Scoring Wilder

  Becca ran to the closet with a giddy smile. "That's perfect."

  "You should wear the teal with your blonde hair," I said, pushing the cover-up toward her.

  "We'll look like we're fourteen-year-old best friends that have to match wherever we go."

  I pushed her out of my closet so I could change into my bathing suit. "We kind of are.”

  “Hey wait, are you nervous to see Liam?” she asked as I started to shut the door on her face.

  “Nope. No. Zilch. Nada. Who’s that?” I lied before squashing her out of the door way.

  I was as cool as a cucumber.

  “The lady doth protest too much!” she called before cackling her way toward the bathroom. As long as I live, I’ll regret not putting that hot wax on her face.

  An hour later we were leaving the house in our bright, silky cover-ups. Becca's hair looked sleek and sexy and she'd curled mine so that it hung down my back in beachy waves. Penn's house was all the way out in Malibu, but I didn't mind the drive down Pacific Coast Highway. You'd think after having lived in Los Angeles my whole life I'd be sick of the ocean, but most of the time I was just too busy to take a trip out just for fun. It'd been almost a year since I'd been out to Malibu, and as we pulled up to his beach house, Becca and I exchanged impressed nods.

  Penn had a modern home with lots of windows and sharp, clean lines. We could see people mingling around inside already, so we pushed through the front door and were greeted by music and laughter.

  "This isn't so bad," Becca nodded. The party was intimate compared to the last few weeks and the crowd appeared to skew a bit older than the LA Stars parties. There were people mingling around with cocktails and beer, but I didn't recognize anyone right away.

  "Good call with the bathing suits," I nodded, noticing a few of the guys were wearing swimming trunks and t-shirts.

  "Should we go get a d—"

  Becca was midway through her sentence when she was interrupted.

  "Kinsley! Becca!" Josh called just as I turned to see him approaching us.

  He'd taken his shirt off so that his broad chest was on display. I could tell from his awkward walk that he was already tipsy.

  "Hi Josh," I answered simply, unsure of where we stood. Surely he didn't know the article would be spun around on us, so I couldn't blame him for that. But it still left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

  "You two look like twins," he smiled, casting his gaze from me to Becca, then back again. Becca stifled her laughter by covering her mouth.

  He was just tipsy enough to be harmless and I think I liked him better that way.

  "We should party, c'mon," he reached out for my hand, but I pulled it out of his grasp.

  "Actually, Becca and I were going to use the bathroom," I lied, giving him a simple smile.

  He bought it. "Okay, come find me when you're done." We watched him walk away and get swallowed up by the crowd of people before us.

  "He must have started drinking early," Becca noted, and I glanced down at my phone. It was only 7:00 P.M. He'd be well on his way to plastered if he kept the same pace.

  "Not my problemo anymore! Let's go find drinks."

  I strung my arm through hers and we walked through the party. Quite a few people paused to watch us walk by, but I think it was the matching dresses that pulled them in.

  Penn’s house had an open-concept layout. The dining room opened up into the living room and then it expanded into another sitting area. The entire back of the house was composed of floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased a pool and a perfect view of the ocean.

  "Wow. This place is amazing," Becca murmured as we both stopped to watch the sunset for a moment.

  "Glad you guys like it," Penn answered behind us. Becca's body stilled and then she unwrapped her arm from mine. When she spun around to face him, I could tell she was trying to mask her elation behind a cool facade, but there was no hiding it. She was thrilled to see him.

  "Hi!" she beamed up at him, and I shifted my gaze to Penn. His dark hair was styled back and his brown eyes held a little twinkle in them as he smiled down at her. His head was tilted a bit to the side like he was trying to take all of her in but couldn’t quite figure out where to start.

  He was wearing a white plaid button down that he'd rolled to his mid forearms. Beneath that he had on dark red board shorts.

  "I'm so glad you guys made it," Penn said, finally glancing for a brief moment at me. It was like he had to remind himself that I was there standing beside Becca. Wow, this guy was falling hard.

