Page 9 of Slapshot Summer
Yep, he was horny.
Maybe he needed to follow his brother’s advice and climb aboard the train to Hookup Town and get himself good and fucked.He scanned the crowd, but none of the women captured his interest.Lexi, on the other hand,looked like the perfect candidate to star in his X-rated movie.
No, she’s not.Don’t go there.He needed to examine why he was fixating on her later, but not now.Later, when he was alone in his hotel room.
He threw back the rest of his drink, tempted to drop the ice into his pants.
Her chestnut brows knitted together, causing little pleats to form.“What was that?”
“Uh, what was what?”Pay attention, dumbass.
“You were about to tell me something about Neil—I think—but then you seemed to check out.”
Oh yeah, he’d checked right out.Stripped her down, tossed her onto her back, and lowered himself between her legs as they quivered with anticipation.His vibrant imagination was great at weaving ridiculous narratives.
He cleared his sticky throat.“You should ask Neil your questions.He’ll have better answers.”
“You’re right,” she sighed.“I’m sorry if I’m being nosy.I just … I’m so bad at this stuff, and I get nervous around men I find fun and interesting.”
Fun.Interesting.Descriptions that definitely did not fit Josh these days.Maybe he could fix that and put his downer self on ice.
“Do you have any plans for dinner tonight?”he blurted.
A shy smile curved her mouth.“Not yet.”
“Want to join us?”
Those green eyes of hers danced with delight.“You and Neil?I’d love to!”
Her enthusiasm made him grind his back molars.
“OrnotNeil.I’m not sure when or if he’s coming back.”Her face crumpled, and his heart thudded against his chest wall, making him backpedal.
“I’m sure he’ll be back soon.He only left to get you a cocktail.”Never mind that the guy had left so long ago he could have ordered her cocktail, sucked it down himself, and gotten a fresh one—or that the ever-attentive Matt was only a wave away.If Josh had been in Neil’s sandals, he’d have asked the bartender to fetch the drink while he spent time getting to know the beautiful woman wanting to get to knowhim.But hewasn’tin Neil’s sandals.
“Look, I’m hungry, and I’m guessing you are too, so we could get a table for three, and if Neil joins us, he joins us.If not, we still get to eat.”There.That sounded reasonable, didn’t it?
“Oh.So just you and me?”She shook her head.“Sorry.That didn’t come out right.”She flipped out her hand, presentation style.“Introducing Miss Awkward.No wonder I’m single.”Awkward?More like adorable, but he kept that to himself.“I don’t want to butt in on dinner plans between two friends, especially with it being your first night here.I’ll just fend for myself.Maybe I’ll order room service.”
“What?No way.I don’t think I could eat knowing you’re sitting alone in your room while Neil and I are enjoying a meal surrounded by waving palm trees and tiki torches.”
“Ooh.Waving tiki torches.Isn’t that a fire hazard?”
Her quirking lips told him she was joking, and he ran with his sales pitch.“Besides, anypiñacoladas they bring to your room will be watered down and warm.”
“Who says I’ll orderpiñacoladas?”she scoffed, her tone playful.“I think I’ve hit my max sugar intake for the day.”She executed a silly shimmy-shake thing, her entire body getting into the act.“Buzzing over here.”
“Fine,” he laughed.“Whatever you want to drink is on me.”He continued selling her, sweeping his hand behind him as if presenting her the sparkling sea.“You won’t get a view like this from your room.”He peered at her when she hesitated.“Come on.We’ll have a great time.”
He clamped his jaw tight to keep from needling a woman who obviously wasn’t into him, and in whom he definitely had no interest.This was all about getting her and Neil together.
She pursed her rosy mouth.“Are you sure?I really hate to—”
“Butt in.Got it.You already said that.”Impatience showed itself in the harsher edges of his voice, and he instantly regretted it because he wasn’t annoyed with her as much as he was annoyed with himself for sounding so pathetic.
His brilliant self decided to muddy the waters further.“Honestly, you won’t be interrupting anything.I just met the guy.”Christ, could he not shut the fuck up?
The confession seemed to short-circuit her.“Just met him in your hometown before the trip?Or on the plane?”
