Page 7 of Slapshot Summer
“Well, let’s see.His name is Neil, he’s a CFO, he lives in Philly, and he’s straight, but—”
“Could you maybe introduce me?”she blurted.
“Me?”Josh pointed at his sculpted chest.She knew it was chiseled because his T-shirt was a little tight, and his biceps and forearms were all lean muscle.Besides, she’d fallen into the rock wall that was his back.The man was surprisingly ripped.
She nodded.“Yes, you.”Hope fluttered in her rib cage.
“Sure.I don’t know how soon he’s coming back, but when and if he does, I’ll introduce you.”He grinned at her.
“Thank you.”Bubbles fizzed in her tummy, and she twirled her glass a little too vigorously, sloshing piña colada over the edge.God, could she be any more of a bumble bunny?As she mopped up her mess, she didn’t dare a glance at Josh.He was probably yukking it up inside over her declaration that she wasn’t clumsy.Worse, he was probably reliving her slip of her tongue from earlier.
Peniscoladas.
Ugh!Heat blazed up her cheeks once more, and she kept her eyes on the bar.“So what bringsyouhere?”
“Change of scene.And, like you, I booked the trip a while ago.”
“July is an odd time to vacation in Florida, isn’t it?”
He cocked a questioning eyebrow at her.“I could ask you the same thing.”
God, she’d stepped in it again!But she still wasn’t ready to divulge her real reason for being here.“Discounts.It’s the low season.”
“I booked it because summer is the only time I get off.”He rested his forearms on the bar, and she couldn’t help but notice the line of his corded veins … or his strong hands … or his long fingers.Everything about him screamed “Masculine!”And that wasn’t a bad thing, except for the unfortunate effect it seemed to be having on her curious libido.
She propped her elbow on the bar and rested her chin in her palm.“You must be a teacher.”
He slid her a sidelong glance.“Hardly.”
That lined up because he lookednothinglike a teacher.“Then what do you do?”
He finished his drink and tasted the second one.This guy was really plowing through them.Silence stretched between them, but she didn’t push.He might be a stranger, but something was obviously eating at him, and she didn’t need to know what he did for a living.She’d simply been making small talk to fill the time until his friend Neil returned.If she let the question die in the ether, they could pretend she never asked.
He canted his head and leveled his gaze at her.“It’s what Iusedto do.I’m currently unemployed.”
Formerhero.Had he been a firefighter?Except their time off wasn’t necessarily limited to summers.“Your choice or …?”
“Not my choice.”
“That stinks.I guess we have that in common.”She raised her cocktail to him.
“Come again?”
“I’m also unemployed.I got fired a week ago.”There.Maybe hearing about her blunder would make him feel better.
He stared at her, calculations seeming to stream behind his eyes, as if he wanted to ask more but didn’t want to pry.Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all, and honestly, he had a good reason to be grumpy.
Plucking the second pineapple skewer, she debated with herself.She should finish the first drink before raiding the second one, but this was her vacation, damn it!What better time to break a few rules?With that thought, she finished off the chunk and let out a little moan of contentment.It feltgoodto break rules, even tiny ones.Anna would be proud.
Josh’s eyes did that weird widening and darkening thing again, but they were pointed at her mouth this time.Was he …?No.No way.
He gave a quick shake of his head.“What did you do?In your job, not what did you do to get fired.”
“I was a copywriter for a bridal magazine.”She held her breath, anticipating the inevitable next question.It didn’t come, leaving her staring at him and him staring back.His eyes weren’t really gray-green.They shimmered like silver, with tiny spruce specks, and his lashes were sinfully lush and long, forming the perfect frame.
“More drinks here?”Matt interrupted, breaking whatever spell had overtaken them.
Josh executed a drumroll on the bar.“Sure.You might want to bring her a bowl of pineapple, though.”He tipped his head toward Lexi.“It seems to be her favorite part of the drink.”
