Body Shot (Last Shot)

by Kelly Jamieson

  Her cellphone buzzed as she moved to her desk. She peered at it. Carrie. She answered the call. “Hey, girl.”

  “Hiiiiii!” Carrie’s exuberant greeting made her smile. “How are you, you crazy sex goddess, you?”

  Hayden returned to the couch and sank down onto it. “Yeah, about that.”

  “What?”

  “It happened again.”

  Dense silence met her ears. Then Carrie cried, “What do you mean it happened again? When? With someone else? Who? What is happening here?”

  “No, not someone else! Jesus. I mean, Beck came over yesterday to uh…” She paused.

  “Beck!” Carrie’s screech had Hayden pulling the phone away from her ear. “You saw him again?”

  “Yeah. So, Saturday night, he ripped my panties—”

  Carrie made a pained noise. “I really did not need to hear that. But holy hotness.”

  “Yeah. So he brought over some new ones—only he brought me ten pairs! And they’re super pretty.”

  Carrie whimpered.

  “And then somehow with that crazy magic of his, he convinced me to go to the beach. So we walked on the beach, then went to an arcade and he bought me dinner. And then we came back here and…”

  “Snogged! Omigod, Hayden!”

  Hayden had to chuckle. “Snogged? Who says that?”

  “I do. You can’t see me, but I’m bouncing up and down. This is so cool!”

  “It’s not going to happen again. I have too much work to do to have any kind of relationship. Not that he even hinted that he wants to see me again, anyway.” Damn, that made her chest twang a little. “It just happened, like it did Saturday night. It won’t happen again.”

  “Oh.” Carrie’s voice dripped disappointment. “Well, okay. At least you had a sexy weekend.” She sighed. “I was calling to tell you I can’t go out this weekend. I wanted to plan something else fun, but I have to go up to L.A. for a photo shoot.”

  “Oh, that’s okay.” Truthfully, she’d be fine working all weekend too.

  “But I’ll be back Sunday and we can do something then. Hey, you know what would be cool? A whole spa day.”

  Oh my God. A whole day lying around doing nothing would make her crazy, when she had so much to do. But because she loved Carrie, she said, “That sounds nice.”

  —

  Tuesday evening Hayden was surprised to get a call from Will, one of the guys they’d met at Conquistadors Saturday night. She immediately went speechless and empty-headed.

  “I had fun the other night,” Will said. “I was thinking maybe we could get together for a drink, just the two of us, and get to know each other a little better.”

  He sounded nice. Confident but not pushy. Easy and natural.

  She really had no desire to see him again.

  Somehow explosive chemistry that tempted her into insanity appealed more than…nice.

  But that explosive chemistry wasn’t going to happen again with Beck. And how did she know she wouldn’t have it with someone else unless she gave it a shot? She had to admit, the pleasure she’d experienced had been addictive. She wanted more of it. Why not go out with another guy and see what happened?

  “Okay,” she said, knowing she’d probably hesitated long enough to be rude. So she added, “I’d like that.”

  “Great. How would Thursday be?”

  Thursday was good. Not a big “date night.” Just a casual drink. “Thursday’s good.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  She gave him her address, hoping she wasn’t revealing personal information to a serial killer. What? She didn’t really know this guy. Okay, she wasn’t very experienced at this dating thing.

  Thursday night, Will arrived a few minutes before seven. She was ready, with Carrie’s advice over speakerphone.

  “You’re sure you’re okay with me going out with him?” she asked Carrie as she pulled a top over her head.

  “Of course!”

  “I was afraid maybe you were hoping he would call you.” Actually, it was freakin’ weird that either guy had called her—Hayden—when Carrie had been there. Because Carrie was gorgeous. A model. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, with full lips and killer cheekbones. Those braces had done their job on her now perfect teeth, and her lean body had developed curves. Guys never looked at Hayden when Carrie was around.

  So in a way, it was flattering that Will had called, and therefore she should at least go for a drink with him.

