Shot at Love

by Melody Heck Gatto

  “I told you, I am.”

  “Yet you were at Mario’s with your hands all over her? You’re not very smart, dude.”

  “My hands weren’t all over her.” Maybe they were, but Sam didn’t need to know that. “I saw she was there, and she was drinking a little too much. So, I kept an eye on her as a favor to Kaden. When I saw some guys getting a little too friendly, I acted. Then I made sure she got home safely. Is that a crime?”

  “No.” The unchanged look on Sam’s face wasn’t very convincing.

  “See, there’s no problem.” Luc sat back in his chair, relaxed and pleased with himself.

  Sam shook his head slowly. “Not buying it. You forget how well I know you, Marcella. You’ve taken more of an interest in her than you do in anything. I hope you realize this can’t go anywhere.”

  Luc sighed. “I’m just hanging out and having fun. I won’t do anything stupid.” He wanted to add, “I promise,” but even he knew better than to make a promise he couldn’t keep.

  “And I don’t believe you one bit. What’s your real angle here?”

  “No angle. I like her. She’s fun, she has spunk. She’s not out looking for status; she’s happy being herself.”

  “What exactly is going on in that brain of yours?”

  “The usual.” Luc flashed a smirk.

  Sam groaned. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  “You worry too much, Morris.”

  “What are we worrying about?” Trina wobbled into the dining room.

  “Luc’s new love interest.”

  “Oh?” Trina cocked an eyebrow at Luc. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” Luc said, his chest puffed out.

  “She must be special, because you are beaming, Mr. Rock-Star,” Trina said with a laugh.

  Sam let out a loud laugh. “Too bad she doesn’t know about it yet!”

  “Aw, are you in love from afar?” Trina stood next to Luc and put her arm around him. “That’s so cute.”

  “Babe, you shouldn’t encourage him,” Sam joked.

  “If you want any help with this girl, you just let me know, Luc,” Trina offered.

  “Nope. He doesn’t need any help with this one. He just needs to keep looking.” Sam shot him an annoyed look.

  Trina saw it all. “Well, I don’t know what that look is all about, but I’m sensing some tension. So, I’ll leave you two to it. But my offer still stands.” She gave Luc a friendly slap on the back before going to the kitchen.

  “I’ll give you a holler if I need you, Tri,” Luc said with a smirk.

  “Dude, you need to back off this one. It’s not worth the trouble it’s going to cause. You like your job, don’t you?” When Sam set his empty beer bottle down on the table, it made a loud clunk.

  “Very much. First of all, I think you’re wrong. And second, I’m not doing anything yet, just admiring from afar. She’s pretty set on the code shit, and she doesn’t date athletes.”

  “So, you’re going to let this go?” Sam’s eyes were hopeful.

  Luc hated to crap on his friend’s high expectations, but he did, and with a smirk. “I never said that.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Kassie

  Getting a text from Luc this morning surprised Kassie. When she gave him her number, she was sure he either wouldn’t call, or she’d get a creepy booty call. And she was no puck bunny, so a booty call would’ve been frowned upon. Telling him to take a hike for a booty call would’ve been too easy, and she got a more complicated, maybe even a high-maintenance vibe from him. So, getting a casual, let’s hang out text, was unexpected.

  Even unexpected, reading it made her excited, almost giddy.

  Luc: Meet for lunch today?

  It had been five days since their uncomfortable encounter at Kaden’s house. Her body reacted to her memories with butterflies dancing in her stomach and a ball of warmth forming in her chest. The way Luc had cornered her twice. The way he towered over her. His large, muscular body, and those dark eyes staring at her.

  She couldn’t deny that he was kind of cute. Who was she kidding? He was extremely good looking. He had dreamy, brown eyes and an adventurous smile, one that effortlessly turned deliciously wicked.

  And that was why she should ignore him.

