Heading out the door to his room for another shirt, Shane glanced over toward the pool table. Zoey had her back to him, and no one had seen a thing. He’d buy her another drink as soon as he changed his shirt, but as he took the stairs two by two, he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling that the spilled juice had been a big fat neon sign, flashing those same words he’d repeated to himself so many times this past year.
Stay away from women.
Chapter 2
The door had barelyslammed behind her when Krista stripped off her sticky, orange juice–soaked top and tossed it on the floor.
Dammit. What the hell was wrong with her these days? Constantly running around like a headless chicken, bouncing from one embarrassing incident to another.
“Yeah, you’re justsocool, Krista Gervais,” she snapped at her reflection in the hotel mirror. “Way to go—and now you’re talking to yourself.”
She dropped onto her bed and buried her head in her hands. Man, she sucked at being cool and chic and—dare she say it in these modern times—ladylike.
Thing was, Krista was always one of the guys. Sweating out with them in the gym or carrying the beers and shooting pool with them after work. This was the first time she’d attempted to hang out with them in high heels and a pair of lacy panties constantly creeping up her ass. The combination of unsteady legs and itchy material where it really didn’t belong was a world apart from the practical sports underwear she lived in. She slipped off her shoes. How the hell did women walk in those things anyway?
And of course, of all the people, she just had to crash into Shane McDermit.
She was still living down all the other times he’d caught her in an embarrassing situation. Like the time he’d walked in on her using the men’s washrooms, and then a couple weeks ago, he’d witnessed her dropping a whole bottle of sanitizer, which by some freak chance cracked and spilled all over the sports therapy room floor, and then last Friday night.Oh, god. Her younger sister Lisa had rocked up at the center in tears with Deranged Duane behind her, and of course it had to be Shane who’d walked past just as Krista yelled across the parking lot, “Dude! Leave my sister the fuck alone. She’s not into you!”
Perfect. Just perfect.What a truly professional image to flaunt in front of a star Olympic athlete. If she carried on like this, she’d be classed as a distraction. An amateur. A liability. And she wouldn’t have a hope in hell of traveling with Team Canada to the next Olympics.
The ringing of her phone cut through her embarrassment. Lisa’s name flashed on the readout.
“Go away,” Krista said as soon as she connected the call.
“If you don’t want to speak to me, why answer?”
“Because I’m curious about something,” Krista huffed. “How the hell can you wear such uncomfortable underwear?”
“Aha!” Lisa hooted. “So you did pack them!”
Lisa had been horrified when she’d seen Krista’s vacation underwear selection. But despite Krista’s insistence that there would be no need for lace on this hiking trip, Lisa had been as persistent as ever. “If you want to get Ryan into bed,” she’d said, “you’d better take these instead.” She’d then dumped an armful of red and black lace on to Krista’s bed. “Take your pick. And remember—dress to undress.”
Good thing that she and Lisa were exactly the same dress size—or maybe not.
“These panties of doom are coming off.” Krista scrubbed her face with her free hand. “And the shoes are already off. Thongs and high heels are not a good mix for me.”
