Maybe it was just me, but her voice sounded like it was filled with disappointment as she replied, “Oh … Okay. Let’s go then.”
And just like that, she was gone.
Damn. I was fucked—totally and royally fucked.
As I stood there watching her walk to her car, Colton came up next to me with one of his looks and said, “Seems like you could use a drink.”
“You have no idea.”
“Good, because we’re going out tonight.”
“We are?”
“Hell, yeah,” he answered excitedly. “Did you see Bill’s face when Kaden hit that home run? It was priceless. We’re going out to celebrate. I’ve already sent Seth a message. He’s meeting us at seven. That gives us both enough time to get home and take a shower.”
“You’re serious?”
“Oh, yeah. Get your ass in the car, Tucker. It’s time for the Michaels brothers to have a night out on the town.”
Kaci
I was in a horrible, dreadful mood. Everything was getting on my nerves. Everything. As I drove home from class, I found myself cussing at the sun because it was too damn bright. Then, I yelled at the radio because all the songs kept repeating the same irritating melody over and over again. And just when I was about to go completely over the edge, everyone around me suddenly forgot how to drive. They kept slamming on their damn brakes and honking their horns, so I laid my hand on my horn, blaring it as I screamed out a stream of profanities that would make my mother blush. I was out of control. Deep down, I knew my drive home wasn’t the problem. Everything was bearing down on me. Deadlines at school. Extra hours at work. Kaden. Mom. Dad. And Tucker Michaels.
There were so many times when I’d heard girls describe their feelings of attraction for a man, and quite honestly, I’d always thought they were just exaggerating. I had never looked at anyone and felt an electric spark or a burning desire—well, not until … Tucker. With just one single look, a rush of heat had surged throughout my body, and my heart pounded in my chest like a round of ignited fireworks. I clearly had a thing for Tucker Michaels because I’d never felt like this before; I was just too afraid to admit it.
I walked into our apartment and yelled, “Jess!”
“I’m in here!”
“Let’s go out tonight.”
She came flying out of her room with a surprised look. “Really? Why? What’s going on?”
“It’s been one of those days, and a movie night isn’t going to cut it. I need to get my drink on, so call the crew and tell them to meet us over at Mulligans.”
“Woo-hoo! Kaci’s getting her drink on! This is going to be awesome!” She cheered as she clapped her hands like an excited child. “Do you want to borrow something of mine to wear?”
“Oh, yeah, and I want you to fix my hair, too.”
“You got it!”
We were the first ones to make it to the bar, so Jess and I grabbed us a table down front and ordered a couple of drinks. In no time, I could feel the stress melting away, and I was even considering singing karaoke with Jess and Allison. The alcohol was already affecting my inhibitions, but I didn’t care. I needed a break from uptight, straight-laced Kaci. I leaned over to Jess and slurred, “I need another drink.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Kaci. Maybe you should wait a little bit.”
“Why?”
“You know you’re a lightweight, and you’ve already had two. Maybe you should eat a little something before you have another one,” she suggested.
While shaking my head in drunken disagreement, I stood up and turned towards the direction of the bar; like a petulant child, I declared, “I’m not hungry.”
I almost made it to the bar, but before I could make it to the counter, I tripped and ended up falling backwards, landing haphazardly in some guy’s lap. While I had no idea who he was, there was something very familiar about him. I sat there, half-dazed in the crook of his arms, studying his handsome face and muscular build, trying to figure out how I knew him. Then, his lips curled into a sexy smile. “Well, hello there, darlin’.”
It wasn’t until that moment when I realized I was still sitting on the guy’s lap. I pulled myself to my feet and said, “I … um ... I’m sorry about that.”
“That’s okay. Accidents happen.”
I was so busy adjusting my skirt and trying to maintain my balance that I never even realized there were others sitting at the table with him until I heard, “Hey, Kaci.”
The sultry sound of his voice made my entire body hum as I peered over at the other end of the table and found Tucker smiling back at me. His green eyes danced with delight as he leaned back in his chair and stared at me. He was wearing a dark blue button-down shirt with jeans, and his hair was tousled in perfect disarray, making me want to run my fingers through it. Damn. The man was too hot for his own good. I glanced to his side and noticed that he was sitting next to his brother, Coach Michaels. They both seemed quite amused by my little misstep with their friend. “Oh. Hi, Tucker.”
“You know her?” the man asked.
“Oh, yeah. He definitely knows her.” Coach Michaels snickered. “This is Kaci, the girl from the park. The one Tucker’s been going on and on about for the past couple of weeks.”
“You were talking about me?” I asked Tucker.
Not giving him a chance to answer, the guy next to him said, “It makes sense now. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Tucker’s brother, Seth.”
“Oh, wow. There’s three of you. Your poor mother!” I teased. I glanced down at the other end of the table and noticed that Tucker’s sexy, little smirk had been replaced with one of complete embarrassment. I had to admit—I kind of liked the look on him. “How ya doing down there, sport?”
I swayed a bit and lost my footing, stumbling next to Seth’s chair. He reached out and grabbed my arm, helping me regain my balance. Tucker growled when he answered, “It looks like I’m doing better than you.”
By the disapproving look in his eyes, it was clear that Tucker wasn’t happy about my intoxicated state, but I was having too much fun to care. “I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
“Oh, I like her,” Seth replied and pulled out the chair between him and Tucker. “Why don’t you sit down and join us for a bit?”
“I don’t mind if I do,” I told him and plopped down next to him.
“Would you like a drink?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tucker told him.
Contradicting Tucker, I replied, “I think it’s a great idea. Thank you, Seth. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“You got it.” He nodded and motioned for the waitress.
Coach Michaels was practically beaming when he said, “Your brother made a great hit today.”
I smiled proudly. “So I’ve heard. Kaden told me all about it. I can’t ever remember him being more excited.”
“I could say the same about Colton.” Seth teased. “He seems to think the team is going to do really great this year, and your brother might just be his star player.”