  She typically avoided all of her brother’s teammates. Why did I give him my number anyway? It had been a momentary lapse of judgement, and probably partly the fact that his sinful grin gave her butterflies. And a momentary bit of bratty-little-sister logic that her big brother couldn’t tell her who she could and couldn’t talk to.

  Knowing Luc was a Renegades player, and knowing how her brother would react to her spending time with him, was somewhat exciting. It all seemed so fun at first. But now it was looking like such a bad idea. She wasn’t a child, and she knew it wasn’t solely to get a rise out of Kaden. Luc was attractive, and he seemed to like her. Scratch that, if the way he acted at the club the other night was any indication, he was definitely into her.

  She’d spent so much time taking care of her mom and concentrating on school to get her degree, that she had put her social life on the back burner. She longed for a little excitement in her life, and she kind of liked Luc, too.

  And that was the exact reason she should avoid him at all costs.

  But instead of listening to her instincts, she quickly typed a response.

  Kassie: Meet you at the Café on Fifth at twelve thirty?

  She knew it was a bad idea the second she hit send. Her stomach flipped around excitedly, while the butterflies dancing in her middle took charge of her actions. It was a ridiculous feeling. This wasn’t middle school. She was an adult, and she was just testing the waters, anyway. Trying to shake the weird feeling, she knew how this might play out, and she knew better than to mess around with a teammate of her brother.

  At the thought of Kaden, nerves made her stomach ball up. Is this a bad idea? Probably. But meeting up for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee never hurt anyone. Plus, Kaden didn’t need to know her every move. He didn’t have to approve of her friends. He wasn’t thrilled with Quinn, and that never mattered. Kassie was her own person and could make her own decisions. Even if her brother did sit in the back of her mind, nagging at her.

  It was fall in Pittsburgh, and today’s weather report was chilly, so she dressed in leggings, knee-high boots, an oversized cream-colored sweater, and a tan plaid flannel scarf draped around her neck. After getting ready, she stopped by the mirror to check herself out. Smoothing her hand over her waist, she decided she looked fine, cozy and warm, not to mention very cute. But then again, this wasn’t a date, so it didn’t matter. This was just a friendly lunch on a Saturday afternoon.

  Her dark hair was down around her shoulders. She pulled it up into a loose bun and checked it out in the mirror, but ultimately decided to leave it down. Trying to convince herself that how she looked didn’t matter obviously wasn’t working. She hurried off to the restaurant before she decided to change one more thing about her outfit.

  She still wasn’t sure why she had agreed to this. Why did he even ask me to lunch? That was even more curious. Maybe she’d said something the other night to lead him on, or maybe he was just cashing in on her saying they could be friends.

  Honestly, she hadn’t expected them to be friends who hung out, more like smile and make small talk at Renegades events. Either he’d taken her literally, or this was going to be just another attempt at flirting with her.

  Luc was already waiting for her at a table by the window. He looked huggable in blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a gray, hooded sweatshirt. A matching knit toque covered his hair. The sun shone through the tinted glass, illuminating the table with warmth. He nodded at her as she walked in, but went back to looking at his phone as she sat down.

  Without looking up, he spoke with a head nod to her. “Hey there, sweets. Glad you could make it.”

  Why does he keep calling me that? But what really irked her was h
is not even looking at her as he greeted her. She covered his phone with her hand. “Hi. Thanks for the invite.”

  Luc looked up at her, a grin slowly spread across his lips. He leaned back in his chair, putting all his attention on her. “Hi.”

  “So, what’s the occasion?” she asked coolly, trying to make this seem as normal as possible. Her stomach flopped with nerves. There was nothing normal about this little meeting.

  Luc gave a small shake of his head. “No occasion. I was hungry and wanted some company. Just lunch and conversation. Plus, it’s a beautiful fall day, and this place rocks. They have cherry pie like grandma used to make.”

  “My grandma never made cherry pie. We always bought it frozen.” She had no idea why she said that; obviously, she knew it was just a saying. It was as if she couldn’t stop the words that were coming out of her mouth.

