Page 33 of Delay of Game (Norwalk Breakers #4)

THIRTY-THREE

GRACIE

Lily’s high heels clacked across the cobblestone streets of downtown.

I didn’t frequent the historic district often.

Most of the businesses catered to the upscale clientele of Norwalk with expensive drinks, exotic food, and luxury clothing stores.

There wasn’t much to offer someone making less than six figures a year.

The hangout spots in my price range trended toward the docks and the outlying rural bars and clubs.

“We’re late,” I complained, tugging down the hem of the lacy black dress Lily had lent me.

On the hanger, the dress looked somewhat modest – high neckline, long sleeves.

After shimmying it on, the fabric clung to every curve and barely covered my butt.

I fit in with the bougie club-goers downtown but felt self-conscious and overdressed.

“But we look amazing.” Lily shot me a flirtatious look over her shoulder. “They won’t mind waiting.”

Lily jumped at Ethan’s invitation to the Crown & Copper, claiming she wanted to watch Rob and me “in the wild.” But more accurately, she was desperate to spend more time with Ethan. And judging by the way Ethan had sent me a text confirming that Lily was coming along, he felt the same.

“ Ethan won’t mind waiting.”

My parents would fly in soon, and I could already feel the tenuous connections keeping Rob and me together falling away. I’d thought…no, hoped, that he’d finally meet me in the middle.

I didn’t need much. I didn’t expect him to tell me he loved me madly. Or that he wanted to marry me. I just needed a tiny indicator that whatever spark existed between us might lead to more.

And so far, every step of progress just ended in his retreat.

“He’ll come around.” Lily fished her arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Especially in that dress. Trust me, he’ll be throwing himself at you by the end of the night.”

I frowned but refused to argue as we stopped in front of the entrance. Lily whirled me to face her, pushing back a lock of my hair and pulling a loose string off my dress. “You look amazing. Knock him dead.”

I opened the door.

“And it’s not enough for just you to be miserable, is it?” someone shouted over the music.

The crowd inside watched the commotion. In the center of it stood Ethan, nose-to-nose with Rob.

“You have to make sure everyone around you is miserable, too?” Ethan continued. “So, sure, Gracie gave me this hickey. I’m happy to have you believe it so you don’t make her miserable, too.”

Lily pushed inside after me, watching the argument. “Well, this is….wasn’t what I expected.”

My stomach dropped as Rob clenched his fist. His arm moved back, ready to swing. Panic coursed through me. I hadn’t put together why Rob and Ethan were fighting, only that my name had been thrown into the mix.

“What is going on here?” I projected my voice, using the same tone that stopped unruly kindergarteners dead in their tracks. And apparently slightly intoxicated football players.

Nearly a hundred sets of eyes swung away from the fight and onto me. Rob dropped his fist, face growing pale as his eyes locked with mine. I pushed through the crowd to get to them.

“Gracie,” Ethan breathed, looking past me. “Lily.”

“What’s going on?” I asked again, planting a fist on my hip.

“Astrid, I—” Rob’s voice faltered.

Ethan slipped in. “Rob lost his mind. He saw I had a hickey and…”

“You’re fighting over a hickey?” I asked, confused until I spotted the purple bruise on his neck. “Seriously, Lily?”

She grinned, cheeks turning pink as she threaded her arm into Ethan’s. “We got a little carried away.”

“So, you didn’t kiss Fieste?” Rob deflated, relief flooding his face.

I blinked. My chest tightened. “You thought I kissed Ethan?”

“Gracie.” Ethan took my hand, shifting so he positioned himself between us and Rob. “I’m telling you, as a friend, to stay the hell away from that guy. He’s a mess, and he’s just going to pull you into it.”

“Don’t tell her what to do.” Rob gripped Ethan’s shoulder, and Ethan reared back around.

“ I shouldn’t tell her what to do? Me ?” He laughed, locking eyes with me. “You know how I told you Rob wanted us to hang out? Well, that wasn’t all he wanted. He wanted me to date you. Not touch you, of course, but date you.”

