Excerpt of Play Fair by L.P. Maxa

When I got home I headed upstairs with the intention of checking on Landry and then heading to bed. I didn’t want to wake Bryan, and I didn’t want to look too closely at the way I’d booked it out of that club. As I reached the top of the stairs I head Bryan’s voice and Landry’s giggles. I glanced down at my watch; it was after midnight at this point. I poked my head into her room. “Hello my beautiful girls. What are y’all still doing up?”

They both smiled when they saw me, and I ignored the way my heart leapt. “You’re home.” Bryan said it like a statement. Not a question.

I grinned. “Yeah. Turns out I rather be here.”

She held up a large hardbound book. “Landry asked me to read to her and we both kind of lost track of time.” Bryan closed the book and put it on the nightstand. “It’s late sweet girl, we’ll read more tomorrow.”

I walked across the room, leaning down to kiss Landry’s forehead. “Good night, Buttercup.”

“’Night, Jacks.”

We both headed across the hall to my room and collapsed on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Bryan lightly slapped my thigh. “You can go meet back up with Luke, if you want. She’ll be asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. No worries here, if that’s what you came home for.”

“Nah, I’m right where I want to be.” And that was the God’s honest truth.

She was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound in the room was us breathing, each struggling with the right words. Finally she moved to face me, I automatically did the same. “Good. I’m pretty happy where I am right now too.”

She was so damn pretty. I could get lost in those blue eyes of hers. I fought the urge to kiss her plump pink lips. Friends don’t kiss. And we were just friends. Maybe if I said just friends in my head enough times I’d start to believe it. “Want to watch a movie?” I didn’t want her to leave me.

She grinned, a wicked glint in her beautiful eyes. “I have a better idea.”

I shifted closer to her on the bed, playing along. “Oh yeah?”

She bit her bottom lip, nodding.

My dick strained against my zipper. He was still pissed that I’d denied him earlier, not turned on by Bryan’s flirty banter. “What did you have in mind, baby doll?”

She rolled over and grabbed a hot pink bag from the floor beside my bed. “I bought us a present today…”

I shifted onto my stomach, taking the bag from her hands and hiding my massive hard on. I pulled out the tissue paper, tossing it over my shoulder. “What?! You got Zombies 5? I didn’t even know this was out yet!”

She giggled, putting her hand over my mouth. “Shhh…you’re going to wake up Landry and this game is definitely not suitable for children.” She sat up. “I’ll go get ready for bed in Luke’s bathroom.” She paused on her way out the door. “Change clothes. You smell like sex and whiskey.”

“B…I couldn’t, I mean, I didn’t…uh, nothing happened.”

She shook her head, “Jacks, it’s none of my business. I just rather not, um, just shower, okay?”

I nodded. My heart was racing; the distress I felt at her thinking I’d been with someone else was unwelcome. And it was freaking me the fuck out. I was pacing around my room. Why did it matter so much? Why did her thinking that bother me? Probably the same damn reason I’d run out of that club like it was on fucking fire.

Because I was falling for my best friend.