by E. L. Todd
“What am I thinking right now?” He glanced at my lips then looked at my eyes.
That he wants to kiss me. But that couldn’t be right. “You want another margarita from a can.”
His lips stretched into the grin I loved to see. “Hell no.”
“I guess I can’t read minds after all.”
“Maybe we can actually have a fair game of Battleship for once.”
“Maybe.” I looked into his eyes and felt myself fall deeper than before. It was the moment I’d been fighting, the moment I’d been dreading. People say they don’t know exactly when they fall in love. It just happens, and when they look back, they try to pinpoint the right moment but don’t succeed. But my moment had come. It was then, in that moment, that I fell irrevocably and madly in love with Rhett. It was done.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked.
“As long as it’s not a margarita and doesn’t taste like mango.”
“Okay,” he said with a chuckle. “I can do that. But classy ladies drink beer, right? So that must be what you want.”
“I like beer.” I’d even drink slug juice because my head was so far in the clouds.
“Then that’s what I’ll order.” His hand stayed around my waist and he guided me against the bar. One hand rested on the counter while the other remained around my waist.
Our faces were pressed close together, and I could detect the hint of alcohol on his breath. Maybe he was a little buzzed. But so was I.
“Two beers,” he said to the bartender.
I forgot Rich and Harper. All I saw was Rhett, the man who’d become my best friend in just a month. I never had more fun than when I was with him. I’d spend every day with him if I could. But I simply couldn’t afford it.
Rhett grabbed his beer and took a drink.
When I looked over his shoulder, I saw Harper.
“Who the hell is that?” she mouthed while she threw her arms around.
I couldn’t respond without Rhett noticing.
Then Harper tilted her head sideways and stared at his ass. She gave me two thumbs up.
I rolled my eyes at her.
“Who was that guy you were talking to?” he asked quietly.
“Rich.”
“You know him?” His voice was unreadable. I couldn’t figure out why he was asking.
“He’s just some guy I met.”
“I see.” His eyes were still bright blue but there was a tint of gray to him. “Did you score a date?” he asked casually.
“No. I’ll never see him again.”
“Yeah?” The gray faded from his eyes.
“Yeah. He’s a nice guy but...”
“But what?” he asked.
“I’m not looking for anything right now.” Except you.
He nodded then drank his beer again.
“Are you here with anyone?” I hoped his answer was no.
“Just my friends. Who are you here with?”
“Harper.”
“The famous Harper?” he asked with a smile.
“The very one.”
“I have to meet her.” He put down his beer and his eyes were wide with excitement.
I was a little nervous. Harper was sexy and all the guys liked her. She was a petite woman that managed to take up the whole room. What if they hit it off? What if I watched her run off with the guy I’d fallen for? I knew my jealousy was unfair. Rhett wasn’t mine and could do whatever he pleased. “She’s right behind you.”
He turned around and dropped his embrace from my waist.
Harper froze and pretended she wasn’t just making rude gestures at me with her hands. “Top of the morning to you, lad.” She tipped a fake hat.
He smiled then extended his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman Aspen worships.”
“Worships?” She shook his hand but looked at me. “I always knew you were into me.”
“I can’t hide it anymore,” I said with a bored voice.
She dropped her hand then sized him up. “What’s your name, pretty boy?”
“Rhett,” he said. “I’m a friend of Aspen’s.”
Her eyes almost fell out of her head because she recognized his name. “It’s you?”
“I told you he was gorgeous!” I mouthed over Rhett’s shoulder.
“Shut up!” she mouthed back even though Rhett could see her.
He chuckled. “Yeah…I hope she’s said good things.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. “Maybe…maybe not.”
“You’re a loyal friend,” he said with a nod. “I like that.”
“You got that right,” Harper said with attitude. “I’ll pop any guy in the jaw for messing with my girl.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about me,” he said.
“Better not,” she snapped. She acted like a hard ass, appearing taller than her five feet of height.
“In all seriousness, I’m really glad Aspen has you. You’re always there for her, and Aspen deserves someone like that. When she told me she had a friend who would do anything for her, I was really happy.”
Harper dropped her guard slightly but kept her eyes narrowed.
“So, thanks. If you ever need anything, let me know.”
Harper clearly didn’t know what to make of this sweet and sensitive man. She was falling under his spell too, just in a different way. She shot a glance at me then turned back to him. “A drink would be nice.”
He chuckled. “I’m more than happy to oblige.”
A tall guy appeared behind her, wearing dark jeans and a t-shirt that highlighted his arms. Like Rhett, he was gorgeous, but in his own way. He moved behind Harper, clearly checking out her ass. Then he turned to Rhett and mouthed. “Who the fuck is that?”
Rhett rubbed the back of his neck nervously, knowing I just saw what his friend did.
I smiled but kept it to myself.
He came up behind her and acted like he was humping her, though he never touched her. “Hook me up, bro,” he mouthed again.
I tried not to laugh.
Harper was oblivious to all of this.
“Harper, there’s someone I want to introduce you to,” he said quickly, no longer calm and smooth like before.