  “Right. It’s good though. We’ll grab a slice after lunch.” He dropped his phone to the table, in no rush to go back to it now that she was here.

  Kassie opened a menu and stared at the food selections. From behind the menu, she spoke. Maybe the thin barrier between her and him gave her a little comfort, because she could’ve never said this while looking into those big, brown eyes. “I was surprised that you texted me.”

  Luc tilted the top of her menu down with one finger and peered over the top at her. “Why?”

  “Well… I dunno. We don’t even know each other that well. That’s all.” How to explain her concerns without saying too much was impossible. She just fell silent.

  “Like I said, I was hungry and wanted some company,” Luc said matter-of-factly, but his eyes said something completely different. “Is that a crime?” The amusement in his stare made the butterflies in her stomach spread to her chest.

  Kassie shook her head. “Nope, no crime. Just seems odd. There’re probably a hundred other folks you could’ve asked.”

  The waitress interrupted their conversation. Kassie ordered a club sandwich and Luc ordered a chicken BLT. As soon as the server walked away from their table, Luc tilted his head and spoke again.

  “Maybe. But you’re the only one out of those folks that I wanted to spend the afternoon with.”

  His words were sweet. Maybe they were sincere, or maybe they were a line. She couldn’t decide which. It didn’t matter though; she needed to put up her guard. She couldn’t fall for one of her brother’s teammates.

  “Bet you say that to all the girls.” She rolled her eyes and smirked.

  Luc didn’t miss a beat with his response and a flirty grin. “Only the ones I like.”

  His words left her speechless, with the butterflies dancing in her stomach. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Luckily, before he could say anything else sly and really make her heart race, their food was brought to the table. He watched her from over their food as the server set the plates down in front of them. Luc rubbed at the scruff on his chin while half of his mouth turned up into a sexy-as-hell grin.

  “Can I get either of you anything else?” the waitress asked.

  “Actually, yes. Can I get an order of fries and some ketchup, please?” Kassie asked. She knew if she had things to munch on, she’d be less likely to say something stupid.

  “Make that a large order. We’ll share,” Luc added, as his eyes stayed on Kassie.

  “So, Luc. Tell me a little about yourself.” She took a bite of her sandwich. The guy seemed harmless enough. And getting to know a teammate of your brother never killed anyone. Yet.

  “Since you can Google a lot about me, I’ll give you the non-public version.” He took a bite of his sandwich, and paused a moment to chew before he spoke again. “I like music, rock ’n’ roll specifically. I enjoy fast cars. I might appear to be an asshole on some of the fansites, but I’m really not, I swear. Oh, and I’m from Detroit. But that’s something you can find online. Your turn.”

  “I never agreed to that,” Kassie retorted.

  “Sorry, but it’s only fair.”

  He was easy to talk to, so what was the harm? “Well, you know I’m from Ontario. I moved here with my mom. It’s just us now. I finished college and got a job. It’s nice to be close to Kaden, Ali and the baby.”

  Luc’s face dimmed at her words. “Yeah, I did know about your dad, and I’m sorry. I lost my mom when I was small.”

  “Sorry.” Kassie nodded. “There really isn’t a lot to tell about me.”

  “Well, I know you got some mean dance moves. I certainly would know.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I know you like your mixed drinks and shots. And you’re quite sociable when you’re drunk.”

  “I wasn’t drunk.”

  “Okay, when you’re tipsy.”

  The french fries arrived, and she dug in, shoving three into her mouth. But her efforts to have him find her unappealing seemed to backfire when he only grinned wider. He took a fry, popped it into his mouth, and leaned back in his seat.

  “You like to dance. We should go dancing some night.”

  “You and me?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “Why not? My brother.”

  “Well, we could ask him to go too, but I don’t think he will. He seems a bit uptight for dancing. But we could ask your friend, Quinn, and maybe JJ or Travis. They seemed to get along really well.”

