We’d just gotten home from our road trip and I was wiped, but Chooch was dealing with some relationships issues. He and his fiancée were not doing well and he didn’t want to go home right away. He asked me to meet him near his house for a drink. Audrey recognized me and reintroduced herself. She was friendly and welcoming, even bought Chooch and me a round of drinks. I’d managed to bring the small talk around to Shayne without being pathetically obvious. Long after Chooch left, I was still there chatting to Audrey. And then her boyfriend, Josh, showed up and he recognized me. I had just hired Sutter Brothers Financial Group about four months ago and Josh works with Paul, my financial advisor. He’d seen me in the office and he knew I was a Winterhawk. He and Audrey both invited me to the barbeque.
How could I say no? Shay was all I had thought about on our road trip. I’d had more than my fair share of hookups in places a lot weirder than a gym laundry room. But there was something about doing that with Shay that made it somehow dirtier, sexier, hotter than I’d ever experienced. I think it was the conflict I could see on her face. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, but there was a glimmer of nervousness in her eyes that intrigued me. She was all smart mouth and tough words, but something soft and innocent was underneath. I really wanted to discover it.
Then this morning Shay mentioned her car was dead and I decided to be bold and just show up here and drive her to the party. I hadn’t thought twice about it until I got here. Now I have nothing to do but wait and overthink this bold move. Will she be grateful for the lift? Will she think it’s sweet? Stalkerish? Nah…she’ll like the confidence, even if she won’t admit it.
Still, when she saunters out of the building at 5:15 p.m., I’m actually nervous. She’s changed out of the yoga pants and staff shirt and into a soft, black, strapless dress that reaches the sidewalk. She’s got on a turquoise necklace and matching earrings and her long, wavy brown hair is loose. She makes my dick hard.
Shayne is digging in her bag, not watching where she’s going, so I step right out in front of her, and she slams into me. I grab her by the waist to keep her from falling over as she bounces off my chest. The impact causes her sunglasses to tumble back off the top of her head, and I reach out with one hand and catch them behind her back before they shatter on the pavement.
“Good reflexes,” she says in a stunned voice. I take the sunglasses and slide them gently on top of her head again. My other arm is still around her back, holding her to me. She doesn’t attempt to step away.
“You should watch where you’re going,” I say is a hushed whisper as I stare down at her intently. My head is dipped, and hers is tilted up, so our foreheads are almost touching.
She blinks, regaining her composure. “You should watch whereyou’regoing.”
“I knew exactly where I was going,” I say and wink at her.
She frowns, slips her sunglasses over her eyes and speaks with an aloof tone. “I’ve got to go.”
“Date?” I can’t help but ask, even though I know the answer and that’s not it.
“Plans,” she replies evasively, and shrugs her tiny, tanned shoulders. I wish those sunglasses weren’t covering her pretty gray eyes. They’re the most expressive part of her, and right now I’d love to know what she’s thinking.
“So how are you getting to those plans?” I ask as I lean back against the light pole again. “Someone picking you up?”
She laughs breathlessly and shakes her head. “Seattle has a very good public transit system, Frenchie.”
She starts to walk down the sidewalk past me but I reach out and grab her wrist, spinning her back to face me. “You know what’s better than city transit? My Aston Martin.”
“If you’re into pretentious vehicles that scream ‘I have a small penis,’ then yes, I guess it is better,” she retorts, but she’s letting me pull her toward the small parking lot where my car is.
I click the remote to unlock the doors, and then I pull open the passenger door and wink at her. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with my size.”
Her lips twitch at that, and she says simply, “The details are blurry. I don’t remember much about it at all, really.”
Ouch.
I motion toward the open car door, but she stands perfectly still and just stares at me. Is she really going to get on a bus instead of spending time with me? Really?! “I’ll take you to your barbeque.”
Her eyes grow wide. “How do you know where I’m going?”
“I called the psychic hotline,” I quip back. When the only motion she makes is to cross her arms I add, “Get in the car and I’ll explain on the way there. Promise.”
She sighs heavily and takes a step toward the open passenger door. As she slips by me I whisper in her ear, “I remember every single second of that night.”
“It was a long time ago,” she mutters quietly but with a tone in her voice that says that bothers her. Good. That means she missed me, even though she won’t admit it.
“I know. I’ll explain that too. Eventually.” I slip into the driver’s seat and start the car and glance over at her. I swiftly veer out into traffic and hit the gas pedal. She glares at me through her sunglasses. “How do you know about the barbeque?”
“We have mutual friends,” I reply.
“Who?”
“Relax, Shay, honey.”
“My name is Shayne,” she huffs.
“Whatever, Shay.”