“Yeah?” she said.
The guy walked away then rounded again, pretending like he hadn’t come from behind her. “What’s up?” He put his hands in his pockets and acted like he wasn’t just humping her a second ago.
Rhett gave him an irritated look but didn’t say anything. “Troy, this is my new friend Harper.”
“Harper?” Troy asked, coming closer to her. “Wow, that’s a beautiful name.”
Her eyes turned playful once she took him in. He had a strong jaw, he was tall, and he had the definition of an athlete. I knew what kind of guys Harper liked and he definitely fit the bill. “You like that?” she asked. “You should hear my phone number.”
Her boldness stopped surprising me a long time ago.
He nodded his head in enthusiasm. “I’d love to hear your phone number.”
“Well, I’ll think about giving it to you.” She shifted her weight and kept her stance.
Troy didn’t seem offended. In fact, he seemed more interested. “Yeah? Well, I’ll think about taking it.”
Rhett watched them then cleared his throat. “Troy, this is Aspen.”
I liked the fact he just said my name. He didn’t say friend and he didn’t say a girl from work. I was just Aspen.
“Battleship?” he asked in surprise.
“What?” I asked.
Rhett rubbed the back of his neck again, clearly flustered.
Troy approached me then fist-pounded me. “Rhett says you’re the best Battleship player ever.”
“Well, I do okay…” So he talked about me to his friends? Did he say good things? His best friend already had a nickname for me. What did that mean? When I was in Rhett’s apartment, I noticed the picture frames on the counter. Now I recognized Troy’s f
ace. “You played baseball with Troy in high school, right?”
“How did you know that?” he asked.
“I saw the picture of you guys together in his apartment,” I answered. “You guys looked so cute.”
Troy’s neck snapped in Rhett’s direction and his jaw was on the floor.
What did I say?
Rhett sighed but didn’t say anything else.
The vein in Troy’s neck was throbbing. “A word, Rhett?” He nodded to the left.
Rhett turned to me, an annoyed look in his eyes. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
I never want to go anywhere without you. “Okay.”
He walked away with Troy until they were back at their table. I couldn’t hear what Troy was saying but it was pretty clear he was yelling at Rhett. And Rhett just took it.
“I can’t believe this!” Harper dropped her indifferent attitude and practically jumped on her heels.
“Troy is hot, huh?” I was just glad she wasn’t into Rhett and he wasn’t into her.
“No.” She waved away my words like they stunk. “Rhett is so into you!”
My heart slammed into overdrive. “What?”
“He’s all over you! When he started talking to you, I thought he was some guy you were sleeping with that you never told me about. But that’s Rhett? Your escort?”
“Yeah…”
“That guy is over-the-moon into you. Shit, I thought he was going to kiss you.”
“He didn’t.”
“But it looked like he wanted to.”
For just an instant, I had the same thought. “But you even said he’s just acting that way because I’m paying him to.”
Harper spun in a circle and indicated to the room. “Is your dad here? Because I don’t see him. Are you paying him for tonight’s performance?”
“No…”
“And why were you at his apartment?”
“He invited me over for dinner.”
“And your father wasn’t there?” she asked.
“No…”
“Did you pay him for that?” she asked.
“No…”
She clapped her hands and jumped on her heels. “He’s soooo into you!”
The idea of Rhett wanting to be with me, to be more than friends, was exactly what I wanted. Just entertaining the idea was thrilling. I’d fantasized about kissing him too many times to count. “You think…?”
“Trust me, he is!” She gave me that wide-eyed look that made her look like a freak.
“But…that’s against the rules.”
“Men will break the rules for the right woman,” she said. “And Rhett is breaking his. You should go for it.”
“Go for it how?”
“Kiss him.”
“I don’t know…”
She gave me an irritated look. “When have you ever been scared to kiss a guy?”
“When I risk losing him altogether. In the contract I signed, it said if I tell him I have romantic feelings for him, he’ll never speak to me again. So, if I’m wrong, I could lose Rhett from my life and as my escort. Dad would hate me even more and I’d have to start all over. I can’t risk it unless I’m absolutely right.”
“Girl, I’m pretty sure…”
“But you don’t know what he’s thinking,” I said. “Maybe he’s tipsy right now. Maybe he’s just a playboy.” I didn’t think that last part was true. Rhett might sleep around but he wouldn’t treat me like that.
“I have a strong feeling about this, Aspen.”
“An hour ago, you were telling me I couldn’t trust him.”
“But then I saw you guys together,” she argued. “And there’s something there.”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up.” It would crush me if he rejected me.
She clapped her hands like a light bulb went off in her head. “Wait for him to kiss you. Be sexy so he can’t resist.”
I gave her a look that clearly said, “You’re kidding me, right?”
“You can be sexy!” Harper said. “You’re a natural at it.”
“Am not! I don’t walk a runway half naked then look over my shoulder.”
“There are other ways to be sexy,” she said.
“Like how?” I demanded.
She scratched her head. “Just…it’s hard to explain.”
