The way Zanders is looking at me doesn’t feel sexual. It feels like he’s seeing me, and it’s throwing me off.
Zanders is physical. Sex. Attraction. These are the things I know as fact. But his expression right now is soft, like he’s in pain from attempting to hold himself back as he takes me in.
Clearing my throat, I pull my focus away from him, needing to not feel the things he’s making me feel right now. “This is amazing, the turn out for Maddison’s foundation.”
Zanders’ brows crease in confusion. “Stevie, you know that—”
“Vee,” Ryan interrupts, holding a beer in each hand. “Where’d Brett go?”
Ryan’s blue-green eyes bounce between Zanders and me.
“I’m not sure.” I motion towards the defenseman. “Ryan, this is Evan Zanders. Zanders, this is my brother, Ryan.”
“Hey, man, nice to meet you.” Zanders stands up straight before putting his hand out for Ryan to shake.
Ryan returns the greeting. “Yeah, I know who you are.”
Fuck.
The tension is thick between the three of us, no one saying a word, and Zanders is clearly unimpressed with my brother trying to play hardball.
“Should we go find Brett?” Ryan turns towards me. “The three of us haven’t hung out since college.”
“I don’t want to.” My eyes dart to Zanders’, silently asking him to stay quiet.
Zanders leans his elbow on the high-top, crossing one foot over the other, looking casual as can be and not intimidated by my brother in the slightest.
“Well, we should go get a fresh drink at the bar then.” My brother attempts another excuse to get me away from the defenseman, but this one is a terrible try, seeing as I have an almost full drink in my hand and another fresh one waiting for me in his.
Zanders lets out a knowing chuckle before standing up straight. “Ryan, it was nice to meet you.” He pats my brother on the shoulder.
“Stevie...” Zanders slides his hand on my waist, splaying it over my rib cage and not giving a shit that my brother is two feet away, watching. “Save me that dance.” His warm lips graze my cheekbone, placing a soft kiss there before he takes off, leaving my twin and me alone.
“Vee,” Ryan whines. “No. Please no. Not him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t lie. You like him of all people?”
“I don’t...like him.” Keeping my eyes off my brother, I add, “But I don’t not like him either.”
“Stevie, that guy goes through women like it’s his job. He’s a fucking media personality that gives Chicago sports a bad name.”
“He’s not like that. There’s a lot more to him that outsiders don’t see.”
“And you’re not an outsider?” Ryan’s question might sound condescending to anyone else, but I know my brother, and with the worried expression he’s wearing right now, it’s simply just a concerned question.
“I don’t know. I think maybe I’m not. I think I might know more about him than most people.”
Ryan exhales a deep, resigned breath. “You’re an adult, so you can do what you want, and I trust your opinion, but Vee...I can’t see anything coming from this other than you getting hurt.”
His eyes are filled with worry and concern but no judgment.
Ironic, really, that his old college buddy is here and has been ten times worse to me than Zanders has ever treated me. But Ryan doesn’t know how Brett treated me the same way he doesn’t know how Zanders treats me—like I’m important.
“I love you, and I’m worried, is all.” He shoots me an apologetic smile before swinging his arm over my shoulders.
And that little reminder that he’s worried reminds me that maybe I should be too. That feeling the things I’m feeling, or trying not to feel, is exactly what I promised myself I wouldn’t do after things ended with Brett and me.
And that’s having feelings for another athlete, especially one who is in the spotlight as much as Zanders is.
“Sorry to interrupt.” A gorgeous, tall woman slides up next to my brother, standing real close and not caring for my space one bit. “But I wanted to introduce myself.” She cuts in the area between Ryan and me, her back to my face.
Jesus. Maybe she should plaster “jersey chaser” on her forehead.
“I’m Rachel.”
“Ryan.” My brother holds out his hand to shake hers, but she holds on a little longer than necessary.
This bitch Rachel looks over her shoulder, her eyes connecting with mine, then back to scan the crowd as if she could get caught for being over here.
“I know who you are.” She turns back to Ryan. “I’ve seen you at a few city events, and I’ve always wanted to introduce myself.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She flips her hair over her shoulder, smacking me in the face with it. “I’ll be here all night, so come find me.”
She takes off but looks back, shooting my brother a wink.
“Absolutely not.”
Ryan laughs. “What, you can sleep with people I don’t like, but I can’t?”
“We aren’t...never mind.” Ryan doesn’t want to hear that. “And that chick is...no.”
“Just giving you shit. I’m good off that.” Ryan turns his back, leaning his forearms on the high-top table and clinking his beer bottle with mine. “We should make a twin pact where neither of us date.”
“Ha ha. Funny. Coming from the guy who doesn’t date.”
His eyes twinkle with mischief before he brings his beer to his lips.
“We aren’t dating either so that you know. Zanders and I.”
“So, what are you doing then? Because it sounds to me like the biggest d-bag in the city is fucking with my sister.”
I don’t know how to answer that, but before I can attempt, Maddison approaches our table.
“Hey.” He smiles, his hand intertwined with his wife’s.
“Hey, Stevie,” Logan adds with a slight wave.
“Hey, guys. Logan, you look beautiful. Green is your color.”
“I can say the same about you and blue. You look great. Are you two having a good time?”
“Yes. This place is amazing.”
Maddison and Logan’s eyes bounce between Ryan and me before I realize they haven’t been introduced. This is strange. Usually, my brother is the one everyone knows, and I’m the tag-along sister.
“Oh, my bad.” I turn towards my Ryan. “Ryan, this is Maddison, he’s the captain for the Raptors, and this is Logan.” I motion to the beauty with red hair. “They live in our building. And this is my brother, Ryan Shay.”
Logan’s cheeks turn a slight shade of rose. “I was going to come over here and pretend like I don’t know who you are, but the truth is, I’m a huge fan.”
Ryan laughs. “You’re married to the captain of the best hockey team in the league right now, and you’re a fan of mine?”
“Bullshit, right?” Maddison adds with sarcasm.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Logan begins. “I’m a hockey fan now, but basketball is my first love.”
Ryan clinks his bottle with Logan’s champagne flute. “My kind of people.”
“Well, we wanted to come over and say thank you guys for coming,” Maddison cuts in. “And Ryan, I saw you donated your family tickets and a one-on-one coaching session to the silent auction. That’s awesome, man, thank you.”