  Luckily for Kassie, she hadn’t heard exactly how well the three of them got along the other night. She watched his expression. He wasn’t joking. “Let me think about it.”

  “Okay.” He grabbed another french fry. “We could go go-carting again?”

  She looked at him with as much confusion as she could. “You’re serious?”

  “Yeah, why not? You busy after this? We could go do something fun. Or are you scared? Maybe you secretly have a crush on me and can’t stand the thought of spending the day with me. It makes you all nervous or something.” He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I can understand that.”

  “No! I mean, no. You’re delusional. Or just cocky. Not every woman in the world has a crush on you.”

  “So that’s a yes to hanging out this afternoon?”

  He had her stuck between a rock and a hard place. No way was she admitting he made her nervous. What was she supposed to say?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Luc

  Luc knew he had her in a quandary. If she said no, it’d look like she had the hots for him. But if she said yes, she’d have to spend the afternoon with him. Either way, the outcome would be in his favor; he couldn’t lose. And in the end, she agreed. But only if they went bowling. Honestly, he didn’t care what they did; he just wanted to get to know her a little better.

  Luc stepped up to the lane and grabbed his bowling ball. Getting into position, he focused on the pins. Blocking out the other noise, he marched up to the line and tossed the ball with great concentration. He could hear Kassie trash-talking in the background, but he stood watching the ball as it moved towards the pins. Then he watched them fall, one by one.

  “Strike!” Luc did his goal celebration, pumping his fist in the air.

  “All right tough guy, I can do that, too.” Kassie stepped up to the lane, passing by Luc.

  He squeezed by her as she reached for the pink bowling ball. Their bodies almost brushed against one another. Luc felt the tension between them, the pure heat pouring off her. They were as close as two people could be without touching. Luc paused, taking the chance to glance right into her eyes. They were cocoa brown with a swirl of amber through them, and were half lidded as she took a quick peek at his lips, before her eyes met his again.

  Yeah, she was into him. There was not a doubt in his mind. And because she never ran away from him, or shied away from his flirtation or advances, he felt it necessary to continue. Maybe he’d get her to slip up and show her true colors, even more than grinding up on him the other night at Mario’s. At any rate, he enjoyed the challenge.

  “Hey, hockey boy! It’s your turn. If you’re done with your daydreaming,” Kassie call
ed. She grabbed her pop and plopped down in a seat.

  Little did she know that she was his daydream.

  She sighed and fanned herself. “I never realized how much work bowling was. I should’ve suggested we just go for a walk.” Her scarf was now on the seat beside her. She mumbled something before pulling the light-colored sweater over her head, exposing a tank top of the same color.

  He didn’t know what to expect under that sweater, but this worked. It was very rare that a guy hated watching a girl take off her shirt, even if there was a tank top under there. Kassie was always so put together and matched.

  “Are you going to bowl?” Kassie broke through his focus on her.

  Luc shrugged, trying to look calm and in control. He stepped forward and picked up his bowling ball. Cradling the ball, he lined up his shot, then strolled up to the line. He effortlessly swung the ball, directing it down the center of the lane.

  Turning around to face Kassie, he walked back to the seats without watching what was happening down at the pins. All he had to do was hear the pins go down to know he’d gotten yet another strike, and he fist pumped in celebration.

  “I should’ve known you’d be good at bowling, too.” She pouted. “Well, at least you won’t get us kicked out of here.” Kassie smirked.

  “I bet I could if I tried,” Luc said.

  “Please don’t.” She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, and that was all that mattered to him.

  “Okay, we have two frames left in this game. I’m totally winning, and pretty close to a perfect game, except for that one split. The question is, do you want to play a third game?”

  Kassie thought for a moment. “Considering you won the first game and are going to win the second, I think we’re done. No need to prolong my losing streak.” She looked at her watch. “Plus, I’m sure you have better things to do than this.”

  Did she really think he had better things to do with his day off than spend it with her? She was crazy. The next two frames were all strikes, while hers were a seven–ten split and a nine.