Page 42 of Decidedly Off Limits

My brain knew that.

Too bad my body refused to get with the program.

I returned to the living room. Kelsey was sitting next to Josh again. Like back in the kitchen, she did everything to avoid eye contact with me. Disappointment and rejection sat heavy in my chest. Josh leaned toward Kelsey and whispered in her ear. A shy smile curved on her gorgeous face—and jealousy jabbed me in the ribs. Hard.

Erin yawned and leaned her head against Darren’s shoulder. He murmured something to her and she nodded. He helped her to her feet. “Looks like it’s time to get my sleepy wife to bed.”

Other than to say goodbye to them, no one else made a move to leave—including Josh.

“Don’t you have an early practice tomorrow?” I asked him, one step away from folding my arms across my chest.

It was official.

I had regressed to the Stone Age.

Me caveman. Me club friend for stealing girl.

“No, it’s not until later in the morning.” He glanced at Kelsey in a meaningful way—and I did my best to keep from snapping at him. It wasn’t his fault I hadn’t told him how I felt about her. It wasn’t as if he could read my mind.

Kelsey smiled at him, but something was off about it, or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Kelsey and I walked my sister and Darren to the front door.

“Please make sure you take a cab if you’re going to keep drinking, okay?” Erin said to me.

“I can always crash on Kelsey’s couch if it comes to that.”That should put a damper on lover boy’s plans for the night.

No sooner had the door closed behind them, Kelsey spun around to face me. “You can’t crash on my couch.”

“Would you rather I crash on your bed?” I was joking…or not.

She didn’t answer right away, her gaze dropping momentarily to my lips. Hope flickered in my gut for a moment. “I meant you shouldn’t crash here, period. Doesn’t Holly live near you? She can drive you home. Maybe you could even crash at her place.”

I stared at Kelsey, unable to believe what she had said. I kissed her in the kitchen not fifteen minutes ago, and now she was ready to send me home with another woman.

For a second, pain flashed in her eyes, or maybe that was my own pain reflecting back at me. I returned to the living room. Josh was explaining the finer points of hockey to Holly. He peered over at Kelsey with a hungry look, hinting loudly that he wanted to taste her in a way I haven’t yet—the same way Holly was watching me.

Christ, just how drunk was I? Now I was imagining things when it came to the woman I worked with.

The hockey discussion continued, except every time Holly asked a question, she directed it at me instead of Josh.

Kelsey yawned. Josh glanced at me, the message in his eyes clear:Time to go home Salway, so I can get a little action here.

To hell with that.

And no, I wasn’t jumping to conclusions. Holly confirmed this a moment later when she said, “C’mon, Trent. They want to be left alone.”

Kelsey’s eyes widened in panic and she scrambled off the couch. Not noticing this, Josh stood up, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against his side.

18

Kelsey

“That’s not a good idea,” Trent said, pushing himself off the armchair and swaying slightly on his feet. “Kelsey’s been drinking.”

“She’s not drunk.” Josh tightened his hold on me.

All I could do was stare at Trent, struggling to figure out why he had kissed me and if he’d meant it. But I was also busy thinking about how Holly liked him too.