful as he flicks the end of my ponytail, which rests over my right shoulder.

“It’s hot and stuffy in this bar, and Felicity Morgan gave it to me when I arrived.”

His eyes flash with something—maybe excitement, perhaps realization. “As in Jon’s wife?”

“You were sitting with her all night. You should know who she is.”

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his fitted black dress pants. “All right, smart-ass.”

I chuckle and look around once more. “So, what exactly are we doing in here?”

He runs a hand over the scruff on his jaw, and his previously confident demeanor turns sheepish. “I, um … Christ, Jensen, why did I let you talk me into this?” he mumbles.

“What are you talking about?” I reply casually. In reality, I’m anything but casual, as my stomach does flips.What is he going to ask me?

“Okay, so this is going to sound a bit crazy, but … I need to babysit Jensen’s twins tomorrow night. He’s taking Kate, his wife, out for a date night. He kind of roped me into it since he didn’t have another option with the late notice. I wondered if you wanted to help me. June and Will are amazing, but kind of a handful.”

I point at my chest in disbelief. “You want me to help you care for the children of probably the most famous goalie in the NHL?”

He nods, wincing slightly. “Thought it might be a chance to talk, you know, privately, without people walking into your dorm or in a packed bar. I’m going home for the bye week afterward, and I …” He looks off to the side and blows through his nose. “I wanted to see you before I left.”

“Jessie …” I blow out a breath. “My head is spinning. You spend half your time shutting me out or running away, and now you want to spend more time with me. Then, the other night, I thought you were going to k—” I stop myself quickly.