  "Hi Penn. You have an awesome house," I complimented him, sweeping my hand around the room. "How long have you lived here?" I felt as if I had to carry the conversation. Becca couldn't wipe the smile off her face long enough to actually speak.

  He ran his hand along the bottom of his chin in thought. "I think two years now. Liam and I wanted to invest in some neighboring properties so we nabbed these two places right when they went on the market."

  Neighboring properties?

  "I thought Liam owned the house that the LA Stars live in?" I asked.

  "Ah, yeah, he has that house as well as the place next door," Penn clarified, pointing out through the window. I followed his gaze to the house in the neighboring lot. Liam's house apparently. It was beautiful. It looked just as beautiful as Penn's, but the styles were completely different. There was a giant wraparound porch and white siding. Navy blue shutters hung perfectly from each window and light flooded the bottom floor, as if drawing people toward the house.

  I wondered if he was there now instead of enjoying the party.

  “He was having a few sections completely remodeled, so he was staying at the other house while they finished up.”

  Ah, I remembered him mentioning that, and it also explained why he never took me there when we were trying to sneak around.

  "We wore our bathing suits. Do people usually swim?" Becca asked, drawing me back to the conversation.

  Penn smiled. "Yes, but not until later. Usually when the bigger crowd dies down. It's more fun that way…"

  Oh yeah, I bet it is.

  Becca bit her bottom lip and nodded. I could tell she was nervous. Her hand was holding her opposite elbow and she only held eye contact with Penn for brief moments.

  "Do you guys want me to take you on a little tour?" Penn asked, eyeing Becca. I figured it was probably my time to bow out.

  "You guys go ahead. I'm just going to grab a drink and I think I saw a friend of mine over there." There was no friend, but they wouldn't have left me otherwise. Becca's hazel eyes locked on mine, and for a moment I couldn't tell if she was thanking me or pleading with me not to leave her. Either way, I shrugged and gave her a thumbs up when Penn turned. As he waited for her to catch up to him, I wondered if their tour would include a special viewing of Penn’s downstairs.

  After they were out of sight, I wandered over to the drink station where a well-dressed server was whipping up cocktails. Technically I wasn't old enough to drink, but it's not like the guy was going to card me at a party like this.

  "What can I get for you?" the server asked with a polite smile. He was mixing a drink for another guest while he talked to me, and for a moment I just watched him in action.

  "I'm not sure actually. I don't think I want a beer, but I don’t know many cocktails."

  "Have you tried a greyhound before?" he asked, finishing off a drink and handing it to the person beside me.

  "No, what’s in that?" I asked with a timid smile.

  "It's one part vodka, one part grapefruit juice, and then garnished with a bit of lemon or lime," he explained with a friendly tone.

  "That sounds awesome. I'll take one of those," I said, reaching into my purse for a tip.

  We chatted casually as he mixed my drink. I loved the dark pink hue of the final concoction, and the moment I took a sip, I knew he’d pegged me right. It was delicious. The grapefruit cut the vodka so that the combination was just sweet enough to be deadly.

&nb
sp; "I think this might be my new favorite drink," I complimented.

  "You come back when you're done and I'll make you another."

  I smiled before turning back toward the party.

  I took another sip of my drink and surveyed the scene before me. The crowd had grown a little bit since we'd arrived, but his house was big enough that there were little cliques of people rather than a sea of bodies. I was eyeing each of the groups, trying to spot someone from the club soccer world, when I laid eyes on Liam speaking with a pretty woman near the back windows. The sunset illuminated him from behind and he was breathtakingly handsome. He had on black swim trunks and a black LA Stars shirt. His hair was a bit longer on top, tousled more than usual, and I knew he needed a haircut soon. He was wearing a confident smile and sporting a cleanly shaved look that made it impossible not to notice his strong jaw. I could practically feel him dazzling the entire room. Women would regard him with interest as they walked by, but he was focused solely on the woman in front of him.

