Chapter 12 – Pretending You Are Mine Novel

“Are we interrupting?” I hear Hornsby ask. I look up to find him gripping a very pregnant Penny.

“Not at all.” I stand. “Penny, would you like to sit down?”

“Would love to,” she says while sitting next to Ollie. She presses her hand to her stomach and says, “I’m Penny. That hunk of meat over there got me pregnant, and I’m ready to not have this baby in my belly anymore.”

Ollie chuckles. “I’m Ollie, and I can’t imagine how you feel at the moment. For what it’s worth, your boobs look amazing.”

Penny claps her hand over her chest and, in a choked-up voice, says, “Thank you, that means so much to me.”

“Could you imagine if I met you for the first time and told you your dick looked nice in your jeans?” Hornsby asks.

Hands in my pockets, I say, “Wouldn’t hurt to hear it every once in a while.”

“Ahhh,” Ollie coos. “Silas, your dick looks fantastic in your jeans.”

Well fuck me, that makes me smile.

Smile and blush, because she didn’t just tell me my dick looked good. She also let her eyes fall to my crotch and paused for a moment and stared.

I rock on my heels and say, “Thanks, babe.”

“Oh my God, I love them already,” Penny says, clapping her hands, and I kind of feel bad at this moment, my friends meeting Ollie and thinking we’re a real couple. I can see the girls becoming attached. And when this is over, whenever that is, what the hell am I going to say to them? “So how did you two meet?”

Ah, fucking hell . . .

“Well, we were both in the doctor’s office,” Ollie starts, a conspiratorial look in her eyes.

Here we go.

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OLLIE

“You okay?” I ask as we travel through the arena and up to the clubhouse.

“Yeah,” Silas answers, a slight hobble in his step.

“Are you sure? It feels like you’re limping.”

“Just really fucking sore and exhausted.”

“Your eyes do look tired. They’re slightly bloodshot.”

“They are?” Silas asks. “Fuck, they feel heavy.”

“Do you want to leave?” I ask, even though I want to spend a touch more time with Silas and his teammates.

Coming into today, I was nervous, scared, and so frightened to make a bad impression that I knew I was trembling as we walked into the arena. I don’t know what came over me. I’m usually not the kind of person who settles into their feelings and exposes them on the outside. Maybe it was the way Silas handled himself at my event that I felt like I had to match his energy. I don’t know, but now that I’m here and have met everyone, I feel a lot more comfortable. So comfortable that I want to get to know them more.

“I would love to leave,” Silas says, “but that’s not an option. I have to show my face upstairs.”

“Well, after that,” I say. “You just let me know when.”

“I will,” he says as he presses the up button for the elevator. “Are you having a good time?”

“I am. I think your friends are awesome. Penny and Winnie are pretty cool too.”

“They are. Penny is all over the place right now with her pregnancy hormones. Hornsby has been dealing with a lot.”

“She’s carrying the baby. He can suffer through it.”

“Very fair point,” Silas says. The elevator dings, he slips his hand into mine, and we walk into an open hallway together. Off to the right is a glassed-off suite, and from the outside looking in, I can see purple, black, and silver decorations, resembling the team’s colors—something I just learned today. It’s embarrassing how clueless I’ve been.

“Smells good,” I say as we approach the door.

“The food is always amazing here.” He opens the door for me, and he ushers me in, a crowd of people by the tables and the buffet. Holding my hand tightly, he guides me in that direction.

“Is that a catering dish full of meatballs?” I ask, my eyes zeroing in, my stomach growling.

But Silas doesn’t answer me.

He doesn’t even acknowledge me.

When I glance up at him, I immediately notice the clench to his jaw and the stiffness in his shoulders. I follow his line of sight and spot a woman over by the plates and napkins. Long blonde hair, gorgeous pouty lips, and a curvy body shown off by high-waisted pants and a skintight long-sleeve bodysuit.

I know, without even having to ask, that’s Sarah.

And she’s so freaking gorgeous.

Filled out in all the right places. Poised. Confident. Styled. I feel like a child compared to her.

And experiencing the way Silas reacts when he sees her, it makes me feel . . . inferior in so many ways. This is ridiculous because I shouldn’t care how he looks at her or his reaction to her, but here I am, growing an army of insecurities in my head when I shouldn’t. I mean, they were high school sweethearts, which means Sarah is ten years my senior as well. What does that matter, Ollie? We aren’t romantically involved. Although, how will I make Sarah feel inferior when the woman standing in front of me is superior in looks?

I’m about to ask him if he wants to leave, but then she turns and spots Silas. I watch as her lips turn up, and she sets down the plates she’s handing out to walk up to Silas, completely ignoring me standing right next to him.

“Silas, oh my God,” she says as she steps right up and throws her arms around him.

He lets go of my hand and returns the embrace, leaving me standing there watching them, feeling foolish.

His hand falls to the small of her back, and his head drops down as she squeezes him tighter.

“It’s so great to see you,” Sarah says. Even her voice is sexy. When she pulls away, I notice just how breathtakingly beautiful she is with her ocean-blue eyes, full lashes, and carved cheekbones. She has an air of sophistication about her that I know I don’t have. She’s grown-up, mature, her own person, and I’m over here, still trying to figure out my life.

This was not what I was expecting when I considered meeting Silas’s ex-girlfriend. I thought I’d float in, show off, and make her jealous. Somehow, it feels like the exact opposite.

“Hey,” Silas says, his voice gruff.

“I’m glad you came. I was afraid you might not, given how I work here now.” She completely ignores me, and to my horror, so does Silas. “And that’s a stupid assumption since this is your home, but I want you to know I didn’t intentionally seek out this job. A recruiter approached me. I wouldn’t have taken it if it wasn’t a dream opportunity. The last thing I want to do is invade your space.”

“It’s fine,” Silas says as he pulls on the back of his neck while his eyes travel the length of her.

It almost seems like a hungry look.

She toes the ground, and it’s so fucking cute it makes me feel like an ogre, standing off to the side, wondering if he’s going to introduce me.

“You look good, by the way,” she says as she reaches out and touches his sweater. “I always thought dark blue looked the best on you.”

He nods. “You look good too, Sarah.”

Well . . . fuck.

It’s one thing to say hi.

It’s another thing to completely forget that your fake girlfriend is standing next to you, watching you interact with your ex-girlfriend that you’ve said you have no feelings for. Uh, it looks like someone needs to check themselves again because from where I’m standing, no way in hell is Silas over this girl.

Finally, after what feels like hours, Sarah spots me and smiles sweetly. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Sarah.”

As if that snapped Silas out of his Sarah-induced coma, he places his hand on the small of my back and says, “This is Ollie . . . my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Sarah says in surprise. “Oh wow, I just assumed she was your assistant or an intern.” She shakes my hand, then gives me a once-over. “You’re so young.”

God, do I want to grow claws and scratch her across the face. It might not be obvious to others, but it’s obvious to me. She’s trying to make me seem less than I am, and to hell if I’m going to let that happen. If there is one type of person I know how to deal with, it’s a bitchy one.

“Thank you, I can give you the name of my night cream if you want. It works wonders.”

Her face falls flat.

“I know the eye area is so hard to combat when you get older,” I add for the hell of it.

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