by Stacey Lewis
Returning my smile, she shuts the door behind her and there’s so little room between us her back is right up against it. Her positioning makes kissing her easy so I take advantage. A gentleman would wait until the end of the date to try to steal a kiss, but I never professed to be one of those.
The kiss is way too short and I’m regretting not deepening it when I straighten. A pretty pink flush graces her cheeks and her eyes are still closed. As much as I’d love to keep this going, I promised her a date and I intend to deliver.
With that thought in mind, I take her hand in mine and lead her down to my truck. I may not be a gentleman, but I’ll damn sure open doors for her and help her delectable ass up into my truck.
The ride to the restaurant is relatively quiet, and I start to second guess my choice the longer it takes to get there. Maybe I’m wrong and she is the type of girl to expect fancy, expensive dinners. I don’t think she is though, and soon we’re pulling into the parking lot so it’s too late to second guess anything.
Hailey leans forward when she sees where we are, and when she looks back over at me her eyes are sparkling with joy. “Red Mill Burgers? I love this place. They don’t serve chicken nuggets so Connor won’t eat here, but their milkshakes are so good. I can’t remember the last time I was here.”
I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding and we head into the thankfully not too busy restaurant. It’s surprising for a Friday night, but they’re also really good at getting people in, fed and out quickly.
We take our seats and give the waitress who comes over our drink orders before an awkward silence settles over us. It’s the first time things between us haven’t been easy and I have to say, I’m a little surprised. I’m struggling to find a way to start a conversation and end up saying the first thing that comes to mind.
“So, Nash?”
Hailey looks at me questioningly, then when she sees my focus, looks down at her shirt, and smiles. “Yeah, they’re my favorite band. Leo Nash is so hot.” She fans herself while she says this and the naughty grin on her face says she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
“Oh yeah? What’s so hot about him?” My jealousy spikes and her telling me how hot some other guy is, even if he’s a celebrity, makes me want to hulk out and show her I’m the only guy she should be thinking is sexy.
She sighs longingly and I want to take her over my knee for teasing me like this. “His piercings, his tattoos… those stars are just yum.”
Well, I have tattoos too. I tell her this, but she just laughs. “I know, I can see them.” The way she says it makes me envision her sticking her tongue out after and she does just that. She doesn’t stick it out far, but enough I know she’s doing it.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at her until she snickers. “I’m much better looking than he is.” Why I’m trying to compare us I will never know.
“Eh,” she says, holding up a hand and moving it back and forth in a so-so motion.
After a couple of seconds, Hailey can’t keep a straight face and starts giggling. “Sorry. You’re just so easy to wind up, I couldn’t help it.”
“Uh-huh.” I probably look like I’m pouting, but I’m not. It’s cute that she’s trying to get me all riled up, and I’ll be sure to return the favor the first chance I get.
Before we can talk anymore, the server brings our food and Hailey’s stomach growls loudly. She ducks her head in an attempt to hide her blush, but I can still see it. “Good thing we got here when we did.”
“Shut up,” she mutters with a laugh before shoving a fry into her mouth. Hailey lets out a small moan at the taste of her food and I have to start thinking of very non-sexy things so I don’t sprout wood right here at the table. That would be hard to explain to our waitress.
We’re halfway through our food when a shadow crosses our table, and when I look up, I see Isaac, along with his brothers Matt, Caleb and Will. “Hey man,” he greets me before turning to Hailey. “And Ms. Lucas, what are you doing with this joker?”
She doesn’t answer, and when I look over, she’s staring at Will with her mouth and eyes wide open. Will’s grinning down at her like she’s the most amusing thing he’s seen today and his brothers’ are all rolling their eyes.
“Hey,” Will says to her, holding out a hand for her to shake.
Hailey’s still frozen, but just as him holding his hand out turns awkward, she shakes herself out of it and manages to put her hand in his with a soft, “H-h-hey.” His grin widens when she continues to stutter. “You… you’re Will Montgomery.” Her voice is full of awe.