  It was clear they knew each other well. They were laughing and talking with their hands. Before I knew it, I was bee lining straight toward them instead of heading in the opposite direction. I couldn't help it. I was moth to a flame when it came to Liam.

  As I stepped closer, his grey eyes landed on me for the first time in three days. There was a flash of something behind his gaze: surprise, lust, hatred— I couldn’t tell, but I took a deep breath and willed my legs to carry me closer. His cool expression gave nothing away and I felt my heart rate pick up, hammering inside my chest, as he watched me approach.

  I stepped up behind the woman he was chatting with, who was still oblivious to my presence, and gently tapped her shoulder. She spun around with a residual smile on her face from whatever she’d been discussing with him. It was friendly, even as she aimed it on me, and I wasn’t sure if I appreciated that or not. If she was his date, I didn’t want her friendly smile.

  “Can I help you?” she asked after I stood there like a simpleton. I hadn’t planned out a single word so I let my mouth take over. It seemed like the best option.

  "Hi… um, do you mind if I cut in for a moment?" I asked, purposely keeping my gaze on her instead of Liam. I wasn't sure what his reaction would be and I was floundering enough as it was.

  She tilted her head in surprise and offered me an amused grin. "Sure, thing.” She turned back toward him. “We'll talk later, Liam."

  "Thanks," I murmured, but as she walked away, I called to her. "Actually, you might get him back in like five minutes… depending on how much he hates me."

  She grinned and I heard Liam chuckle behind me. It was dark and smooth like I’d imagine a glass of bourbon to be. When I spun to face him, he was regarding me with enough heat to start a fire. And not a wimpy fire… a giant, smoldering bon fire. His right brow was dropped just a tad, his grey eyes were narrowed, and he was wearing a secret smirk that said he had me exactly where he wanted – hook, line, and sinker.

  "I'm all ears," he murmured, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

  I took a moment to gather my wits that he’d stolen in a flash. "Were you going to hook up with her if I hadn't interrupted?" My voice held more curiosity than jealousy.

  "No," he grinned with a twinkle in his eyes. "That's my agent. She would bill me extra for services like that."

  "Ha-ha. She's pretty," I stated, matter-of-factly.

  "Not my type."

  "What's your type?" I asked, crossing my arms protectively over my stomach, careful not to spill my drink.

  "Long legs, brown hair… the kind of girl that pretends I don’t exist for three days and then has the confidence to cut in at a party when I'm talking to another girl."

  I bit back my smile. "Not another girl, your agent."

  He smiled and his features relaxed into pleasant repose as if he were chiseled from stone. I studied the way his cheek bones sloped into his sharp jaw. It was hard to focus on anything else when I hadn’t been this close to him in days. It was like my body’s resistance to his sheer magnetism had faded and now I was starting again from zero.

  Yes, brain. He’s still the most beautiful thing in the world.

  "You didn't know she was my agent."

  I looked down at the floor and shrugged.

  "I spoke with Coach Davis earlier."

  "How'd that go?" he asked.

  "Tara got kicked off the team."

  He raised his brows. "She needed to be, but I didn't think they would actually do it."

  "She made it pretty easy for Coach Davis to give her up from what it sounded like," I murmured and glanced down his body. His tattoos were peeking out from beneath his left shirt sleeve and I blushed remembering the image of him changing in his closet.

  "It'll be better for the whole team with her gone," Liam said, taking a small step toward me. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

  "She also told me that this," I pointed between the two of us for fear that I was being presumptuous saying the word relationship out loud, "wasn't off-limits anymore.”

  He crossed his arms and skirted around my statement completely. "I wasn't sure if you'd come," he admitted, taking another minuscule step toward me. Each time I inhaled I was overwhelmed with a mix of bodywash and cologne. My breathing picked up so that I could get another intoxicating whiff as soon as the last one faded.

  "I couldn't let Becca come by herself. She took a ton of crap from Tara because of me… and she really wanted to see Penn."