I flinched. “What? Why?”

“Because he’s possessive and weird. He doesn’t want you, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you.” Ethan raked his hand through his hair, making the ends stand up as he continued his rant. “And you’re a nice person, Gracie. He’s an asshole.”

The attention from the rest of the crowd felt oppressive. I opened my mouth to speak and closed it again, my teacher voice gone and replaced with uncertainty.

“Rob?”

He worked his jaw as he scanned the crowd. At all the faces, he bit down.

Fair enough. I didn’t want to have this conversation in front a bunch of strangers anyhow.

“Outside, now.” I turned and marched out of the bar.

The crowd parted, hushed conversations starting in our wake. I didn’t stop outside the bar. Instead, I marched down the block to an empty piece of sidewalk.

I crossed my arms as Ethan’s words echoed in my head: He doesn’t want you, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you either.

I took a deep breath. “Please explain to me what I just walked into.”

“Astrid.” Rob took a step forward, arm extended.

I stumbled back, out of arm’s length. “Just explain.”

He flinched. “Fieste?—”

“Ethan.”

“Ethan.” He chewed on the name with a frown. “He owed me. I asked him to hang out with you.”

“Date me?”

“Not date you.” He reached forward again, dropping his hand on his own this time. “Not seriously. Just take you out on a date. Maybe two.”

“When did you ask him?” I braced myself.

His eyes fluttered closed as his mouth grew tight. “The night after our phone call.”

I grimaced. This whole time, I’d deluded myself into thinking that Rob and I were making progress.

And sure, he had some hang ups and reservations, but we’d get past them if I could be patient.

But in reality, a place I clearly didn’t live, he just tore down the progress as fast as I tried to throw it up.

“So, we had phone sex, and you decided you didn’t want to deal with me anymore?” I bit my bottom lip, fighting back tears.

“That’s not what—” His voice faltered. “You just make it so I can’t think straight.”

“ I make it so you can’t think straight?” Anger mixed with the tears. “So, you nearly punched your teammate and that’s on me?”

“That’s not what I said.” His exasperation only fueled my anger.

“I’m not asking for you to fight your teammates for me. I’m not asking for anything except to be honest with me.”

“I am honest with you, Astrid.” His face crumpled. “I want to be honest with you. I can be.”

“Then why am I good enough to mess around with, but not to date?”

He flinched. “That’s not how it is.”

“Then explain it to me.” I ignored the hurt in his eyes.

“Because I like you, Rob. And despite how hot and cold you run, until tonight, I really thought that all you needed was some time and patience. That if I waited, you’d come around to the fact that you like me too. That maybe I’m even worth dating.”

“You are worth dating.” He reached out a hand.

I pulled back. “But not with you? You’d rather pawn me off on someone else? You don’t want to bother letting me in. Because asking Ethan to be my friend was one thing. But date me? You seriously asked him to date me?”

“Astrid, please.” He gripped my hand, and his thumb brushed over my knuckles. I didn’t pull back. He slipped his arms around me. His head dipped down, lips against my hair. “Asking Fi—Ethan was a mistake. I get that.”

He brushed away a strand of hair, his lips following his fingers. I closed my eyes as he kissed my cheek. His grip on my waist tightened as his teeth raked down my jaw.

A gentle touch reminiscent of a half dozen other times that all ended the same way.

I stepped out of his arms. “No.”

“No?” He blinked, bewildered.

“No. I’m not doing this again. By tomorrow, you’ll change your mind again. Nothing will change.” I pursed my lips, eyes fluttering to the fake gas streetlamp across the street. The LED flame flickered in and out, repeating the same pattern over and over. “I’m going home.”

“Let me drive you. We can talk on the way.”

I shook my head. “I need space. And you need to figure out what you want.”

“I want you, Astrid.” He said the words so convincingly that I almost believed them. My eyes fluttered closed, opening on the flame stuck in the same pattern over and over again.

I shook my head. “You don’t. You don’t know what you want.”