Page 14 of Slapshot Summer
“Why did you wear it if you feel that way about it?”
He shrugged.“My mom gave it to me, andshethinks it’s all that.She’s the best mom on the planet, but picking out clothes is not one of her super skills.She went to the trouble of buying it, though, and she also drove me to the airport, so I felt obligated.”
“She sounds like a terrific mother.”
“That she is.I’m not a great son, and it seemed like the right thing to do.One infinitesimal step toward balancing out the scales between us.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.I betshethinks you’re a good son.”
Sweet?Josh couldn’t remember that adjective being directed his way before.
Lexi’s brows drew together, and she glanced around.“I wonder if Neil’s okay.”
“He probably got waylaid by something.”Or is looking to getlaidby someone.Josh’s eyes strayed to the band on the beach, where couples moved in time to the music.
In the spirit of men everywhere—exceptNeil—Josh was overcome by a supremely bad idea.Ignoring the alarm blaring in his head, he threw it and caution into the crashing surf, giving himself over to a rush to get her the hell out of there before Neil reappeared.
“I have an idea.You done with your meal?”
She nodded.
Standing, he laid his napkin down.“I’ll be right back.”When a shadow of worry crossed her face, he added, “No, I really will.Give me five minutes.”
He spotted their server and made a beeline for her.
Chapter 6
Dancing with the Stars
Lexitookintheman standing before her, his hand extended in invitation, his quicksilver eyes dancing with … she wasn’t sure.Amusement?Challenge?A dash of danger?Josh oozed an edginess that did funny things to her lady parts.He was the bad boy she’d been warned about, all swaggering ease with a sparking undercurrent that telegraphed sex was a sport he excelled at.
Whatever else it might be, the offer had her curiosity at an all-time high.She’d never been with a man like him—let’s be real, she’d barely been withanyman—and his smooth self-assurance was a drug she was eager to try.
Perhaps for that very reason, she gave herself a moment to tumble the offer through her head, examining its different facets.As long as he wasn’t inviting her to his room to get naked, what harm could it do to follow him?Not that she objected to getting naked.Hadn’t she told Anna that a roll in the hay was one of her objectives when she’d set out on this “honeymoon”?Exceptnotwith Josh.There was that whole experienced vibe that intimidated her, plus, over the last hour or so, she’d shifted him into the “friend” category because, for some odd reason, she trusted him.One did not sleep with one’s friends.
Hall and Oates’s “I Can’t Go for That” sang out in her head, yet at the same time, an undeniable charge of anticipation raced up her spine.
“Just do it!”Anna urged.“Embrace the adventure, whatever it turns out to be.”
Once upon a time, Lexi had lived by some very wise words uttered by an old-time actress: “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.”But now she examined every opportunity for all the ways things could go wrong and inevitably found an excuse to run—like the job she’d been offered by a home improvement magazine when she’d still been working atVeil Vibes.It had sounded exciting—had even paid more—but fear of the unknown had kept her from accepting.Too risky to change.When had she become such a nervous Nellie?When had she become soboring?
Conrad.Without even realizing it, she had let him beat her down mentally until nothing of the old Lexi remained.When she’d first told him about the job offer, he’d scoffed.“You don’t know anything beyond bridal, Alexis.How long do you think you’ll last?”She’d turned down the opportunity, despite the appeal and the bigger paycheck.
He’d eaten away her confidence one bite at a time, but she’d been the one to hand him the knife and fork and told him to carve away.Vibrant Lexi had transformed into passive Lexi.He might have been the one to shove her assertive side into a deep, dank hole, but she’d aided and abetted by second-guessing herself every time he questioned her decisions, her thought process, herbeing.By not standing up for herself.By not trusting herself.
Being left at the altar had been brutal, but it might very well have been the biggest kindness he’d ever done her.
These myriad thoughts streamed through her head while she stared up at Josh.His eyebrows crawled up his forehead, as if he were silently pondering where she’d spiraled off to.
Go with it!Trust your instincts.Let Lexi out of her cage and embrace the unknown.Welcome the fun.You deserve this.
The waitress materialized and handed Josh a folio, giving Lexi another moment to study him.He opened the little black folder, eyes scanning the bill, and held up one finger in a silent request for the woman to wait.
Lexi snagged her credit card from her pocket and sat forward to hand it to him.
Without looking at her, he growled, “I’ve got this.”Ooh!That commanding voice snapped her at attention, firing up tiny points of pleasure in her belly, and she was inclined to salute him.This was aman, used to taking charge, to handing out orders, but not in a slithering, backstabbing Conrad sort of way.
The server eyed him with interest, from his messy hair to his flip-flopped feet, and Lexi stole a moment of her own to see him through the server’s eyes.He was … gorgeous.Strong jawline, perfectly cut cheekbones, a sensuous mouth, and unblemished skin dotted with sexy stubble.Why had it taken until now for her to realize this fact?Because he’d been a jerk when she’d first met him, but first impressions were overrated, and she wasn’t necessarily an expert at judging men.His swagger during their first encounter had been a turnoff but was now morphing into something on the opposite end of the sex appeal spectrum.
