He knocked again.
She lowered her window a scant inch and raised a brow.
“We should think green and ride together. But I’m not cramming myself into that Prius. I’ll drive.” He opened her door, reached in, and wrapped his large hand around her arm. She grabbed her things just as her body took flight.
His firm grasp propelled her across the rough pavement, tugging her toward his sexy car.
“Maybe I don’t want to be trapped in a car with an obnoxious man like you.” She lifted her key remote over her shoulder, beeping her car locked.
“I love when you’re feisty and pissed off. I’ll bet you’d be fun under the sheets that way too.”
“My sheets are reserved for Greg. And we need to discuss your bad attitude toward him! What do you think Greg thought when you held on to my hand like that?”
Nick’s jaw clenched as he opened her door. “He doesn’t deserve you, Shelby.”
“And you’d know this, how?” After he’d rounded to his side and joined her, she buckled her seat belt and glared at him.
He blew out a breath before he zipped into traffic. “You need a guy who wants to make love to you, not play football with you. What does he have that I don’t?”
She snorted. “The desire for a wife and kids, for starters.”
He shifted gears and floored it through a yellow light. “Why can’t you just sleep with a guy and have fun? No strings attached.”
She’d wondered that about herself too. Often. “I guess because then I wouldn’t be me?”
He opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it shut. “Good point. But then the guy you pick is too blind to see what a beautiful woman you are?” He turned and briefly stared into her eyes. “You deserve better, Shelby.”
She started to defend Greg, but Nick raised a hand to cut her off. “It’s how I see it. And I’m done fighting about Gary!”
She poked him in the arm. “Until you admit holding my hand hostage in front of Greg shows what a jerk you are, we’re not even close to being done!”
“Okay, I’m a jerk. But at least I’d know what to do with the sexiest woman to ever cross my path.” The lust in his gaze threatened to make her traitorous girl parts combust.
She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, blocking out his alluring baby-blue ones. “You’re impossible.”
When he chuckled, she winced.
Good come back, Shelby. That’d rate about a Three from the East German judge.
Her anger slowly dissipated as she leaned back and enjoyed the fast ride. She really missed her Porsche.
Nick’s comment about why she couldn’t just have a fun fling bounced around her brain.
Who was he to talk? She turned to him and asked, “Have you ever been in love, Nick?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“If you’ve never been in love, you can’t know what you’re missing. Dating will be good for you. You work too much. You need to find someone you can have fun with and who’ll show you how nice a real relationship can be.”
“I had fun with you last night. Dump the prince and I’ll show you what it’s like to have great sex with a real man.”
“No thank you, Mr. Shallow.” She huffed out a breath.
Would she consider it if she thought Nick would take her seriously? But he wouldn’t. He’d sleep with her a few times and then move on when he became bored. But the sex would probably be amazing.
When they arrived at her favorite cozy Italian restaurant, Nick held the door open for her. She couldn’t argue with Nick’s manners. It was about the only thing she couldn’t argue with him about.
The little tables covered with red-and-white checked table cloths all had wine bottles with colorful wax dripping down the sides at their center. The scent of garlic and warm, freshly made bread made Shelby’s stomach beg for a big slice of their to-die-for lasagna.
The owner, Michael, waved from the kitchen. “We got you all set up like last time, Shelby. You want the usual?”
“Yes, please!” She loved supporting small mom-and-pop restaurants like hers and Jo’s. Although, Jo had bigger plans for theirs one day.
She wrapped her hand around Nick’s big arm and tugged him to the rear, weaving through the tables full of diners. “Okay, so you’ll sit here with your back to the wall and wait for Lisa. She said she’s wearing a blue silk shirt and black slacks. I’ll be over there where she can’t see me but you’ll be able to. Try not to make eye contact with me when I speak in your ear. It’s a mistake first-timers often make.”
“Got it.” Nick accepted the ear piece and popped it in. “So, what does Lisa do for a living?”
