Heat swept across my chest. Malik was hot. I’d give her that. But I didn’t want to watch her friend fawn over him, damn it. I’d have to remember he was there for me, but I’d have to keep my wits about me. “Yeah, that’s um, that’s great. Then I guess it’ll work out.”
“I’ve been Googling nicer restaurants we could go to,” she said.
“You have?” Of course she had. I should have predicted this. “What are your thoughts?”
“The Wrigley Mansion has a spectacular restaurant, featuring wondrous views and a renowned chef. Or there’s a place calledOcean Club that’s in an outdoor shopping mall in Scottsdale,” she said. “We could walk around the shops before or after we eat.”
So I could buy her more expensive gifts, no doubt. I paced the hallway, passing a fake plant on a modern sofa table. “Ocean Club, so it has seafood, I take it.” Malik loved seafood. If we’d do this, I should go to a place he’d enjoy.
“Yes, they have this amazing seafood tower with lots of crab, lobster, oysters, you name it.”
“Let’s plan to go there then. I’ll make reservations for six o’clock that Saturday night.” It would give us time to walk around the shops before dinner. I stopped and rubbed my temple. How the hell would I drop her off at the end of the night without her wanting to hook up? Maybe Malik would have some ideas. We’d have to plan this out beforehand.
“Great, so we can spend the day together shopping and then have dinner and maybe hit a nightclub? Tiffany told me there are some fun places in downtown Scottsdale.”
“Uh…” How could I escape this? “Let’s see how tired Malik and I are. We’ll be playing a big game the night before.” I strolled toward my room. I was ready to end this conversation.
“What are we doing after your game? What time do you think you’ll be done? I’ve heard the players go to a lot of parties after the games.” She snickered. “Tiffany is in a sorority, so I’m sure she’ll know where the best frat party is.”
Oh, good God. As I stopped at the door to my room, I pinched my nose. “Sure, see what she can find out.” And here, Dad wanted me to take her to the best places. A frat party wasn’t what he had in mind. But if it kept her from complaining about me to him, I was up for it. “Hey, Ella, I need to go. There’s a team meeting starting in a few minutes.” There wasn’t, but she wouldn’t know. I only wanted to go back to Malik.
“A team meeting? Okay, well, call me tomorrow when you get home.” She freed a long sigh. “I’ll speak to Tiffany in the meantime.”
“Sure.” Fuck, why did I have to call her? A text would be enough. I brushed my fingers along the doorknob, resting my forehead against the door.
“Talk to you soon and play well tonight,” she said.
“I’ll do my best. Bye.” I ended the call, slipped my keycard from the pocket of my joggers and stepped inside.
“Done with your phone call?” Malik, lying on the bed with his back against the headboard, opened his arms.
“I am.” As my lips tugged into a grin and warmth crept through my heart, I crawled over the bed and lay next to him on my side, my cheek resting against his shoulder.
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head. “How was the call? What did she want?”
“She wanted to talk about our plans for Thanksgiving. I told her you’d be joining us, so she should bring her friend.” I snuck my hand under the hem of his t-shirt and flattened it across hisabs. “We should talk about how to handle the evening with them. She wants to go to Ocean Club. Have you ever been there?” I lifted my head, my gaze meeting his.
“I’ve heard of it. It’s super expensive.” His jaw muscle bulged.
“My father’s paying, so don’t worry about that.” I skimmed my fingers up his stomach and across his nipple. It peaked under my touch. Only a few hours had gone by since we’d last had each other. I wanted only to feel close to him, to make certain he understood how little Ella meant to me.
His breath hitched, and his eyes darkened. “Grey…” Scraping his teeth across his lower lip, he said, “Tell me what else you spoke about.”
“She wants us to go to a frat party after the game. Then before the dinner at Ocean Club, we’ll walk the shops with them. I guess the restaurant is in a shopping mall?”
“Yep, Kierland. It’ll be decorated for Christmas that weekend. It’s a high-end area.” He peered toward the ceiling. “That would’ve been a pleasant date, just for us.”
“We can go again without the girls.” My heart ached for him. “Malik? I’m as unhappy about this as you are.” I spread my hand across the middle of his chest, brushing the stubble between his pecs.
“I understand. It’s just…what if you said no to your father? What if you told him she wasn’t the one for you?” His gaze fell on mine.
“I can’t do that without having at least one date with her.” I knew my dad. He’d say I hadn’t given her a chance. “Tell you what, after Thanksgiving I’ll tell him it didn’t work out.” I shifted higher on the bed, studying him.
“Yeah, okay.” His lips flattened. “But what if you hit it off with her?”
“That won’t happen. I’d already like her if that were the case.” Shit, what if Malik hit it off with Tiffany? No, I wouldn’t go there.I pressed a kiss against his cheek. “You have nothing to worry about. Please trust me on this.”
“Yeah, okay.” He turned to face me. “I like what we have, Grey. I’ve never…” As his gaze darted between my eyes, he sank his teeth into his lower lip.