Isaac chuckles. “Don’t remind me.” Leaning closer to her, he tells Hailey, “He already has a big head, don’t make it any worse.”
“Fuck off,” Will says, shoving him out of the way so he can focus back on her. “Are you a fan?”
She finally snaps out of whatever fantasy she’s playing out in her head and grins. “I’m not, but my dad and brother are huge fans. They’ve been talking about getting season tickets for years but it never happens.” Hailey snickers. “They’re going to be so mad I met you tonight.”
“Well then,” Will looks over at me out of the corner of his eye and smirks. “Guess we need to take a picture so you’ll have proof, huh?” Nodding, Hailey gets up and goes over to stand beside him. Will puts his arm around her and asks, “Where’s your phone?”
Fumbling, she pulls it out of her pocket and shows it to him and he nods to me. “Take our picture, man?”
Hailey’s giddy as she stands beside him and even though I want to punch him for touching her, I’m glad she’s enjoying herself so I take the phone and stand myself.
It takes a few minutes to get a good shot because while Hailey’s tall, Will still towers over her and I swear he’s milking it for all he’s worth just to get a rise out of me.
Finally, he decides on a pose where he’s got one arm around her and the other is flexing his bicep while he gives me a smile that shows all his teeth. Hailey’s standing beside him with a big grin on her face too, but unlike him, she’s not hamming it up for the camera. She looks slightly uncomfortable, like she’s not sure where to put her arms or if she’s allowed to touch him at all.
By the time we get a picture that Will agrees is “good enough” we’ve been standing here blocking the aisle for close to ten minutes and my patience for her being touched by someone who isn’t me is at an end.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her away from Will so her back is against my chest, then drop her hand in favor of putting mine on her hip. Everyone in Seattle knows Will is happily married, but my sudden caveman brain isn’t capable of understanding that.
I know Isaac understands when he nods and elbows Will in the side. “C’mon man, let’s go so these two can finish their dinner.”
“Oh, it’s okay—” Hailey starts, but I interrupt.
“Good idea. Have a good night.” She tips her head back to glare at me, but she’s so adorable it’s extremely ineffective and only makes the guys standing close to us chuckle.
They all give their goodbyes and we are left to sit and finish our food in peace.
Chapter 18
Hailey
The rest of dinner is pretty quiet. Mitchell talks about different cars he’s been working on and I tell him some of the funny things students have done this week at school. I still can’t get over how easy it is to talk to him and how much I like just listening to him too. It feels like I’ve known him forever, but when you add up how much time we’ve actually spent talking to each other, it’s not very long at all.
After we’ve paid, we leave the restaurant and he helps me into his truck. While I wait for him to come around to the driver’s side I can’t help but wonder what we’re going to do next. Is he going to take me home and say see ya bye? Is he expecting an invitation to my bed? Oh God, what if he is? I don’t know how I’ll answer if that’s the case.
He’s in the truck before I can obsess too much, and once he starts it, he t
urns to face me. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready for tonight to end.”
I practically sag in my seat in relief. “I’m not either.”
“Good.” He grins before pulling out of the parking lot. “I know just the place.”
It doesn’t take very long, and when we pull into the next parking lot I start to laugh. “Bowling? Really?”
Mitchell shrugs. “Why not? Bowling is fun.” I give him a look that says I’m not sure it’s fun and he just smirks. “I mean, if you’re worried I’m going to beat you, we can always play pool instead.”
“Ha! I’m not sure that’s fair either. Pool isn’t something I’m very good at.” Truth is, I did a lot of bowling when I was younger and was decent. I’m not about to tell him that though. Let him think I’m worried about losing and maybe he’ll take it easy on me.
The place is busy when we walk in, but there are a few open lanes. Not many, but a few. We get our shoes and pick out our balls, then I follow him over to the lane they gave us. After putting on the ugly bowling shoes, we program the screen that will show our scores and it’s time to start.