“That’s an excellent question you should ask her, not me. Have a seat and I’ll go to my table and we’ll do a quick sound check.”
Nick nodded and pulled his chair out.
Shelby took her place, grabbed a menu so she could hide her face when Lisa walked by, and then said softly, “Can you hear me, Nick?”
“Roger that.”
“Good. Hey, put your phone away.”
He frowned at the screen. “Why? She’s not here yet.”
“Don’t make me come over there. Put it away, now!”
“I just want to answer this one—”
“Nick. Stop. You don’t want to miss that magical moment. The one where she’s searching for you, you’re looking for her, and when your eyes finally meet, you both realize at the same time you’ve found the one you’re looking for.”
He laughed as he tucked his phone away. “You should be writing chick flicks instead of children’s books, Shelby. That’s the most ridiculous—” He glanced up. “She just walked in. And yet, there’s not even an ounce of that magical mojo crap you just described. I’m feeling totally ripped off here—”
“Shhhh! She’s going to think you’re talking to yourself like a crazy person.”
When Lisa reached his table, Nick stood and held his hand out. “Hi. I’m Nick. Are you Lisa?”
“Yes, nice to meet you, Nick. Shelby described you well. I knew it was you instantly.” Nick shook the tall, slender, dark-haired beauty’s hand and then pulled her chair out for her.
So far, so good. Lisa was a new client so it’d be good to see how she operated too.
When a big plate of lasagna appeared before Shelby, she smiled and thanked her waiter. As she listened in, Lisa did all the talking and Nick gave her short one or two word answers. He hadn’t paid any attention at all to his homework. He was breaking all the conversation rules.
She dug into her meal, hopeful that Nick would get a clue and ask Lisa something.
When he seemed more interested in the menu than his date Shelby said, “Thank her for meeting you on her lunch hour, then ask what she does for a living.” She’d chosen Lisa because she was a lawyer, like Beth, hoping it’d be easier for Nick to find common ground.
Nick smiled and asked Lisa the question.
Lisa laid her menu down. “Well, I just recently made a huge life change. I quit my job because I felt stifled and unable to embrace my beliefs to the fullest. So, I bought a little shop nearby. We sell crystals and hard-to-get items for those who wish to cast spells and practice voodoo.”
Nick blinked. “Spells? And voodoo?”
Shelby stopped eating and strained to hear as Lisa said, “Yes. I omitted that part on my profile because many people are closed-minded about my lifestyle. I can talk to the dead sometimes too.”
“The dead too, huh?” Nick’s brow furrowed. “And spells. Wow. That’s . . . interesting.”
Lisa nodded as she perused the menu again. “Yes, I’m quite good at them, actually. You seem a little uptight. If you’d like, I could cook you up a good cleansing spell.”
Shelby laughed so hard she nearly spit out her lasagna.
Nick said, “No. I’m good. But thanks. So, what are we going to order?” He lifted his menu in front of his face and whisper-screamed, “Get me out of this. Now, Shelby!”
T
his was the perfect punishment for what he did to her in front of Greg. No way was she shutting it down. It was entirely too much fun to watch him suffer. “It’s good practice. Ask her if she knows any love spells.”
He growled, “Hell, no!” before he lowered his menu and broke another rule by glaring straight at her.
She answered him with a smug smile as she ate her awesome lasagna. She’d have to remember to update Lisa’s profile when she got back home.
Nick tugged at his collar the whole time their waiter took their order. When he glanced her way again, she almost felt sorry for him. But it’d be interesting to see what he did in this kind of situation, so she ignored his pleading eyes and buttered some more warm bread.
“Look, Lisa.” Nick ran a hand down his face. “You seem like a great person and all, but I have to be honest here. I’m one of those closed-minded people you mentioned. I don’t want to be disingenuous and pretend I think we’d be a good match. So maybe—”
Lisa lifted a hand and cut him off. “Yes, I know. I read you as soon as I touched your hand. I also saw that you’re in love with another woman. You should get in touch with and accept those feelings because she’d make you happy.” Lisa called the waiter over and canceled her order. Then she said to Nick, “But you need to figure out how to forgive yourself before you’ll be truly happy. It was nice to meet you. Be well, Nick.”
