Free Delay of Game (The Baltimore Banners Book 6) by Lisa B. Kamps

living with my best friend! Did I say anything when you started dating Alyssa? No, I didn't. So Justin's your teammate. Big deal. You make it sound like I'm going out with all of them. It's only Justin. Dinner. One date." Well, technically it was just one date. Randy certainly didn't need to know about anything else.
    "Val, Justin has issues. He's a drunk."
    "No he's not." She really believed that, too, despite whatever was going on with him the last few months. But she didn't think it was a permanent thing, she really didn't.
    "Val, listen to me. He has issues. You can't make him one of your projects, thinking you're going to fix him."
    "Don't be ridiculous." She waved off his comment and tried to laugh but it sounded forced, even to her. "He's not a project. It's dinner. Just dinner. Not a big deal."
    "Val, I'm telling you, this is a bad idea. You don't know—"
    "Dinner. That's all. And I'm hungry, and you know how I get when I'm hungry, so I'm leaving now. Okay? Good." She didn't wait for Randy to say anything, figuring his frown said enough. She heard him muttering as she walked away but didn't pay any attention. Sometimes the best way to handle her big brother was just to ignore him. And in this case, that's exactly what she intended to do.
    She reached Justin and offered him a smile, a real one this time. "Sorry about that. All set?"
    "Val, maybe this isn't—"
    She reached up and placed her fingers across his mouth, cutting him off. She knew what he was going to say, that going out wasn't a good idea, that he changed his mind. She didn't want to hear that, didn't want him to even think that.
    Maybe she was doing everything backwards—no, she knew she was. Especially after the other night in her office. But she liked Justin, wanted to get to know him better. And no matter what her brother thought, she wasn't making him one of her projects.
    Val moved her hand away from Justin's mouth, placed it in the middle of his chest. Her palm warmed from the heat of his body and she could feel the beat of his heart under hand. Strong, steady.
    "I've really been looking forward to this since yesterday, so could we just ignore my brother and go have dinner?" The softness of her voice surprised even her, completely different, almost too serious, too needy. Val wanted to laugh, to shake it off and make a joke about it, but Justin's eyes warmed as he watched her. His mouth curled into a small smile, lighting his brown eyes, turning them to the color of warm chocolate. His hand closed over hers and he brought it to his mouth, dropping a quick kiss on the tips of her fingers. Then he lowered their clasped hands to his side and laced their fingers together, squeezing gently.
    "I'd like that." He squeezed her hand once more then headed toward the parking lot behind the restaurant, stopping when they reached a large truck painted a shiny metallic black.
    Val stopped when she saw it, then started laughing. Justin looked a little surprised and she quickly shook her head, trying to reassure him. "I'm not laughing at you, honest. I'm just surprised. I don't know why, though, because this is so you."
    "Well, I hope that's a good thing."
    "Trust me, it is." Val gave him another smile then studied the truck.
    Shiny black with chrome accents, the truck was a special edition recent model. Val didn't know much about trucks, but she'd seen the commercials for this particular model and knew it was a limited edition, that only a few hundred had been made. It sat high, on some kind of lift with oversized tires and custom bumpers. Looking at it, it probably had a lot more than just custom bumpers. She also knew it came with a hefty price tag, despite its understated looks. And it fit Justin, the exact kind of vehicle she had imagined he'd drive.
    Justin opened the door and helped her in, his hand brushing against her thigh as she settled herself in the soft leather seat. Sitting up high as she was, Val was actually looking down at Justin, his face level