I’m distracted at first because this bowling alley is new to me and has a serious hipster vibe. Mitchell looks very comfortable here with his beard and tattoos, not that I would ever call him a hipster to his face. And he’s not one, he just comes off as being very laid-back and easygoing.
He does have his intense moments though. When we were still at the restaurant and I was taking the picture with Will, his eyes were almost burning with possessiveness. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make the spot between my thighs damp and needy. It was awesome considering I haven’t been attracted to anyone in so long. Seth sure never made me feel that way. With him, I was always either an inconvenience or an afterthought.
Mitchell lines up his first shot and his ass in those jeans drags my attention away from the high ceilings and exposed beams. I stare shamelessly at the picture him bent over presents, struggling not to reach up and check for drool in the corner of my mouth. He’s got such a nice butt. It’s the kind you just want to take a bite out of.
Said butt turns and I try to focus my attention on anything else, but he catches me staring. “Like what you see?”
My face bursts into flames, but I force myself to meet his gaze and say something I normally wouldn’t. “Uh, yeah. Anyone who says they don’t is lying.”
His head drops back as he bursts into laughter and I watch his Adam’s apple bob beneath his beard. Gah. It should be illegal to be as attractive as he is. It’s not fair. How is a girl supposed to keep from tumbling straight from lust into love when he’s standing there looking like a god with his tall, broad-shouldered, lean-waisted body?
It’s a struggle, but I manage to turn my attention away from his body to look up at the score. He got a strike while I was ogling him like a crazy obsessed stalker. How did he concentrate long enough to do that?
Mitchell’s still grinning at me when I turn back to him and I know he knows what I’m thinking. He doesn’t acknowledge it though, he just gestures for me to take my turn and I do my best to put on a show. I want him to be just as distracted as I am.
I make a show of swinging my hips when I walk up to grab my ball and bend over slowly, hopefully giving him the best view of my butt in these jeans. This wasn’t what I imagined our date was going to be like when I got dressed, but the skinny jeans and t-shirt I decided on are working out very well. It also doesn’t hurt that my… let’s say admiration of Leo Nash made Mitchell get a very jealous and possessive glint in his eyes.
Mitchell’s groan when I bend to release the ball has me hiding a smile when I turn back to face him. It’s killing me not to watch the ball as it rolls down the alley, but I’m trying to act confident and sexy instead of insecure and whatever the opposite of sexy is. Frumpy? Maybe, but I wouldn’t say I feel frumpy. That could just be the way he’s so laser-focused on the sway of my hips as I walk back to where he’s sitting.
The sound of pins falling stops me right before I reach him, and all thoughts of pretending to be cool desert me as I spin around and stare up at the screen. It only takes a few seconds before my pin count loads on the screen, but I feel like I’m holding my breath when I watch. I could just look down to the end and count, but that takes all the anticipation out of it.
Squealing when the “X” for a strike fills the first box I bounce a little on my toes and clap for myself, grin widening further when I hear his tortured-sounding groan from behind me. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re tied or the movement I know my butt and boobs makes when I bounce.
Turning, I see Mitchell sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, his eyes not leaving my face which feels very deliberate. I practically skip over to take my own seat so he can take his next turn and smirk over at him. “This is going to be interesting.”
He looks at me, almost like he’s shocked I’m taunting him, then laughs. “Yes, yes it will. We should make a bet.”
“What kind of bet?” The possibilities have me intrigued and I wonder what he’s planning.
His own smile lifts one side of his mouth as he thinks. “Winner’s Choice? It can be a surprise.”
“Deal,” I hurry to agree, liking the fact that I’ll have some time to figure out what I want from him when I win.
