“He sleeps around?”
“I don’t think so. It’s more like he likes being adored.”
“Ah—well, that’s not uncommon around here.” She smirked, teasing him. He gave her a smolder, and she laughed in his face. “Lady-killer.”
“Are you talking about me?” Rowdy appeared from the visiting dugout. He wore an Atlanta hat and a polo shirt without a logo and a pair of jeans that no man should look that good in. If she had to spend the evening with a man who was not Brayden, this was a pretty nice option.
Gunner glanced at Tilly. “I think I’ll head out. Have a nice time, you two.”
Tilly smiled. “We will.”
Rowdy hooked his arm around her, his hand settling on her hip. It didn’t mold to her curves like Brayden’s, and his arm was stiff behind her back. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” She’d given her keys to Clover and asked her to drive her Jeep back tonight. Dustin would follow her to Tilly’s house and give her a ride home. “I’m starving.”
“You and me both.” He rubbed his flat belly. They started up the stairs. “So, Tilly, tell me about yourself.”
Tilly took a deep breath. This date felt like a new beginning. How could it not? They were starting from scratch. Rowdy had no idea that she’d once biked from Logan to St. George or that she ran the Ragnar every year with the other employees from the climbing company. She was mysterious and could create the person she wanted Rowdy to know. There was a sense of freedom that came with the power. There was also a huge sense of loss. She didn’t want to date again, to have to learn someone’s quirks or pet peeves, to tiptoe around the big topics. She didn’t like the vulnerability of putting herself out there for rejection.
Dinner was exhausting. Not because Rowdy wasn’t holding up his end of the conversation—he was—but she was bored talking about herself. He had some fun stories, but he continued to pepper her with questions. He was probably being a wonderful date; he just wasn’t … Brayden.
For the love of Pete.
They were in the car, on the way to her place, when Rowdy asked, “How do you feel about kisses on the first date?”
“I’m not opposed to them as a general rule.”
“Good to know.” He grinned and took her hand as he drove.
She’d kissed Brayden within the first twenty minutes of their first date. Well, he’d kissed her. Her mind drifted back to that day. They’d headed up to the Emerald Pools Trail and hiked to the first set of waterfalls. There were two, and they were stunning. She’d stopped to look up at them, the breezing lifting the spray though the air and cooling her skin. Brayden had watched her. She could feel his eyes sliding over every inch of her face, and her breath hitched.
“You’re really quite beautiful, do you know that?” Brayden’s voice was husky, intimate.
She’d ducked her head. His compliment had been so sincere, so unscripted, that it sprang right to her heart, opening up feelings she didn’t know she was capable of—especially with a man she’d just met. But there they were, in the mist of a waterfall, and his hands cupped her cheeks, his eyes telling her that he felt the enormousness of the moment as much as she did. When their lips met, she’d forgotten where she was; there was only Brayden and his kiss. From that point on, they’d both seemed to know that there was no point being apart, because they were born to be one.
Her fingers brushed to her lips. She missed kissing. Kissing Brayden most, and kissing in general. It was fun, and she liked the surge of feel-good hormones rushing through her body. She was caught up in memories of her and Brayden, entangled and lip-locked, when Rowdy pulled up to her house.
They made it to the doorstep, and she turned to face him. “Thank you for dinner.” She’d been able to eat more than she’d thought she would—mostly because a mouthful of food kept her from having to talk.
Rowdy leaned over, and she realized he was going to kiss her. She wasn’t mentally ready and ended up fumbling the beginning. Rowdy gave her a moment to catch up and then expertly maneuvered his way around her mouth. She was aware of all the right motions, but the kiss was hollow—like an echo of a kiss instead of the real thing.
When they broke apart, her gaze went right to Brayden’s front window. His porch light was off. Had he made it home yet? Coaches didn’t have to stick around for postgame cooldowns and clubhouse dinners. She refocused on Rowdy. “You’re headed out in the morning?”
“Yep. But I wouldn’t mind connecting with you again.”
The team was scheduled to leave for Atlanta in the morning. It was unlikely that Rowdy would be in St. George anytime soon, so she felt comfortable smiling and saying, “That would be great.”
He left with her cell phone number in his contacts list and a jaunty swagger to his steps. He must have had a better kiss than she had.
Not that it was bad. He was seriously talented in that area—probably from all the practice he had with women on the road. She shook her head at herself. There was no telling if that was the truth or if Gunner had made it up. If it was true, she wouldn’t mind spending time with him; he could become a friend. If it wasn’t, she might try kissing him again to see if time made a difference in her butterflies’ ability to respond to a handsome man’s kiss.
And she still wasn’t sure that Brayden hadn’t sent Gunner out to interfere with her evening.
She went inside to get ready for bed. Her phone rang. She fumbled getting it out, wondering if she had enough battery for a phone call. The caller ID said it came from the Redrocks’ organization. She answered quickly. “Hello?”
“Hi, Tilly. This is Adam Gomez. How are you?”
Tilly pulled her phone away and looked at it. The Senior Travel Coordinator was calling her at midnight? She yanked the receiver back to her ear. “Fine. Thanks for asking.” Her fingers probed her eye. It had healed completely. To look at her now, you’d never know she’d had the world’s biggest shiner.