“Well, that really helped,” I said sarcastically.
Harper glanced over to the guys. “They’re coming.”
“Okay.” I tried to be cool. “You like Troy?”
“He’s an escort, isn’t he?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
She shook her head. “Then no.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s just weird.”
The guys arrived and halted our conversation.
“Sorry about that,” Rhett said as he came to my side. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“It’s okay.” Butterflies the size of skyscrapers were in my stomach.
His arm moved around my waist, immediately making my heart swell in size. “Let’s get back to our beer, shall we?”
“Sure.”
The four of us sat together in a booth, Rhett and I on one side while the other two faced us. His arm was around my shoulders and he sat close to me, our bodies touching.
I was in heaven, entertaining the idea that Rhett wanted something more with me. I knew I did. I never connected with someone the way I did with him. It was like we were two sides of the same coin. He was the earth to my moon. He was the shore to my sea.
Troy was sitting close to Harper but looked at me. “Battleship, how did you get so good at the game?”
I shrugged. “Practice?”
“She cheats.” Rhett winked at me. “This girl can read my mind.”
“Just yours?” Troy asked fearfully. “Or everyone’s?”
I gave him a serious look. “Everyone.”
His face paled. “Well, I’m sorry about…you know…what I was thinking earlier…”
I tried not to laugh.
“We’re joking, you idiot,” Rhett said.
“Oh.” Troy loosened up. “Yeah, me too.” He added a fake laugh at the end.
Harper eyed him with a raised eyebrow. “Good thing you’re pretty.”
He grinned from ear-to-ear. “Yeah?” He put his arm around her shoulders.
“I guess,” she said with a shrug.
“Whatever,” he said. “You’ve been making eyes at me all night. It’s time you give me that number.”
“You haven’t earned it,” Harper said.
“How many drinks do I have to buy?” Troy asked.
“Not enough drinks in the world,” Rhett teased.
“Shut the hell up, lover boy,” Troy teased back.
Rhett moved his lips toward my ear. “He’s sensitive.”
His lips brushed my skin and my entire body broke out in goose bumps. The touch sent shivers up my spine. I hoped he didn’t notice.
“Battleship,” Troy said. “I heard your dad is a dick.”
“You heard correctly,” I said, regaining my voice.
“Sorry to hear that,” he said seriously. “Rhett talks about you all the time. Actually, he never stops talking about you.”
I tried not to smile. “I hope he says good things.”
“Oh yeah,” Troy said. “He told me—”
Rhett kicked him under the table. “That you’re an amazing golfer.”
Troy groaned then rubbed his knee under the table.
I wondered what he was going to say. “Did he tell you I’m obsessed with sundaes?”
“He said he’s shocked you have such a sexy bod after inhaling so much ice cream,” Troy said seriously.
Rhett tensed beside me but didn’t say anything.
Did Rhett really say that? He thinks I have a sexy bod?
“He’s joking…” Rhett’s voice didn’t sound normal at all.
“Hey, if you’re going to give this girl your phone numbe
r and share your address with her, you may as well be honest,” Troy said. He turned to me. “And he said you were a perfect ten.”
Rhett kicked him under the table again.
“The kneecap…” Troy groaned again.
Rhett opened his wallet and threw a few twenties on the table. “I’m going to walk Aspen home.”
I wanted to stay but he clearly wanted to get out of there. “Good night.” I shot Harper a meaningful look.
She winked at me. “I hope you score,” she mouthed.
“It was nice meeting you, Troy,” I said.
His face was resting on the table and he was rubbing his knee. “You too…”
Rhett put his arm around my waist and walked me outside. Once we were out of the building, he relaxed slightly. His warm arm kept me close, and together, we walked. “Troy is a bit irritating sometimes. I apologize.”
“I like him.”
“You do?” he asked in surprise.
“He’s funny.”
“Yeah, hilarious,” he said sarcastically. “He seemed to like Harper.”
“Well, everyone likes Harper. I’m surprised you didn’t.”
“Why would I?” he asked. “The most beautiful woman in there was you by a landslide.”
Did he just say that?
Rhett seemed to realize his mistake. “You know…yeah.” He couldn’t figure out something to cover his tracks.
I looked away, grinning like a teenager.
We walked to my apartment then reached my door. Rhett wore a blue t-shirt with dark jeans. His chest was highlighted in the fabric, and he looked scrumptious. More fantasies came to my mind, of us doing things that I never did with John.
Rhett put his hands in his pockets and stared at me.
I couldn’t tell if he wanted to come in or drop me off like he said. I looked into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. I’d give anything to know how he felt. I’d give anything to feel him kiss me. “Rhett?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you really say those things?” I had no idea where my bravery came from. Perhaps Harper rubbed off on me tonight.
He shifted his weight then rubbed the back of his neck, his signature move. “Would you be offended if I said yes?”
“No.”
“Then yes, I said it.”
I forced myself not to smile, not to dance around in joy. He thought I was hot? He thought I was a perfect ten? “I think you’re a perfect ten too.”