Because Shelby was still processing Lisa’s words, she forgot to hide behind her menu. Lisa winked at her as she passed by.
Shelby picked up her plate and slipped into Lisa’s vacated chair as the waiter placed a plate of lasagna in front of Nick. “Okay, that last thing she said is freaking me out. How could she know? About the forgiving yourself thing. Maybe she’s legit?”
Nick laughed. “Shelby, think about it. Most people carry guilt about something, it was just a lucky guess.” He took a big bite of lasagna. “This is amazing!”
“I know, right? It’s my favorite.” She took another bite off her own plate and pondered the rest of what Lisa said. “Could the other woman she thought you were in love with be Beth? You were with her for a few years.”
Nick’s fork stopped mid-bite. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he slowly shook his head. “No. It’s not Beth.”
“Oh, okay.” A weird sense of relief filled her as she finished off her meal.
When she was done, she pushed her empty plate forward and watched Nick eat. Joyous lust for his rich, cheesy lasagna lit his handsome face. He probably had that same expression when he made love to a woman.
After he scooped up the last of the red sauce with his garlic bread, he glanced up and caught her staring. “What?”
“Nothing.” She pulled herself together and held out her hand. “I need my Bluetooth back.”
He handed it over. “This didn’t do me any good, but you seemed to enjoy it. Next time, can you hit the mute button when you’re laughing your ass off? It’s distracting.”
“Okay. But when she got to the part about you needing a cleanse . . .” Shelby started laughing all over again.
“Yeah, that was hilarious.” Sarcasm laced his tone, but Nick smiled as he signed his name to the bill. “Let’s go.”
She waved to the owner on the way out. When they got to Nick’s car she held her hand out and waggled her fingers. “Keys, please. I want to drive back.”
“I never let anyone else drive my car.” Nick’s grin grew wicked as he tugged his keys from his pocket. “But maybe I’d be willing to make an exception.” He leaned closer and whispered, “If you kiss me again.”
The heat smoldering in his eyes sent a bolt of desire straight to her belly.
She wanted to. But she really, really shouldn’t. “Deal.”
Nick’s brows spiked as he dropped the keys into her hand.
She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“That’s not nearly good enough.” Nick reached for his keys.
She held them behind her back. “Too bad. Next time you’ll just have to be more specific.”
Laughing, Shelby hightailed it to the driver’s side before Nick changed his mind. She was a good driver and couldn’t wait to scare the crap out of him on the way home.
CHAPTER NINE
“Chester loved his bright-red sneakers. Hopefully, all the girls would too!”
Chester Goes To His First Birthday Party
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, will this be the sexiest outfit of them all?” Shelby chanted into her full-length mirror as she slipped a dangly earring into place. She wore a scoop neck pink top with a push up bra underneath that worked the girls nicely, super tight jeans, high heeled ankle boots and a tight cropped leather jacket to top it all off. Her hair was poofier than usual and she’d given herself dark, smoky eyes. “Or do I look a hooker?”
Jo laughed. “You look hot! If Greg doesn’t notice you in that, then he’s either blind or into men now.” She tossed Shelby’s bag to her. “Come on, we’re late. You can drive seeing as I’m nearly out of gas.”
Shelby caught her purse and then dug the keys out. “See, that’s the beauty of a Prius. I’m rarely out of gas.”
Jo waited by the car for Shelby to pop the locks before sliding her long body inside. “You’re just still trying to convince yourself you don’t miss the Porsche.”
“True. I drove Nick’s yesterday and it was fantastic!” Probably best not to share the part about how Nick wouldn’t let her out until he’d gotten his proper kiss. Although, there was nothing proper about it—it was smokin’ hot. And it was the last time she’d let him kiss her, no matter how incredible he was at it.
