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I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. “The beer … or maybe the guy who suggested it.”
His smirk widens as he watches me. My chest warms. It feels good to flirt with him again. Slowly, I feel my walls weakening.
“You going to eat all those?” I ask, tipping my chin at his appetizer as my stomach growls.
He slides the plate closer to me. I dive in, smearing sour cream across the top of a chip loaded with beans and meat and cheese. I eat it and listen to the guys talk about the women they taught how to snowboard today. It was a bachelorette party, apparently, and they were a rowdy group. I try to ignore the jealous knot in my throat when I think of Zane surrounded by attractive females, all vying for his attention.
The door opens a few minutes later, and four or five women walk inside. My stomach sinks when they start making their way over to the guys—my guys—but I try to school my expression. I don’t look forward to having a front-row seat to women fawning all over Zane. But I don’t have any rights where he’s concerned. Not anymore. He isn’t mine. That little technicality doesn’t stop him fromfeelinglike mine though. And it sounds like an agonizing form of torture, watching him be with someone other than me.
“Dude, what did you do?” Zane murmurs when he sees the women while glaring at Wyatt.
“Relax,” he says, his hand landing on Zane’s upper back. “I just mentioned we would be here tonight.”
I shove another nacho into my mouth and watch as they move closer. I wash the food down with a drink of beer.
“Hello, ladies,” Wyatt says with both arms spread out wide.
A couple of them go in for a hug, which he willingly gives. He’s like a one-man welcoming committee.
“What are we drinking?”
One by one, each newcomer orders a fruity cocktail. They’re surrounding Benji and Wyatt. But it doesn’t take long for a beautiful brunette to migrate closer to Zane. I try not to notice, but I can’t focus on anything else. Zane stiffens when her hot-pink-painted nails land on his shoulder and stay. They look like talons, waiting to spear his skin.
“Hi, Zane,” she purrs. Her eyes dart over to me, dismissing me in the next moment.
I glance down at my scrubs, feeling ordinary all of a sudden. I take another drink of beer and pretend to watch the hockey game on the screen at the back of the bar.
“Hey,” Zane replies to the newcomer. His tone is dull and unimpressed.
She isn’t deterred by his lackluster response. “Thanks for teaching me today. It’s not every day I get lessons from a snowboarding legend,” she continues, laying it on thick.
The beautiful stranger makes it clear she knows exactly who Zane is. It takes me back to my breakfast with Benji and how everyone expected me to know about Zane’s reputation and accomplishments without ever meeting him. And I wonder if he gets tired of the notoriety.
The woman is gorgeous though with her long, straight brown hair and soft hazel eyes. She’s wearing a low-cut, long-sleeved top and designer jeans. And she’s looking at Zane like he’s a snack and she hasn’t eaten in a week.
“Will you be out there tomorrow for round two?” she asks eagerly. She pushes a piece of perfectly styled hair over her shoulder and arches her back to accentuate her full breasts.
“I’m not working tomorrow,” he answers.
“Oh,” she says, that one word oozing with disappointment. “Do you think I could hire you for a …privatelesson? I’ll pay extra …”
My eyebrows lift in amusement as the proposition sits there in the space between us. I eat another chip.
Zane looks at me. He looks annoyed with the attention, like he doesn’t want it. And I secretly hope that’s true.
“Sorry,” he replies, but he doesn’t sound sincere.
I’m surprised when his arm slides along my shoulders. I’m still chewing my latest bite when I glance over at him.
“This is Lo. Lo, this is Brett. She took snowboarding lessons with us today.”
“I gathered that,” I say, batting my eyelashes as her frown deepens. “It’s nice to meet you, Brett.”
“You too,” she murmurs, but she looks less than thrilled to be introduced to me. Her hand drops from his shoulder as she turns her attention back to the stud sitting next to me. The one who’s left his arm draped across my shoulders. “I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend.”
Zane just smiles, not bothering to correct her. Our eyes meet, and I tilt my head, silently questioning him. He confidentlystares right back, a fire burning in his expression, like he’s daring me to contradict him. A silent challenge intermingled with a flirtation of sorts. It thrills me.
The brunette migrates over to her group now that her conquest is no longer a viable option. The others are standing around with Benji and Wyatt, everyone flirting and talking loudly while they look at a songbook. Apparently, they have karaoke here at night.
