Page 8 of Reckless Storm (San Francisco End Game #3)

Reed

F or the next few weeks, Hayley and I text regularly, making promises to catch up in person without it ever actually happening.

Apart from watching my first game—without telling me she was there—Hayley’s been busy with pickups for her movie and gearing up for the promotional tour.

As for me, I’m at the beginning of the season, pushing myself to my limits as we fight for our second Super Bowl win, desperate to prove we’re not the one-hit wonders people think we are.

We’ve both barely had the chance to breathe, let alone see each other.

But that’s all about to change because tonight’s the Storm charity event, where we’ll both be in attendance, and I’m looking forward to spending time with her again.

“Does this look okay?” Bria cuts into my thoughts, holding a dress up in front of her. I open my mouth to respond until I notice she’s practically naked behind it, ridding me of all logical thought. My jaw twitches but I fight not to let it drop. What the fuck is she doing?

“It’s perfect.” My goddamn voice cracks and I internally curse myself before subtly clearing it. “It matches my shirt.”

“I know.” She grins proudly. “Why do you think I chose it?”

I smile but I’m once again thrown by her actions. Isn’t that what couples do?

With her own sweet little grin, Bria turns on her heels, flashing me her ass in panties that ride halfway up her cheeks, and I groan to myself. If I didn’t know better, I’d stalk after her and throw her onto the bed, but I’m well aware that won’t bode well for me. She’s not that kind of girl.

And I’m yet to talk to her about my feelings.

I was planning to bring it up this weekend since we’re spending the night in a shared hotel suite—with two bedrooms of course. I even had an entire speech prepared. But something has shifted in our relationship, and now I’m almost certain that it would be the end of us.

She’s confusing the hell out of me with the way she contradicts herself, telling me how much she values our friendship, then doing things like showing me her ass hours later.

And for the first time, she’s started talking to me about other guys. Or more specifically, one other guy. It’s driving me crazy. She says they’re “just friends” but it’s obvious she wants more, convincing me that my feelings are probably just as clear.

Once again, I’m in limbo.

“What time do we have to leave?” she calls out from the bathroom, seconds before the water switches on.

“We’ve got an hour.”

“Perfect. I’ll be ready.”

“Great.”

I fall onto the bed and close my eyes, throwing a pillow over my face so I can audibly groan.

Tonight is going to be torture. I can already feel it.

I’m not sure how long I’m lying there, but at five, my alarm goes off, reminding me that a car is picking us up in thirty minutes, prompting me to finally get my ass up to begin getting ready.

Since I showered earlier, all I have to do is get dressed and fix my hair, so I’m still ready well before Bria is. And when she finally steps out of the bathroom, I freeze.

My god, she looks beautiful.

Correction—tonight is going to be hell. I need to know where I stand.

A fter a torturous drive to the venue—with me trying hard not to look at Bria’s breasts in her low-cut dress—we’ve barely been inside for ten minutes when she pulls me aside and smiles coyly.

“You’ve had a bit of time to check out the guests.

What do you think? Am I going home solo tonight?

” She waggles her eyebrows and— What. The. Fuck?

I huff out a laugh to hide my shock and work hard to keep the attitude out of my voice. “What does that mean?”

“I’m just curious if there are any girls that pique your interest for later.” She bites her lip. “You know what I mean.”

Again…what?

This is new. And I have no fucking clue how to take it. Is she fishing for a compliment? Or hoping I’ll say yes?

“Since when have I ever ditched you for a random hookup?”

“Never,” she confirms. “But you don’t have to babysit me. I know some of the guys tonight and this is your team’s event. You should mingle and have fun.”

I am so fucking confused.

“Do you want the room to yourself, Bria?” Is that what she’s alluding too? “All you have to do is as—”

“No,” she cuts me off. “That’s not… Never mind. I just wanted you to know I’d be okay.”

“Okay.” I nod, but since I’m not really sure what I’m nodding about, I change the subject. “I’m going to the bar. Do you want something?” I definitely need something and I think it’s best I step away from this conversation for a second.

“I’ll come.” Bria smiles, grabbing my arm and… God, I’m getting whiplash. What does she want?

After knocking back a shot each, we chat with a few of my teammates before checking out the auction items. Together.

Bria doesn’t leave my side. But when the lights dim and the music gets louder, she’s the first one on the dance floor, immediately grabbing my teammate Wyatt as she passes him, not even bothering to ask me.

I let out an exasperated sigh, catching Luke’s inquisitive gaze before he mouths something that looks a lot like “are you okay?”

