Page 24 of Friends with Benefits

I didn’t look up from my homework, although I wasn’t taking in any of the words I was reading. My pen tapped repetitively against the desk. “I’m not doing shit to you. I said you should go, so fucking go.”

My urging did nothing to thwart Alex’s goal. Naturally. “It’s my first year in town, and you’re supposed to be my role model. Introduce me to all the hot spots. Be my wingman. It goes against the bro code for you to ditch me this way.”

“You’re a grown-ass man. You can get an Uber. Besides, what happened to all that game you said you had up north? Does that Yankee charm not work here in the South?” I spared a glance at him and grinned good-naturedly. The prick could have anyone he wanted. I didn’t know why he was complaining.

Alex wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh, it works just fine. I just don’t see how you can waste such a prime opportunity on our first weekend off in months.”

Except it didn’t feel like a prime opportunity to me. I didn’t want to go out barhopping and get smothered by women. The thought would have been appealing a year ago, but now…

“Tripp, did you have a chance to—” Ember’s voice cut off as she barged into my apartment toting a twin on each hip. She smiled at Alex, who sent me a knowing smirk. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you had company. I can come back,” she offered.

Now, this was what I wanted, and hell if I knew why. She was complicated with a capital C, but I couldn’t get her out of my head. I’d take her, if she’d let me, complications and all.

Alex launched himself bodily from the couch to schmooze to her side. “Don’t apologize, sweetness. We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting. I’m Alex Lockwood. I play on the team with Tripp.”

The flare of jealousy in my chest had me taking a step back from the two of them. In the year since I’d known Ember, I’d come to terms with the fact that a relationship of any kind was out of the cards. That didn’t make seeing her getting hit on any easier. Least of all by my best friend. He knew about her and her about him, but she was so busy with her sisters and him with ball that they hadn’t really had the chance to meet.

Ember nodded since her hands were full. “Nice to finally meet you.” The twins wriggled and babbled away, fighting to get Ember to release her hold and let them down. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Alex said smoothly. “Why don’t you come in?” Deftly, he maneuvered Tillie out of Ember’s hands. She watched him with an amused smile—the way she used to watch me. “Hey there, cutie.”

Tillie squealed and began to talk my ear off. When Alex smiled at Molly, Molly grinned, stuck her thumb in her mouth, and hid her face in Ember’s hair.

“Hey!” I said to Tillie. “I thought you were my girl!”

Alex heaved a fake sigh and said to Tillie, “Don’t worry, all the ladies fall for me eventually. Don’t let Tripp bother you.”

Tillie giggled, and Ember was beaming. “Don’t put any ideas into her head,” she warned. “She already thinks she runs the world.”

“Naturally,” Alex said and bounced Tillie on his hip. Coming from a big family, he was used to having children around. He might put on a big player front, but I always secretly thought the dude wanted the whole wife-and-kids deal more than most of the guys on our team. His parents, like mine, had been together forever. Just because he enjoyed women and partying didn’t mean that wasn’t his end goal.

Turning to me, Ember said, “I’m sorry for interrupting. I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I’ll only be a second, and then I’ll get out of your hair.”

She didn’t know how much I liked having her in my hair. I wished she’d stay there, make a little nest like a bird, and never leave. I cleared my throat. “What’s up?”

Molly had come out of hiding and was smiling shyly at Alex. “These two need a zookeeper. I can’t get anything done for their birthday party. I was going to ask if you’d had a chance to blow up their balloons, but I can see that you’re busy.” With the ease of someone who had cared for them their whole lives, Ember scooped Tillie from Alex’s grasp and arranged her on her free hip. “You two have fun, and we’ll see you later.”

Somehow, she managed to open the door and squeeze out before I could even cross the room. For a girl carrying two kids—and they weren’t little ones anymore, either—she could certainly move like lightning. She could have given some of the guys on my team a run for their money—literally.

Ignoring a pleading look from Alex, I followed quickly behind her.

“Em, wait up!”

She didn’t turn to look at me. “Don’t worry about it. You’re busy.”

“Not too busy for you,” I said and squeezed behind her into her apartment before she could shut the door in my face. I didn’t know what it was about her, but the more she pushed me away, the more I tried.

“I’m serious. Go enjoy your friend. You’ve had a long year. You should go enjoy yourself. Besides, what would all your groupies think if you turn into a homebody?”

“My groupies? Really, Em?”

“What else am I supposed to call the chicks who hang around your apartment all the time? On game days, it’s like a friggin’ mob.”

So, she did think about me. “Jealous?” I asked and took Tillie from her arms when she began to wriggle for me. To Tillie, I said, “I think your sister’s jealous.”

“No,” Ember replied vehemently. “I’m not jealous.”

“C’mon Ember, be real with me.” I thought being on the mound during a championship game was nerve-wracking. It was nothing compared to waiting for her answer. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized it meant so much to me.