The rest of the game goes by way too fast, and by the time we get to the last frame I’m winning by nine and already planning what I want for my prize. In the last frame, Mitchell gets three strikes. I’m starting to think he’s not been honest in his playing because before this frame he had three strikes and four spares. I’ve had three turns where I had gutter balls on either the first or second throw which have sort of canceled out my three spares in a row at the beginning of the game and the two I had in frames eight and nine.
Eight flashes on the screen when I throw the ball and I deflate a little bit. Eight isn’t very competitive when compared with his strikes, but when the screen shows what pins are left I can see I still have a chance at getting a spare. The remaining two are grouped together which is way better than having them spread out.
My body tenses when I feel his chest brush against my back just before his breath hits my ear. “You missed a couple.”
“It’s only the first one. There’s still time for me to beat you.” I’m pretty proud of myself because my voice sounds normal. Especially since it’s taking everything I have not to melt into a puddle at his feet. His heat is surrounding me and I feel like I’m drowning in the intoxicating scent of his cologne mixed with the scents of motor oil and man. That’s the only way I can think to describe it.
Moving forward, I take my second shot, and this time I stand at the edge of the lane to watch as it travels down. My body leans to the right like I can somehow move the ball psychically or something and Mitchell chuckles at my actions. I turn my head for a second to glare at him, and it sounds like he’s strangling himself when he swallows back more laughter.
The ball hits the pins and they both fall, giving me a spare. I fist pump the air and rub my hands together in glee as I wait for my ball to come back and when it does, I walk carefully to the edge of the lane and take a deep breath.
C’mon Hailey, you can do this. Get a strike!
The ball leaves my hand and I stand at the edge once more and hold my breath. Watching the ball go down is nerve-wracking and I’m praying to every God I know to please, please let me get a strike.
I watch the ball get closer and closer until it finally crashes into the pins, knocking every single one of them down. As soon as I realize I got my strike, I spin around and run carefully back to watch the screen tally our final scores.
Mitchell comes to stand behind me right as the scores flash above us. One hundred and seventy-eight. I beat him by one point.
Before I analyze it too much, I turn, throw my arms around Mitchell’s neck and press my lips to his. His arms wrap around my waist and he takes over, pressing his mouth against mine ha
rder. He traces the seam of my mouth with his tongue until I sag against him and let him in. It feels like he’s taking me over. This isn’t just a kiss, it’s a conquering.
The noise and the people around us fade away until it’s just the two of us standing here in this embrace. I’m surrounded by him, his arms the only thing keeping me upright at this moment. Mitchell’s tongue is stroking mine and when he pulls it back into his own mouth, mine follows eagerly. I swear, I could kiss this man forever and be happy.
Slowly, the sounds around us penetrate our little bubble and Mitchell straightens, breaking the connection of our mouths. He’s looking down at me when I open my eyes and all I can see is the evidence in them of how much he wants me… or maybe I’m seeing that because I can feel the erection in his pants pressing against my stomach. Either way, knowing how much he wants me makes me bold and I reach up to kiss him again.
This time, I’m the one who pulls away when I hear someone clear their throat, embarrassment filling every inch of my body.
“Can I help you?” Mitchell asks, voice gravelly like he’s got something in his throat.
The shorter man standing to our side looks just as uncomfortable as I am, but he stands his ground. “I’m going to have to ask you to take all of that,” he waves his hand at us like we won’t understand what “that” is, “outside.” Lifting his chin, he looks steadily at Mitchell. “This is a family-friendly establishment.” Now he sounds scandalized and as hard as I try I can’t keep the giggle from escaping.
Covering my mouth with both hands, I try to contain myself, but my giggles turn into almost hysterical laughter. How is this my life right now?
“No problem,” Mitchell assures him. “We were just about to leave anyway.”
The guy, who I’m guessing is the manager on duty since he sure didn’t offer up any information on who he is, continues to stand in our area while we put our shoes back on and get ready to go. Mitchell grabs my shoes with his to take them back and the guy reaches out and takes them.