  “Are you here just to support Becca?” There was a touch of anger in his voice that hadn’t been there a moment before.

  I mashed my lips together and shook my head, unable to form the actual word, no.

  "Are you going to swim later?" I asked, changing the subject to neutral territory.

  "We’ll see," he answered with a confident air. He wasn’t going to give in easily. I clearly had some groveling to do.

  I peered behind him toward the pool and his hand reached out to touch my arm gently. "Hey, you should go find Becca and Penn for a minute. I've gotta finish that conversation with my agent or I'll have to set up a meeting with her this week." His tone made it clear that he was less than enthused to leave my side, and I took it as a good sign.

  "Okay... the agent that you definitely don’t think is pretty?" I quipped, only half joking.

  He smiled as if my jealousy amused him, then he bent low and enunciated every single syllable of his next sentence.

  "She's not Kinsley Bryant."

  Damn. A witty retort involving another girl named Kinsley Bryant he might have known was on the tip of my tongue, but he kissed my cheek and went to find his agent before I could utter a word. I watched him walk away, realizing that my attraction to Liam Wilder was back in full force. I’d pushed aside the addiction for the past few days, thinking that if I focused on soccer I could pretend that he didn’t exist. Yeah, no. My brain took that as some kind of reverse psychology crap, and instead, I thought about him all day every day.

  The time for bullshit and games was over. I wanted him and now there was nothing stopping me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I stood there for a moment, absorbing the last few moments, before realizing I was standing in the middle of the party by myself. I was supposed to be mingling and enjoying my youth, not looking like a mute loner.

  I raised my Greyhound to my lips, letting the bitter grapefruit flavor roll over my tongue as I scanned the crowd. Let’s see, there was a group of well-dressed yuppies sipping on craft beer, two models wiping white dust off each other’s nostrils, and a group of socialites texting on their phones instead of looking at one another. I didn't recognize anyone around me, and Becca and Penn must have gotten lost on their tour because they still weren't back yet.

  Just as I was about to give up hope and head back to the bartender (who was essentially paid to be friendly to me), I spotted a pair of Liam and Josh's teammates. They were the guys that gave me jell-o shots on my nineteenth birthday, and w
hen I made eye contact with one of them, they waved me over. Just like that, I went from the president of the wall flower club to standing in-between two hot guys. Ha! Life was looking up.

  We all reintroduced ourselves even though we had hazy memories of one another from the night a few weeks ago. Cole was the goalie for the LA Stars and he was a beast of a man. He wore his hair much too long for my taste and he had a long beard that looked like he'd grown it out on a dare. Oliver played defense for the Stars and looked the part. He was tall and toned enough to resemble the hulk.

  "This is such a nice house," I said before taking a sip of my drink.

  "Yeah, Penn always throws the best parties here,” Cole said.

  "Although none of them could top your birthday celebration," Oliver said with a friendly wink.

  I groaned. "Can we forget about how drunk I was that night?"

  Oliver laughed. "Well at least your cheek healed up nicely."

  The group laughed and I started to relax. They really were nice guys.

  "We heard the ULA girls are coming to watch one of our games soon. It's a preseason game, but it'll be a good match," Cole mentioned.

  That was news to me, but it made sense. Coach Davis probably wanted us to watch how a professional team worked together.

  "That'll be fun."

  "Did you come here by yourself?" Oliver asked with a curious expression.

  I glanced around me, trying to spy Becca so I could point her out to them. Finally, I spotted her and Penn chatting with a group across the room. She noticed me pointing and sent us a little wave.

  "No, I came with my friend, Becca. She's on the team with me."

  "Ah, Penn's girl," Oliver nodded before taking a swig of beer.

  I smiled at his assessment. Becca would love to know that's how the team referred to her.

  "Does he talk about her a lot?" I asked, sounding passably casual.

  Oliver eyed me with a curious grin. "No more than Josh talks about you."

  I froze. The idea of Josh saying anything about me to these guys was incredibly frustrating.