“Could we talk, please?”
“I told you,no.”
Yeah, I really wasn’t a fan ofGage.“Bud, do you mind? We’re on a date, and I prefer Fletch’s time all to myself, no offense.”
Gage winced and took a step back. “He calls you Fletch?”
Hm, was that a secret name for her that I shouldn’t’ve have said? I put my arm on the back of her stool, not quite touching her but also sending a message to Gage.
Klutzy McGee—AKA Fletcher— reached for my beer and took a large swig. Her throat bobbed, and half my glass was gone, but I didn’t mind too much. I couldn’t figure out the dynamic between her and Gage, and I wasn’t going to move until I did. I needed to make sure she was safe from beefcake Gage.
“Where’s Cami?” my pretend-date asked, her voice gaining strength that wasn’t there before. Maybe it was liquid courage, but I liked the way her voice sounded. Deep, smooth, no-nonsense. “Shouldn’t you be talking to my sister?”
Oh, shit. Sister!What did Gage do? Fletcher’s face hardened, making her petite features way more intimidating than I would’ve thought. She might’ve been frazzled before, but there was a fire in her now. I was into it.
Gage paled and ran a hand over his face. “It’s not like that, Fletch. She’s just… wild. You know that. It didn’t mean anything.”
“This conversation is over.” Fletcher’s tone had a finality to it that had me sitting up straighter. If this doofus didn’t march back to his friends, I was gonna be pissed.
She turned her back to him, her left hand shaking, and I covered it with mine. I didn’t know much about this chick, but whatever she was going through didn’t seem easy or fun. Footsteps signaled Gage’s departure, but I didn’t care about him anymore.
Fletcher was way more intriguing. She had long brown hair and large eyes. Her lashes were extremely long which I appreciated. Girls with big eyes made me do stupid things—like pretend to date them at a bar. Plus, her t-shirt hung off one of her shoulders, showing off her slender collarbones—I had a weakness for those too. A trio of birthmarks sat right where her neck met her shoulder.
“So, girlfriend, we gonna talk about what just happened, or…?” I let go of her hand, and the strangest thought intruded. When was the last time I held someone’s hand? I wasn’t lonely by any means, but a connection that went on longer than an evening? Damn. It’d been...awhile. Plus, her hand was so small and petite under mine.
“Nope. I’m going to finish your beer, buy another one, and give myself some liquid courage.” She did just that. She downed my beer and gave me the side-eye. “You judging me?”
“I would never.”
That made her snort, and she finally relaxed into the stool. “You actually mean that, don’t you?”
“Absolutely. We rarely know what people are going through. Who am I to make assumptions about you for running into me and then making me pretend to date you without an explanation as to who that Gage guy is?”
“Sarcasm came out there.”
“Shit, it didn’t, didn’t it?” I said, my lips twitching.
She laughed, and the deep sound did something to my chest. It made me want to hear it again. “Okay, you’re charming. What’s your name?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer. “Reiner, Naomi. This is perfect. You’re both here. Two birds, one stone, you know the drill. Come on, let’s get a booth. I hate sitting on those damn stools.”
My pretend girlfriend had different names. That made her all the more interesting, but we stared at each other.
“Why are you meeting Coach Simpson?” I asked first, already moving off the stool and trying to read her face. What could this chick with three names have to do with the hockey team?
“Why are you meeting withmy dad?” she asked, her eyes wider than before.
“Coach Simpson is yourfather?”
Klutzy McGee—Fletcher—Naomi slid off her stool and walked by me, her lemon scent infiltrating my thoughts and distracting me for a second. The feisty cute woman was the daughter of the hockey coach?
Well, shit.
CHAPTER TWO
Naomi
My entire face burned after running into—literally—the guy named Reiner. His stare was so intense that my nervous system threatened to strike, and my rational, linear mind went AWOL. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen, and the tattoos covering his arms...I wanted to file each one away and study them like a spreadsheet. The dark blue color of his eyes was a mixture of the ocean and navy, and the way the Central State shirt fit him? The dude was buff.