  She answered the door, dressed in a similar outfit to what she’d worn last weekend—jeans and ballet flats. Her top wasn’t as fancy, a flowy tank top of layers of sheer pink.

  Will smiled appreciatively at her, his eyes crinkling up attractively. “Hi.”

  “Hi. I’m all set.” She didn’t invite him in, just let herself out and locked her door. “You didn’t have to pick me up. We could have met somewhere. I hope this wasn’t far out of your way.”

  “I live in Bay Ho,” he said, gently touching the small of her back so she could precede him in the hall and down the stairs. “So it’s not bad.”

  “Oh good.”

  He opened the passenger door to his car—not a Jag like Beck drove. Why did she even think that? A car could tell you something about the owner. Maybe Beck’s Jag told her that he was not good with money, buying a crazy expensive car that he couldn’t afford. That was the most likely scenario. Or he was trying to compensate for having a small penis.

  Um, no, she already knew that wasn’t the case.

  She and Will made some small talk about the weather as he drove. When he put on his turn signal and pulled into the small lot behind Conquistadors, she straightened in her seat. “Um…are we going to Conquistadors again?”

  “Yeah.” He glanced at her. “That okay? It’s close and it seemed like a nice place. Also they gave out coupons for free appetizers.”

  Nice to know she rated a free appetizer.

  She pulled in a deep breath. What was she supposed to say? “Sure, that’s fine.”

  Maybe she wouldn’t see Beck. He couldn’t be there all the time. And what if he was? She hadn’t heard from him since after he’d left Sunday, and that was just fine with her.

  Will politely opened the door for her. He was gaining more “nice” points.

  “We’re just going into the bar,” he told the hostess, and she smiled and waved them in.

  They paused inside the bar to survey seating options. Most of the stools at the bar were open, but there were some tables too. All of them close to the bar. Ah well.

  Without waiting for Will’s opinion, she headed to the table farthest from the bar and pulled out a chair. Will followed and took the chair adjacent to her, rather than directly across the table, and turned it so he was half facing her.

  Hayden grabbed the drinks menu and stared at it, trying to keep herself from looking around for Beck. A pretty waitress approached and set napkins on the table near them. “Hi there. I’m Crystal. How are you guys doing tonight?”

  “Great,” Will said.

  “Do you want to look at food menus?”

  Hayden looked up to see Will give her a questioning look. “No, I’m good,” she said quickly.

  “So just drinks, then,” the waitress said. “What can I get you?”

  Hayden had no idea what to order. All she knew was that it wouldn’t be tequila. She peered at the menu again and focused in on something. “I’ll have a mojito.”

  “Sounds good. And for you?” Crystal smiled at Will.

  “I’ll have a Corona.”

  “Good choice. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

  She sauntered away.

  “So.” Will focused on her again. “No tequila tonight?”

  She grinned. “I did enjoy tasting it that night and learning more about it. But I’m not sure it’s turned into my favorite drink.”

  “Powerful stuff,” he agreed. “But it was fun.”

  The silence that followed quickly felt awkward. Hayden had never b
een good at making conversation, but she’d learned a few things over the last few years of running her business. “So you mentioned last weekend that you’re a chiropractor.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You enjoy it?” She actually wasn’t sure that chiropractic treatment had been sufficiently studied to know that it was truly effective, but she didn’t say that to him.

  “Sure. Although I actually got into it for the money.”

  She gave a nervous laugh, not sure if that was a joke. “I thought about going into health care. But then I got hooked on research.”

  “Yeah, you said you’re some kind of scientist, right?”

  “Biochemistry is my background.”

  The waitress set drinks in front of them, and Hayden grabbed hers and took a greedy gulp. “Very nice,” she said.

  “What’s in that?”

  She had no idea. She picked up the menu again. “Rum. Lime juice. And mint.”

  Will nodded.

  A tingling at the back of her neck had her lifting her head and staring at the wall. No…there was no possible scientific explanation for feeling like someone was looking at you…specifically, Beck.

