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Speaking of moods, Turner walks up with his usual permanent stamp of disapproval on his face. “You need a ride home?”
“Huh?”
“A ride.”
“Where’s Gene?” I look around him, attempting to get a gander at the door.
“He’s…he asked me to come get you. He’s indisposed.”
“Indiswhat?”
Sighing, Turner slides onto the empty stool next to mine. “Club soda please,” he asks the young male bartender who scurries over with a look of unadulterated hero worship on his face.
Most of the time, I forget that Turner is a world class famous athlete. That he has fans. i.e. people that don’t know his personality is rough with a capital R.
“Regina Polizzi meet Jake Turner. Turner meet the owner of this fine establishment and my only friend.”
Grinning, Regina takes Jake’s outstretched hand. “I know who you are.”
Turner––he doesn’t smile. God forbid the man appear pleasant. Too much work.
“You’ll have to excuse him, G. Turner has a permanent case of the sadz. But he did save my life. He did do that. Probably regrets it now. Don’t cha, Turner? Don’t you wish you left me out there to become a human popsicle?”
“No.”
“That’s it. That’s all you have to say?”
“No. I don’t regret saving you from becoming a human popsicle.”
My attention swings back to Gina. She’s watching us closely, a smile pulling up one corner of her mouth.
“Isn’t he a hoot?”
Jake’s elbow bushes against mine and a sense of awareness zings up my arm.
My gaze flickers over him as I drink my water. The thin black sweater he’s wearing skims the swell of his chest. He trimmed his hair. It’s in one of those side parts now, in the same style every other pro athlete on the planet wears. But damn it looks good on him.
My eyes can’t seem to stay away. They’re bad, with no regard for manners whatsoever. In fact, I’m studying him so intensely I could get a PhD in his anatomy. While that goes on, my insides do that thing that I’m pretty sure they should not be doing about this man in particular. They flip out.
I don’t like myself very much right now.
Regina places her hands on the bar and leans in. “Hey, you know what I was going to ask you…are you dating anyone? Because Luca is back in town and he’s single again.”
Of course he’s single again. Luca is single every three months like clockwork. Regina’s middle brother is a total player. I would rather eat bad sushi.
“No…no, I…” How do I say this without insulting her brother. “We never had…any chemistry.”
It’s a total lie and Regina knows it. Last time Luca saw me I was seventeen. Back then, he wouldn’t have looked at me twice even if I was on fire.
Someone down the other end of the bar waves to Gina, a guy wearing a suit. “I’ll be just a minute, Care.”
“Take your time,” I tell her even though I don’t want to be alone with Turner longer than necessary. I’ve got a nice buzz going and I’d like to keep it that way.
“Like we have,” comes from my immediate right.
This requires my immediate attention. I glance over, and find him staring back at me. “Come again?”
Because I know I’m still tipsy and couldn’t have heard him correctly.
“Chemistry. You know, that thing between us.”
I scratch my temple. Maybe I’m drunker than I realize. “Chemistry?”
“Yeah.”
I’m confused. “You think we have chemistry?”
Dead serious, he nods. What do I do? I look around. This can’t be real. I look over his head. In the opposite direction. Either I’m in a fever dream or someone is punking me.
“Stop messing around. And where the hell is Gene?”
“Busy…” Turner’s gaze falls to my lips. “Tell me you don’t feel it.”
Wtf?
My pulse jumps. “We don’t have chemistry.” I can’t look at him as I say it though. I can’t keep the truth out of my eyes. I can’t do it drunk or sober. He’s got me completely boxed in.
Down the bar, Regina is directing her staff. She probably found our constant bickering boring. I can’t blame her.
Dark sapphire eyes hold mine for what feels like forever. So does the slow progress of heat marching up my neck. It’s not chemistry. It’s a sickness, this attraction.
“Anymore chemistry and we’d burn down the house if we ever slept together.”
Instantly, I picture him naked, and my cheeks burn red hot.
He leans in. “You’re thinking about it now, aren’t you…”
What has gotten into him?
“No. And the Lake Placid Fire Department can tuck in because it’s never gonna happen.”
Silence follows. So does a staring contest as per our usual routine. One...two...three beats later...
“We’ll see.” Sliding off the stool, he motions to the door. “Come on. It’s late and it looks like your friend needs to close up.”
I say goodbye to Gina spending a good ten minutes of that time insisting I pay for the drinks and her insisting she won’t let me. Then I follow Turner to the Expedition parked outside. He opens the door for me, and I slide in. Before he shuts it, however, he hangs on for a while.