I’m not.

But I’m not about to tell him that, so instead, I give him a thumbs-up and grin.

While Bria dances the night away, I seek out Hayley, meeting her eyes a few times as I chat with various people, making sure I do my bit to keep potential donors happy, hoping they give to the cause.

I’m finishing up a conversation with Thomas and his wife, Lainey, when Hayley walks outside, and I immediately decide to follow her. We’ve been sneaking glances all night, but haven’t had the chance to talk.

And I really want to talk to her.

I manage a single step before a hand wraps around my bicep and I stumble to a halt.

“Where are you going?” Bria asks innocently, but I don’t miss the way her eyes flash to the door Hayley disappeared through.

“I’m catching up with a friend. I thought you were dancing.”

“I was but I’ve had enough for the moment. Want to find somewhere quiet to sit?”

Fuck . I internally wince, torn between my options. On one hand, Bria’s been flirting with my teammates for most of the night so I should walk away, but on the other, she’s here now and…nope. Dammit .

“I’ll come and find you in a little bit, okay?”

“What?” Her eyes practically bulge out of her head.

“I told you, I’m going to chat with a friend. There’s a lounge area through that door. I think Amelia went that way.”

“I barely know her.”

“Since when has that bothered you?” I snap before reeling it in. “What I mean is that you’ve been chatting with random people all night.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. I’m just stating a fact. I’ll come and find you when I’m done.”

Bria pouts and when I ignore it, she huffs as I turn to walk away, glancing back to find her pissed-off expression.

I can’t win tonight. She tells me she’s fine on her own but then gets angry when I leave her.

Talk about mixed signals.

Taking a deep breath, I continue on my way and head for the balcony, finally relaxing when I make it outside, my eyes immediately locking with Hayley’s.

We share a smile and I take her in, noting her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she leans back against the railing, watching me.

A gust of wind blows her hair across her face when she steps forward to meet me and I frown.

“Where’s your coat?” I ask, shrugging out of my jacket, securing it around her when she joins me, grateful when she takes it without argument.

“I didn’t bring one.” She thanks me with a smile. “I don’t have anything that matches this dress, and I wasn’t wearing another one.”

“I don’t blame you.” I openly ogle her outfit. “That dress is stunning.”

“The dress?”

“And the actress wearing it.” I wink.

“Why, thank you, Reed.” She giggles. “That’s so lovely of you to say. Are you having a good night?”

“Do you want the truth or…”

“What about I guess?”

“Two truths and a lie?”

“You know it.”

“Okay. I’ve had two drinks spilled on me, I got stuck talking to a random businessman for over forty-five minutes, and I’ve been looking forward to this moment since I arrived.”

“Okay.” Hayley’s eyes widen at my immediate response. “You’re getting better at this. But…since I can see a splash of red on the bottom of your shirt, I can safely say you’ve had at least one drink spilled on you.”

“Unless I did it myself.”

“Ohhh, true. Dammit . I’m going to say…this isn’t the moment you’ve been looking forward to since you arrived. Because Bria is absolutely beautiful in that—”

“Wrong.”

“Wrong?” Hayley fakes a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth in true actress style, if maybe a little bit over-the-top. “This moment. Here. Now?”

“Yep.” I pop the p . “What can I say? You’ve grown on me.”

“Likewise. Would you believe I came out here hoping you’d follow me?”

“You couldn’t just come over and talk to me?”

“I wasn’t sure you’d want me to. With Bria around.” She shrugs and I sigh audibly.

“You make it sound like she’s my guard dog or something.”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t know, it’s just—”

“You stayed away for me.” Because like everyone else, she could see how fucked up my situation was.

“I did.” She smiles, though a wince would certainly be more fitting.

“And now I’m here.”

“You are. How about we celebrate with a drink?” She bends down gracefully and stands up again with a full bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand, a cheeky smile on her lips.

I huff out a laugh as my eyes widen. “Something tells me you’re not supposed to have that.”

“Tell that to the bartender that gave it to me.”

“What did he get in return?” The question flows out of me before I realize what I’m asking. But when Hayley says, “My number,” I shake my head as another laugh bursts out of me.

“Did he happen to give you any glasses?”

“Just the one. I couldn’t exactly tell him I wanted to share it with another man.”

“Very true. You’re not just a pretty face.”

“Oh, there’s so much to learn about me, Reed. So much.”

“I don’t doubt that at all. You take the glass; I’ll take the bottle.”