“Hi,” she said, offering her hand.“It’s nice to meet you, Taz.”
Her hand was small and soft, in mine, and I had a crazy flash of that hand getting me off.What the hell was wrong with me?
I cleared my throat, releasing her, as I took a step back before glancing at Codie.Thankfully she wasn’t giving me a filthy look, so she couldn’t be a mind reader.
“I’m just going to run upstairs and get changed,” Codie said to her sister.“And give my husband a kick in the ass.I swear he takes longer than I do in that bathroom.”
Grace laughed as she made her way to the fridge while I tried not to stare at her ass.
Damn.She was wearing short white shorts, a pink V-neck fitted t-shirt, and white flip-flops, and it reminded me of the double scoops of ice cream I’d loved as a kid.Strawberry and vanilla.On a sugar cone.Sweet.Sticky.Drip.Lick.I wasn’t thinking about ice cream anymore.
“You look like you could use a beer.”She grinned as she wrapped her lips around a pop bottle, while her aqua eyes sparkled with amusement.She knew exactly what she was doing to me, and she clearly liked it.
“I could.”
She winked.“I’m sure my sister has already told you this is a booze-free zone, but Jimmy’s isn’t.You know it?”
“Uh, yeah.Why?”
She licked her glossy lips and pressed the bottle against her open neckline, drawing my attention to the lacy outline of her white bra through the thin fabric.
“You could meet me there for a beer later.After you finish up with Mav.”She didn’t wait for me to respond, before she said, “Hand me your phone.Let me give you my number.”
Was she for real?Girls that looked like her didn’t come on to guys like me unless they had a death wish.I’d die before I’d hurt a woman, but I had dangerous written all over me.
“What?You’re not interested?”
I slid my phone across the stone countertop.“No password.Gimme your number.”
She smiled as she typed her info.into my contacts.“I could probably meet you there by ten.If that works for you?”
“Yeah, that works.”I should probably tell her I didn’t date, but I’d be down for a one-nighter if that was her thing.Before I had the chance, Mav returned with his wife, and Codie made the introductions before she dragged her sister out the door.
I didn’t know what the hell just happened, but when she left, I couldn’t think straight.
Mav laughed.“The Harlow women have that effect on men, Taz.Trust me.”
I chuckled before scrubbing my hands over my face.“Sorry, didn’t mean to stand here like an asshole ogling your sister-in-law.”
“No worries.”He took a couple of steaks out of the fridge.“Let’s take these outside and heat up the grill.”
“What’s her deal anyway?”I knew I was an idiot for talking to Mav about his sister-in-law when I’d been invited to discuss music, but I couldn’t go into a hook-up blind.
Mav led the way through double doors off the kitchen to a tiered patio overlooking a kidney-shaped pool, with an outdoor kitchen.
“Uh, she’s single,” Mav said, raising the lid on the gas grill and adjusting the dials, after setting the platter of meat down.“Just broke up with someone, actually.A corporate lawyer.”Mav scowled.“Arrogant S.O.B., let me tell you.”
“Huh.Is that the kind of guy she usually goes for?”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.“White collar types?Yeah, for the most part.She’s a family and couples’ therapist.Smart as hell.”He grinned.“Don’t ever challenge her to a game of trivia.You’ll get your ass handed to you.Fair warning.”
“Good to know.”Yeah, this hook-up was not happening.This girl was so far out of my league it wasn’t even funny.“So, have you known Luc a while?”
“A few years.He’s a great guy.Treats me like family.They all do.”
I nodded, wondering what it would be like to be welcomed into the inner circle of Nashville’s elite after rubbing shoulders with the dregs of society for so long.
“If Luc sees something in you, you’d be crazy not to see where it could take you, man.Just saying.”
