“Mine too. Okay, it’s officially off the table for tonight. Kyle and Eric just walked in so I’ll get us more beer before we start. Save my spot.”
Lucie threw her legs up onto Vanessa’s vacated stool and waved to the other half of their team. At least the guys would act as a buffer from the whole Reid-Stephen issue. She’d been on a rollercoaster ever since Stephen walked into her office last Friday morning, followed promptly by Reid’s surprise visit and even more surprising offer.
The heavy make-out session had only served to teach her what it felt like to be rode hard and put up wet. And she hadn’t even been able to enjoy her lunch and movie with Vanessa because she’d been anticipating the grilling she knew was coming. Now that it was out of the way, though, she fully intended to enjoy the next couple hours of drama-free fun. She’d texted Reid earlier and apologized for forgetting about league night and told him not to wait up for her since she knew he went to bed fairly early with the strict training schedule he kept.
When the realization hit her that she wouldn’t see Reid until tomorrow morning, Lucie downed the rest of her beer and eased further into her stool. Yep. Nothing to worry about, nothing to be anxious about. Just a couple of carefree dart games and drinks with her friends. She so needed this.
…
Reid walked into the dive bar that Vanessa had suggested he come to as he’d been on his way out earlier that day. He hadn’t planned on going, but when Lucie texted to say he shouldn’t wait up for her, he knew she was avoiding him and what he promised her would happen when she got home that night. It shouldn’t have bothered him. But it did. And he didn’t have a clue as to why.
What he did know was that as he’d shopped for groceries that afternoon he tried to think of more meals Lucie might like. And that train of thought inevitably led to images of teaching her how to cook said meals, complete with letting her taste things from his finger…and then from his tongue. And that led to him looking like he was smuggling a cucumber in his shorts as he strolled through the produce section.
Standing by the door he scanned the room for Vanessa, figuring she’d be the easiest to spot with her height and wild red hair. Two seconds later his sweep was brought to an abrupt halt. Damn, had he been wrong.
She stood in a group that was clearly the dart league she was a part of. He recognized Vanessa and Eric, but even they sort of blurred out once his eyes found Lucie. She wore a phenomenal pair of dark jean capris that hugged her ass and sat low on her slim hips, paired with a pale orange baby tee with the classic Crush soda logo emblazoned on the front. He’d liked how the logo curved around her breasts when she’d tried it on in the store. Now he was kicking himself for adding it to her wardrobe since every other guy in the bar probably liked it for the same fucking reason.
She looked so different from how he’d seen her the last week. Not only in her appearance, but also her spirit. She had an inner glow shining through. He stood back, content to watch her in her element for a while. Her smile was so big that for the first time he noticed a small dimple in her right cheek. Her long chestnut hair was pulled back in some sort of a haphazard bun that looked to be held in place with stir sticks from the bar. She cheered on Vanessa who was throwing darts at the closest dartboard of three to where she and two guys were standing. When Vanessa’s last dart hit the board, all four started cheering. The blond guy next to Lucie picked her up by the waist and spun her around before giving her a big smack on the lips.
And she didn’t even flinch.
Knowing his reaction was unfounded, if not downright ludicrous, Reid stalked across the room, using his height and broad shoulders to his advantage to push through the rowdy bar patrons. Lucie didn’t see his approach as she was facing away from him, but Vanessa beamed a radiant smile when she noticed him standing behind Lucie.
“Hiya, Reid! I’m so glad you decided to come! You’re just in time to celebrate our first victory of the night.”
Lucie didn’t turn around for a good five seconds, maybe longer. But as soon as Vanessa had said his name, a noticeable tension straightened her spine. When at last she faced him, her smile reached no further than the slight curve of her lips. She wasn’t happy to see him. No doubt because he was interrupting the fun with her new admirer. “Reid. What are you doing here?”
“I invited him before we went out this afternoon,” Vanessa said. “I thought he could join us for a few drinks, or at least watch us indulge if it went against his überstrict diet or whatever.”