Shelby laid a hand over her nervous stomach and refocused on the mission at hand. Greg. “Thank goodness for this rain. No touch football for me tonight.”
“Yeah. That was a lucky break. Would you have played if it hadn’t been raining?”
Shelby had asked herself the same question. It was Nick’s cocky voice in her head that had convinced her she wouldn’t have played. Just to prove Nick was wrong about Greg. Probably.
“Nope.”
When they got to Jo’s parents’ house, cars lined the sidewalk for two solid blocks. Everyone in Denver must be at the party. Greg had always been a popular guy.
Shelby had no intention of ruining her hair by walking in the wind and rain for a half mile, so she pulled up to her aunt and uncle’s house next door and parked under their large portico. “Let’s make a dash for it.”
Shelby linked arms with Jo, ducked under their umbrella, and made a run for the gate in the wall that separated their properties. Just as they’d both done a thousand times in their haste to tell each other the latest news, or to gossip about boys when they were kids. Thankfully, once they crossed the side yard, the kitchen door was unlocked and they stepped inside.
After they greeted Jo’s mom, who was organizing the servers in the kitchen, Jo wandered off to talk to one of their girlfriends while Shelby went on the hunt for Greg. Normally he was easy to spot because he was so tall, but Shelby, being particularly short and in a huge crowd of people, couldn’t find him. She needed to move to higher ground.
She climbed the stairs to the catwalk that overlooked the cavernous great room on one side and the dining room that could seat twenty on the other. From above she finally spotted the top of Greg’s head leaning close to a woman whose giant breasts threatened to spill out of her flimsy top. She’d recognize those bazookas anywhere, as would half the guys from their high school class. Most had handled them back in the day. They belonged to Shelby’s high school nemesis, Tiffany Baker.
Shelby’s courage took a hike. She felt like a fourteen-year-old again. How could she compete against Tiffany, a girl who got any guy she set her sights on?
Crossing the catwalk to Jo’s old bedroom, Shelby slipped inside and closed the door behind her. She turned on the light, made her way to Jo’s bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
She needed to man up. Her plan was going to w
ork, it had to. Greg was different from most guys. He had a serious and deep side that compelled him to volunteer his time and talent for others. He’d never be swayed by a big set of cha-chas.
She hoped.
After swiping more lip gloss on, she threw her shoulders back and walked out of Jo’s old room. She’d waited two years for this moment and she would not fail. Besides, maybe she’d killed enough time so that Tiffany had moved on to her next victim.
From her perch above, Shelby found Greg again. Thankfully, he was talking to the neighborhood guys, so it was time to make her move. She headed for the stairs, and just as her foot hit the bottom rung her aunt called out, “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”
She’d known her aunt and uncle would be at the party, but she’d hoped to say hello and then avoid them for the rest of the evening. “Hi, how are you?” She peered past her aunt’s shoulder to find Greg, but he was gone again, dammit. He was a freaking moving target.
“Exhausted after the auction, but recovered now.” She took Shelby’s arm and motored her in the direction of the dining room. “There’s someone here you need to meet. His mother plays tennis with me at the club, and he’s an investment banker. His name is James Worthy.”
Shelby dug in her heels, halting their forward progress. “Not tonight. I’m supposed to meet someone else here.”
Her aunt’s gaze burned a hot trail of disapproval from Shelby’s head to her shoes. “Dressed like . . . that? You’re sending the wrong message with that outfit, Shelby. You’re of the age now that you need to start worrying about settling down. And we both know that your pool of men to choose from is limited because of your legs. Men don’t seriously date girls dressed like you, they just want to sleep with them.”
“Awesome, because that’s the plan! I need a drink, excuse me.”
Her aunt’s mouth gaped as Shelby brushed passed her on the way to the bar. She’d probably pay for that remark later, but it’d been worth it to see the look on her aunt’s face.
Matching Mr. Right (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Series Book 1) Page 9