  She had to prove this to herself, so she turned her head to look at the bar. Her gaze slammed into Beck’s dark eyes. He had both hands on the bar, planted wide apart, and was frowning at her.

  Her insides went shivery and tight at seeing him. Goddamn, he was beautiful. That dark hair pulled back emphasized his sculpted cheekbones and deep-set eyes. Her belly did a couple of backflips.

  Well, she couldn’t ignore him. So she attempted a smile and a casual wave of her fingers that probably looked awkward as fuck.

  Chapter 10

  Beck stared at Hayden sitting at a table with that guy. Beck didn’t know his name but he recognized him from the tasting last weekend. He and his friend had been chatting up Hayden’s friend Carrie, and then she’d joined them. He’d watched her laugh and flirt with them, after he’d just had explosive, mind-blowing sex with her, and it had pissed him off.

  It pissed him off even more to see her with him again.

  What the fuck? How had this happened?

  Without thinking, he rounded the end of the bar and stalked over to their table. Hayden had just opened her mouth to say something when he came to a halt beside their table. “Well, hi,” he said, trying for a smile but knowing it probably looked like a snarl. “Good to see you back at Conquistadors.”

  Will leaned back in his chair and smiled at Beck. “Hey, Beck.”

  Asshole.

  “I’m disappointed you aren’t drinking tequila.” Beck’s gaze swept over the table.

  “We may have to do that,” Will said. “I really enjoyed the Sauza.” He looked at Hayden. “Which one was your favorite?”

  “The, uh, Don Julio…” Beck had asked her that exact question. And then he’d taken her back to the office to let her taste something even better…and oh yeah, tequila too. Her cheeks went red and he knew she was thinking the exact same thing.

  Her eyes met Beck’s and he felt the jolt of heat in his groin. She quickly looked away. His smile grew tighter. “Well, enjoy your drinks.” He narrowed his eyes at them both and turned back to the bar.

  Jesus.

  He tried not to watch them as he looked after customers, pouring beers and tequila shots, mixing drinks, wiping glasses, but it was hard to keep his gaze from returning to them. She looked so goddamn pretty, her hair loose tonight, long and silky straight down her back, wearing a top that left her slender arms and shoulders bare. He wanted to run his hands over her skin and lick her everywhere.

  His insides got tighter and a feeling of pressure rose inside him. As he wiped off the counter, he watched Hayden laugh at something the douchebag had said.

  Then she got up from the table, picking up her purse. Were they leaving? No. She was heading toward the bathrooms.

  Perfect.

  She passed by the end of the bar and he marched after her, oblivious to customers. Just as she reached the ladies’ room, he caught up and curved his fingers around her upper arm. She started and jerked around to see Beck right behind her. “Oh!” Her eyes went wide.

  “Come with me.” He accompanied his terse command with a firm grip on her arm as he led her down the hall. She didn’t try to fight it, tripping along with him into the office. He shut the door behind them and turned to face her, setting his hands on her hips. “What are you doing here with him?”

  She stared at him. “I’m babysitting him. What does it look like I’m doing?”

  His eyebrows lowered even more. “It looks like you’re on a date with him.”

  “I guess you could call it that. He invited me out for a drink.”

  “Fuck that.”

  “What? What? You have no say in who I date.”

  His back teeth ground together. “I don’t like it.”

  “Why?”

  A muscle twitched in his cheek. Yeah, why didn’t he like it? That was a good question. “I don’t know. But I don’t like it.”

  She had to laugh. “It seems like you’re jealous.”

  “I don’t get jealous.”

  “Then you’re just being a dick.”

  He glared at her. Ah hell. She was right. His lips twitched. “Yeah, I am, aren’t I? Shit.”

  Hayden swallowed, still staring at him with big eyes.

  He let out a short breath, expelling some of the tension from his body. “Okay, I’m not sure what jealousy feels like,” he admitted. “You might be right.”

