The Best Mistake - Cookie O'Gorman Page 0,5

in the emergency room.

It hadn’t happened yet, but with Baylor and Dex’s I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude, I lived in fear of the day it did.

“We done here?” I said.

“Seriously, how long’s it been since you got some?”

Before I could tell him to back off, this girl threw herself at me, thinking I was Baylor, too plastered to tell the difference. My brother did nothing to help. He just stood there, grinning.

Again: why me?

I managed to free myself and was about to head upstairs, when Baylor said, “You need to get laid, Archer. The sooner the better.”

Couldn’t say I disagreed.

I hadn’t answered Baylor’s question—and I never would—but it had been a while for me. A looooong while. I’d say, besides my saint of a brother, Chase, I was probably the most sexually inactive person on the team. Between games, course work, taking care of my siblings, I hadn’t had the time. Girls were great, but I didn’t want a different hookup every night. That life just didn’t appeal to me. Baylor had a short attention span and valued quantity over quality. I was a one-woman kind of guy. Now, I just needed to find the right one.

Upstairs, alone in my and Baylor’s room, I chucked the vodka in the trash, closed my eyes…and saw red.

Damn.

I could still see her in my mind. Could recall every detail about the girl in the red dress with perfect clarity. Even with the loud music, she’d cut through the noise. She was beautiful. She was hot. And she’d been looking at me…right up until I left.

Running my hands through my hair, I sighed heavily.

Now, she’d probably end up going off with one of my teammates.

Or one of my brothers.

Just the thought made me feel ill.

“Ah, fuck,” I said, flopping back on the bed.

A sound near the door drew my attention. Squinting, I turned my head, thought I might’ve been seeing things, but no. Like something out of a dream, the girl in the red dress stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

Reaching for the lamp, I sat up, clicked it on…

And yeah, she was still here.

“Hi,” I said when she just stood there, something small and square resting in her right hand.

She took a deep breath, seeming to steel herself. And damn my eyes, I had to fight to keep my gaze on her face. She was even more beautiful up close.

“Are you looking for someone?”

After a moment, she nodded and met my gaze. “You.”

“Me?” I repeated like some kind of idiot.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ve been looking for you all night actually.”

When something amazing like this happens, you’re not supposed to question it. I knew that. I did. Hell, it wasn’t something that happened every day: girl you’ve been dreaming about literally appears seconds later. But I had to ask, “Do we know each other?”

“No,” she said, a small smile on her lips, “but we will after tonight.”

I swallowed. “That sounds good.”

Right as the words left my lips, I felt like a fool, but her laugh was like music to my ears. The swaying of her hips as she crossed the room distracted me completely. There was no room for embarrassment. I was too focused on her slow movements toward the bed.

“Those are nice shoes,” I said, noticing the red hot heels.

“Thanks,” she said, taking another step, “they’re—”

A gasp left her lips as she seemed to trip on air, started to fall, but my reflexes kicked in, honed from years of baseball practice. Something fell to the floor, but it barely registered. I was there in a heartbeat, catching her in my arms, her hands gripping my biceps for dear life.

“Easy there,” I mumbled, the feel of her cheek on my chest nothing short of amazing. “You were saying…about the shoes?”

“Borrowed,” she finished, frowning as she regained her footing. “They’re obviously not mine which is why I almost faceplanted. Stupid heels. I swear they have it out for me.”

I felt my lips twitch—which was odd for me. I hardly ever smiled, but it was hard not to laugh.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, peeking up from beneath her lashes. “For catching me.”

“No problem,” I said.

She looked down, a blush rising to her cheeks, and I tilted her chin back up to meet my gaze. I was still at least a head taller than her even with the sky-high heels.

“We should probably sit down though. You know, in case the shoes decide to make another attempt on your life.”

Rolling her eyes at herself, she took my hand