“Right.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Whywere you so jealous?”
“You’re kiddin’, right?”
She shook her head, and he blew out a breath. “Look, darlin’, it isn’t advertised on Navy recruitment posters, but the military isn’t above usin’ drugs to give their fighters the upper hand in combat. Various psychoactive pharmaceuticals are employed to suppress hunger, lengthen wakefulness, improve reflexes, etcetera. But nothin’ I ever took on a mission gave me the high I felt when I was around you. You made me feel alive like nothin’ else could. I wascrazyabout you, Chrissy. Still am. In fact, I—”
The words—the words—were perched on the tip of his tongue. But they refused to budge. It was like they were set in place with grappling hooks.
“In fact,” he said slowly so he could change directions, “I was so crazy when I saw that blond behemoth bend down and whisper in your ear, I did the first thing that came to mind. I told Anna to meet me in the storage closet.”
Chrissy blinked at him uncomprehendingly.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he groaned. “I wish there was a way I could explain this so I don’t come off like a total dickwad, but I was bein’ a total dickwad. So I’m goin’ to shoot you straight and hope you find it in your heart not to hold one really,reallybad decision against me.”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything.
He desperately wished she’d say something.Anything.A biting remark. An acerbic retort.Somethingto let him know what she was thinking. But for the first time in their acquaintance, she seemed perfectly happy letting him keep the conversational baton in hand.
“I wanted to run away, but I thought that’d be cowardly. So… I invited Anna to meet me in at the back of the bar. I reckoned I could kill two birds with one stone. I’d no longer have to watch you and your date canoodlin’ and I…” He winced. “I’d provide myself a little distraction.”
When Chrissy finally spoke, each word was a Tyson Fury haymaker straight to his solar plexus. “What a bunch of horseshit. You didn’t invite Anna to that storage closet because you thought that was better than simply leaving the bar. You invited her back there because you were jealous and you hoped to make me jealous too.”
He swallowed uncomfortably. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
“And you claim to be a good guy? You claim tocareabout me?” Two red flags flew in her cheeks, and hehatedthat he’d upset her.Again.
“I got no excuse.” His throat was raw, which made his voice sound like ten miles of bad country road. “My only explanation is, like I said, I’d never felt that way before. I didn’t have the first clue how to handle it. But please know, darlin’, I know better now. It’ll never happen again. And I’m so sorry—”
“Spare me another apology.” She stood from the toilet, nearly knocking him on his ass in the process.
“Christina…” He scrambled to his feet, grabbing her wrist to stop her from leaving the bathroom. “Please, I—”
“Do you have any idea how much youhumiliatedme?” Her eyes blazed with blue flames. “I didn’t like seeing you with that woman, but I told myself,It’s okay, Chrissy. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Suck it up and act like a grownup.And so I followed you thinking I’d convince you to bring your date over so you could meet my cousin—”
He opened his mouth but snapped it shut again when she pointed a finger in his face and snarled, “And if you tell meit wasn’t a dateone more time, so help me, I’m going to punch you in the dick.”
Twice in one mornin’ I’ve been threatened with that,he thought wretchedly.I’m winnin’ big today.
“And then when I stepped into the storage closet and you started kissing me, I actually thought,See? Itisme he wants.And I washappy,Wolf.Happy.And then you called me Anna and I knew it was her you wanted.”
His mind drifted back in time…
The storage closet was as dark as pitch and smelled of spilled beer and wet wood. The sounds of the band playing a Jimmy Buffet cover were muted, which allowed him to hear the heavy thud of his own heart.
The organ wasn’t beating with anticipation for the redhead’s imminent arrival, however. Its rhythm was one of hurt. Of confusion.
How could he have been so wrong? How could he have misread all the signs?
Sure, he hadn’t even stolen a kiss from Chrissy, but there’d been so much banter. So much flirting. So much…chemistry.
They were supposed to have their first date the very next night. Although, they’d agreed they’d known each other long enough that it didn’tfeellike a first date. More like a third or fourth date. Which made it that much more momentous. Morespecial.
That’s why he’d had Romeo fly him to Key West a day early. He wanted to buy some decent clothes. Tank tops and swim trunks weren’t going to cut it for a night out with the incomparable Christina Szarek. He wanted to look good for her. He wanted to impress her. He wanted…her.
All of her. Her mind. Her body. Her smiles. Her sarcastic conversational volleys.
He wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman.
