Shit. His hand had still been down her panties when he apologized. She’d still been leaning on him and in the haze of orgasm when he’d run away. Green guilt washed over his face like a seasick sailor in the middle of a typhoon.Fuck Grady, way to make her feel worse.
Seeming to read his mind, Pippa gasped, staring at him in horror with her hand over her mouth. “You didn’t—”
He nodded, biting his lip very much like Claire might.
“Grady Mallory. You really blew it this time. You’re on your own with this one.”
With no hope of rescue, Pippa ditched him, too. Lincoln left him alone for the day, not commenting when Grady left for Black Op at lunchtime. Even Zane and Freya avoided him for the rest of the day. By evening, Grady was convinced that he’d done irreparable damage.
“I think you should go with the truth.” Asher’s eyes were locked on the TV as his Xbox quarterback threw a twenty-yard pass for a first down.
Lincoln took a swig of his beer and nodded. “The truth shall set you free.” Lincoln was running a terrible defense, having chosen players based on his fantasy football league alone. It hadn’t worked out well for him all season.
In no mood to play, Grady had the feet raised on the leather recliner like an invalid. He rubbed his eyes and pretended he wasn’t in the pickle he currently found himself in. “Not sure the truth is going to make anything better. How about this:Ryder, I’m in love with your fiancée and made it to third base with her Monday night? By the way, she might have fidelity issues. Although you two deserve each other, I still want her for myself, because I’m that pathetic.Think that will go over well?”
Rolling his eyes, Asher managed a successful running play while mocking Grady at the same time. “I meant, talk to Claire first. You said yourself, she doesn’t seem the type to fool around when she’s in a committed relationship. Trust me, the Claire we met at Ahab’s was not a cheater. Maybe there’s more to the story.”
Grady’s brain sloshed inside his skull. He felt like sandbags coated his entire body, pinning him to the chair. He hadn’t slept much since Claire had walked into his life. Shit, he didn’t even know her last name. Yeah, he was seriously fucked up. “Why do you have to be so logical?”
“Aren’t you a lawyer?”
“Supposedly.”
After scoring the extra point, Asher set down the controller while Lincoln reconsidered his strategy. “Remember when you made Sophie feel like shit for making out with me in the dressing room before Lincoln and Pippa’s wedding?”
“Don’t remind me.” Pressure was building behind his eyes. Not another damn tension headache.
“As soon as you got your head out of your ass, you came over and apologized. Now, Sophie’s one of your best friends.”
Zane strolled in the front door and didn’t hesitate to add to Grady’s misery. “Is his head still in his ass?” He grabbed a beer from the fridge, popped open the bottle with his titanium wedding band, and plopped on the couch next to Asher.
“Asher, did you call everyone over to make me feel worse?” Grady groaned as he realized he was in the middle of an intervention.
With a deep belly laugh that had been scarce six months ago, Zane whacked Grady on his foot. “What are friends for?” He took a massive swig of beer. That man didn’t do anything small. “From what I hear, you fooled around with your brother’s fiancée, then checked out as soon as you’d gotten your play.”
Sitting the recliner up rapidly, its electronic gears complaining from the swift movement, Grady glared at Zane. “That’s not—” Grady cringed, realizing that was exactly what had happened.
“Look, do you want her or don’t you?” Zane’s expression grew serious, without a hint of amusement.
“More than anything.”
“Then get off your self-pitying ass and go talk to her.”
Catching his breath through his heavy chest, Grady braced his hands on the arm of the chair to stand.
Zane laughed and shoved him back down with barely a tap. “Not now, you lovesick puppy. It’s late, wait until tomorrow. No offense, but she’d have to be out of her mind to consider necking with you right now. You look like shit.”
Eyes glued to the game, Asher added, “She’s having breakfast with Freya and Sophie day after tomorrow. They’ll feel her out. Maybe put in a few good words for you, after they make sure she’s not a faithless bitch.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket; ripping it out, he juggled to catch the damn thing, pathetically hoping it was Claire. Not that Claire had his number, but Ryder did, even if he never called.
Nope.
“Haley?” he answered. She hadn’t called him in months.
“Hi Grady,” she said with a waver in her voice.
Sitting up, he walked into the kitchen. “Everything okay?”
