He came behind the bar. “What if I don’t want another girl? What if I want you?”
Uh-oh. Her body was pinging like a Geiger counter and Ty was radioactive. The closer he got, the hotter she became. She took a step back. “I don’t want you.”
He stopped, his lips curving in a knowing smile. “You keep saying that, but I don’t think I believe you.”
“Arrogant men are not appealing.”
“I’m not being arrogant. I’m just good at reading signals.”
“You are so full of shit.” She bent down, grabbed her bag, and held it in front of her like a life preserver. “What signals?”
“You’re breathing fast. Your cheeks are flushed. Your pupils are dilated.”
“I’m exhausted and out of breath from running around trying to close down this place. And it’s hot in here.”
He laughed. “It’s not hot in here. And you’ve been standing still.”
He had her there. “Go away, Ty. I need to close up.” She fumbled in her bag for her keys.
“Go out with me.”
She jerked her head up. “What? No. Hell no.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad. I promise.”
“I’d rather have a root canal.”
He didn’t seem insulted. What would it take to get him angry, to hurt his feelings? To get him the hell out of this bar?
“I promise you that going out with me is way more fun than dental surgery.”
“I’m…seeing someone.”
One perfectly formed brow rose. “You’re seeing someone.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“You don’t know him.”
“How do you know I don’t know him if you don’t tell me who he is?”
“He’s not involved in sports.”
“I know a lot of people not in sports, Jenna.”
She was digging this hole deeper and deeper. “He’s not from around here. And I have to go.”
“Got a date?”
“Yes.” She pushed on him until he finally budged and headed for the door. She punched in the code and hurried outside, tossing on her jacket to ward off the frigid temps.
Of course he just had to walk her to her car. Damn him for being a gentleman. He’d be a lot easier to not think about if he were a prick.
“A little late for a date, isn’t it?” he asked when she got to her car.
“None of your business, Ty.”
“So, it’s a booty call.”
She gasped. “It is not a booty call. It’s a date.”
“He taking you out to dinner at three a.m.?”
She clamped her lips tightly together.
“The movies, maybe?”
“You’re an asshole.” She pivoted and got into her car.
“Good night, Jenna.”
He stepped back when she peeled out of the lot, and just like the last time, he stood there watching until she drove away.
Damn him for making her think about him, for making her want him.
She’d show him. She’d get herself a guy.
Maybe if she found someone else to go out with—and ultimately have sex with—Ty wouldn’t be front and center on her mind.
THREE
TY HADN’T INTENDED TO SHOW UP AT THE RILEYS’ house, but Gavin had invited him.
Sunday dinner was apparently a big deal to the Rileys. Ty had no family here, but he and Gavin had become friends over the past months, playing basketball whenever they both managed free days. That wasn’t often though, since Gavin was prepping for the beginning of the baseball season and Ty was on the road playing hockey. But every now and then they managed to hang out together, like today, though the family had held up dinner waiting for Gavin and Elizabeth to show up.
He’d actually gotten to know Gavin through his agent, Elizabeth Darnell, who was now Gavin’s fiancée. Gavin hadn’t liked Ty at all when he’d first met him, because Ty had flirted with Liz to try to make Gavin jealous. Apparently it worked since the two of them were engaged and planning to get married.
But first it was Gavin’s older brother Mick’s wedding coming up in a couple weeks if he remembered right. And judging from the frenzied talking going on between Liz and Tara, Mick’s fiancée, along with Gavin and Mick’s mother—it seemed like the wedding planning was in full force.
Ty was glad he wasn’t taking part in it. Weddings were so not his thing.
He hung out in the living room, drinking beer and talking with Gavin, Mick, and their dad, along with Nathan, Tara’s teenaged son.
This was a nice family. There was a warmth and closeness to this family that he hadn’t felt with his own. Mick told Ty that he and Tara had decided to make the permanent move to St. Louis, including relocating Tara’s business so Nathan could go to school here. Family was important to them, and even though Mick still played for San Francisco, it was easier for him to travel, and more important for Tara and Nathan to be near Mick’s family since they had all become so close.
He understood that. A tight family was a family that stayed together. He wished it had worked out for his parents, but that was a different situation.