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“About Charlie? Because you’re falling for her?”
“When did you know Harley was the one?” I blurted, taking the corner a bit sharper than necessary.
“The day she ran into me. And I know how that sounds, but you were there when she shot me down more than once.”
“Yeah, that was a great day.” I laughed, remembering how Harley had knocked my buddy down a few pegs.
“Actually, you’re right. It was a great day. Most women fell at our feet, and as much as I enjoyed the attention, it got old. To be honest, with you I wasn’t sure if you’d ever want to be a one-woman man.”
“Yeah, me either. Charlie is different.”
“There’s your answer. That’s how you know. You didn’t even balk at the thought of it, did you?”
“Guess not. It’s just happening so fast.”
“It usually does. I’m not saying you’re in love with her—” He glanced my way as my car slowed to a crawl. “Are you?”
Not sure how to answer that, I remained silent.
Love.Did I love Charlie Nicholson? Yes, I supposed I did. Was Iinlove with her? That was what my brain had been trying to sort out and why I needed my friend before all havoc broke loose.
After we pulled into the parking lot, we were lucky to find a spot. Backing my car between the white lines, I let out a breath and turned off the engine.
“Look, you don’t need to have all the answers. All I can say is once you do know, you’ll know.”
“Sure. That’s great advice.” I shook my head. “Speaking of knowing things, you and I both know that if we go in there with guns blazing, we’ll bring more attention to the situation. Play it cool.”
“Agreed.” We got out of the car and strolled through the jammed parking lot. Per usual, we skipped the line, shook a couple of hands, and ignored the phones hoisted in the air, no doubt snapping our pictures. It didn’t matter how many times we went to the bar; we were professional athletes and drew attention. Mack spotted us, lifted his hand, and pointed to the dance floor.
Charlie, Cami, and Sally were in a small circle, dancing to a country song I didn’t know. When they spotted us, Sally’s eyes went wide, Cami rolled hers, and Charlie smiled. Damn, she was beautiful.
“Hi!” she yelled above the guitar solo. Moving closer to me, she placed her hands on my shoulders, rolled up on her toes, and whispered in my ear. “You look swoony.”
The scent of vodka couldn’t be missed. “Swoony, huh? How about I get you home? We have practice tomorrow.”
“Right. Practice. Can you dance with me first?”
“Let’s go home, and we can continue the party there. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the morning.”
When she frowned, I felt awful, but in addition to the hangover she’d most likely have, I didn’t want us plastered all over social media.
“Ooh. Like a private dance?” She giggled, and I knew it was definitely time to call it a night.
I glanced to my left and saw Cami and Sally standing with Lucas and Mack. The three were laughing. Side by side, we walked up to them. “I’m going to take Charlie home. Can you guys get a ride?”
Mack nodded. “I have my Rover here. I can take everyone home. I’ve only had soda because of practice tomorrow.”
“Sorry, Sal,” I felt bad ditching my sister.
“It’s fine.” She walked up to Charlie and threw her arms around her. I heard my sister say something about a hose, and they both laughed. Not wanting any more information, I thanked the guys and walked Charlie out of the bar.
###
“One, two, three…” Charlie giggled as she continued to count my abs. When she got to number six, she leaned over and kissed my bare torso, sending a current of lust straight to my groin. “Six beautiful rectus abdominis muscles. Your anterolateral and posterior abdominal wall is exquisite.”
The way she prattled the medical terminology was yet another turn-on. Then she reached her hand to my right hip and traced the muscle line across my stomach to my left side. I’d heard on more than one occasion that women appreciated this V-shaped muscle. As though reading my mind, Charlie moaned, “This is your iliac furrow or Adonis belt.” Flattening her hand, she spread it over my six-pack. “You must have under ten percent body fat.”
“Eight.”
