Page 58 of The Love Playbook

“So, we’re going, right?” I ask, directing the question at Jace since it’s his girlfriend who gave us the intel.

“What?” His eyes widen. “No. No, no, no, no!”

“And why the hell not?” I ask, indignant.

“Because I was warned not to even tell you what the girls were doing tonight, let alone crash some sausage party.”

At this news, I head for the kitchen and retrieve a bag of jerky from the fridge and start mowing it down. After Jace’s little prank last year where he hid all my snacks and forced me to eat nothing but chicken and veggies, I’m not ashamed of reaching for comfort in the form of dehydrated, overpriced meat. Discussing the possibility of Charlotte hooking up with another dude is a cause for eating my feelings, and I’m not ashamed of it.

“That’s offensive,” I say between bites of jerky. “Why would Brynn tell you not to tell me?”

“For one, she feels bad because she knows you’re trying to woo Charlotte, or whatever it is you’re doing with your playbook, and is keeping it from her. And for another, she knows exactly what you’ll do if I squeal.”

“And what is that?” I ask, throwing my jerky hand in the air.

“Show up uninvited and ruin it, that’s what,” Jace says, shooting me a pointed look.

“I take offense to the insinuation that my presence could ruin anything.” I point the jerky bag at him.

“Hey, give me a piece of that,” Damon interrupts, eyeing the dehydrated meat in my hand. I chuck a piece in the air and Damon catches it, shoving it in his mouth with a smile.

“Hey, that jerky is mine!” Jace points at his chest.

“What’s yours is mine, baby,” I say between bites.

Jace scoffs.

Damn, he really is a grump without his chick.

“Listen, I understand Brynn thinking there’s safety in numbers,” Brandon says, ever the voice of reason. “But think of it this way, could the three of themreallyfight off a couple of dudes if they tried something? I know I hate it when Tatum tells me she’s going to something like that. All I do is worry.”

“Hmm, wonder why?” Damon smirks.

“Yes, exactly!” I snap my fingers at Brandon, ignoring Damon’s snide remark which I’m sure has to do with Brandon’s blistering crush on his female best friend. “Thank you.” Turning to Jace, I note the alarm darkening his eyes. “I mean, can we really trust any strange guys with these girls at some random dude’s apartment, especially when alcohol is involved?”

Jace swallows and begins to rub the palms of his hands over his sweats.

I don’t know the details, but I’ve gathered from a few conversations and the way he’s so protective of Brynn that something happened in her past neither of them want to discuss.

“No.” Jace shakes his head and grabs his beer off the coffee table. “You’re not going to make me cave. It’s a small party, and Brynn can handle herself.” He glances over at Damon, the big brother of the group, for confirmation. As our quarterback and the oldest of the three of us, we look up to him and respect his opinion. “You agree with me, right?”

“I mean, if I’m being honest . . .” When Jace nods, Damon rakes a hand through his midnight locks. “I sure as shit wouldn’twant my girl at any kind of jock party without me there. I mean, you know how most of those guys are.”

“Cocky and overconfident, horny as hell, and they think they’re above the rules,” I add.

Jace bites his lip, and I can tell he’s teetering on the edge of caving, so I needle him a little more. “Come on, man, are we really gonna let these soccer douchebags steal our girls?”

“First of all, no one is stealing my anything,” Jace snaps. “And second, I promised Brynn I wouldn’t even tell you where they are, let alone show up, so we’re gonna sit our asses here and drink our beer.” He points to the sofa, and I fight the urge to flip him the bird.

“Like good little boys,” I mock, then shoot him a glare. “Are you really that whipped, dude?”

Jace smirks. “Proudly.”

“And that, my friends,” Brandon says, nodding toward him, “is the smile of a man who knows he has some A-grade ass waiting for him any time he wants it.”

“Yeah, as long as he stays on his leash.” Damon snickers.

“Shit, you’re right, Brando,” I grumble. “I can’t compete with the power of sex.”