  She sighed. “If you want the truth, you don’t need to be jealous. Will’s a nice guy, but…”

  “But what?” His gaze moved over her face.

  “It’s not…easy with him. And it’s not…”

  What? It wasn’t what? He waited for her to continue.

  “It’s not hot.”

  Ah. More tension eased out of his muscles, replaced with a different tension as blood moved south. He edged closer, bumping her pelvis with his. “Not like with me?”

  “Yes.” She sighed again and dropped her eyes to his chest. “Not like with you.”

  He tipped her chin up with firm fingers so she had to look at him again. “I don’t want you to be with him.” Fuck, why was he saying things like this? He never said things like this.

  “We don’t even know each other,” she whispered. “You can’t tell me things like that.”

  “I just did. Fuck, it sounds crazy to me too, Hayden. Get rid of that guy.”

  “I can’t get rid of him. He picked me up and brought me here.”

  “I’ll get rid of him.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Sure I can. It’s my bar.”

  “Beck!”

  “Okay, okay, being a dick again.” He rubbed his face. “Okay, let him take you home. I’ll come over. Oh wait, I can’t. I’m working. Goddammit!”

  She smiled and went up on her toes to kiss his bearded cheek. “Calm down. Nothing’s going to happen with Will and me. I already knew that.” Her smile went crooked. “But I didn’t think anything was going to happen with you and me either.” She studied him. “I really don’t have time for dating.”

  “Then why are you out with him?”

  She sucked briefly on her bottom lip. “I don’t know. It was nice that he liked me enough to call me, so I thought I should give it a shot. Carrie and my family keep telling me I should get out more.”

  “Well, then, you’ll get out more. But it’ll be with me.”

  “I thought you don’t date either.”

  “I date. I just don’t get serious.” He tried to relax his shoulders. “This doesn’t have to be serious.” All week he’d told himself he wasn’t going to call her or see her again. But when she’d walked into the bar, on a fucking date with some other guy, the unreasonable anger that had flared up inside him made him realize he was bullshitting himself.

  He wanted more of her.

  “Your family is right,” he announce
d.

  Her forehead creased.

  “You should get out more. You work too hard.”

  Her lips lifted at the corners. “You say that after knowing me a total of, um, five days?”

  “Yes. You were going to work all day Sunday last weekend. Oh hey, how did your presentation go?” Something else he’d been wondering all week, but tried to put out of his mind.

  “It went well.”

  “Did you get the funding?”

  “We won’t know for a while. It’s a lengthy process.”

  “Huh. Well, I’m sure you will. Anyway, you need more fun in your life. And I’m the perfect guy to have fun with.” Her smile was so goddamn gorgeous he stopped breathing.

  “You are, huh?”

  “I am. Tomorrow night we’ll go out and do something fun.”

  She bit her lip. He knew she was hesitating so he gave her his most charming smile, topping that off with a soft kiss on her lips.

  “Okay,” she said on a sigh.

  He wanted to do a fist pump but restrained himself. “Great. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Then he frowned, remembering she was with another dude tonight. “Sure you don’t want me to get rid of Will?”

  She shook her head, eyes dancing. “It’s fine, Beck.”

  His insides were still in knots and his groin heavy as they left the office. She stopped in the ladies’ room and he continued back to the bar to quickly look after some impatient customers. Alex, another bartender, was working too, but some of the table orders were getting backed up. He threw himself into action, keeping an eye on Hayden and Will to make sure Will wasn’t trying anything. If he looked over there and found Hayden on Will’s lap, he was going to be launching tequila bottles across the bar.

  Man, he had to dial this down.

  What was he going to do with her tomorrow night? More importantly, how was he going to get a Friday night off? This had never been an issue before. Running a bar was fun, like going to a party every night instead of work. Okay, that wasn’t totally true, as they’d quickly discovered. There was a lot of work that had to be done to keep a business running. But still, he’d never wanted to take a night off to go out on a…date.

  He turned to Alex. “You’re not scheduled tomorrow night, are you?”