Sweet Spot (Summer Rush #1) (10 page)

Rowan cleared his throat while pulling Tenley’s tank down to cover her open jeans.

She felt him turn away from her, using his big body to block hers.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asked Ace. “We’re running late.”

“Yeah, sure. See you later, Tenley.”

“Yeah, later.” She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Rowan wink at her before he closed the door.

“I think I’m in love,” Stacey said, stretching her arms overhead as she walked down the hall.

Tenley tried to discreetly button and zip her pants, but Stacey was on to her.

“What’re you doing?” she asked, wearing her shit-eating grin.

“Nothing.”

“Yeah, right.” Stacey headed to the fridge and took out one of the fruit-and-yogurt concoctions she pre-made for breakfast. “You’ve been up to something.” Her gaze slid over Tenley. “And since Rowan just left, I’m betting it had something to do with him.”

Tenley watched her reach into the drawer for a spoon as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. “You’re imagining things again.” She turned toward the soapy dishes in the sink, hoping her friend would give her a pass just this once.

Stacey rested her elbow on the counter where Tenley was working, the bowl halfway to her lips as she grinned. “You had him, didn’t you?” She grimaced before straightening. “Please tell me it wasn’t on the counter.”

“Shut up,” Tenley said, shaking her head. “We just messed around a little, that’s all.”

“But if we hadn’t been here, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t have taken him back to your bedroom and let him have his wicked way with you.” Stacey sat on a stool before digging into her breakfast.

“I thought I was done with him,” Tenley said, trying to make sense of what just happened and where that left them. Would he call her later? Did she want him to? Or did he just sense she’d needed a little help taking off the edge and thought he’d lend his expertise?

“How could you be done with him when you haven’t even done him yet?” Stacey asked, rolling her eyes.

“I told you what happened with him in the park, then later in my brother’s office. I thought that was it, that we wouldn’t be seeing each other again.”

“I’m not going to ask what happened here today, but I’m assuming whatever it was made you question whether you’re really over him?”

“Over him?” She laughed, but it sounded brittle and hollow. “You make it sound like we were dating for years. I barely know the guy.”

“You’ve followed his career for a long time,” Stacey reminded her. “It’s like you knew him even before you met him.”

“Hardly. I only knew what I’d read about him and seen on TV. Sure I watch every game, but that’s not the same as knowing the guy.”

“So let me ask you this,” Stacey said, pointing her spoon at Tenley. “You were into him even before you met him. You’ve told me dozens of times how hot you think he is.”

Something she now regretted saying. “And your point is?” She set the dishes in the drying rack before immersing the skillets in the water.

“Now that you know him, do you think there’s more to him than you thought there would be?”

She was asking Tenley whether he was a bonehead athlete or a real man of substance. She remembered the stories he’d told her about the way he’d grown up and the stories she’d shared with him about her childhood. He may have been a jealous jackass in the park and crossed the line by going to see her brother, but he wouldn’t have done those things if he’d just been looking for another hook-up.

“Rowan is a good guy.”

“Then why’d you cut him loose?”

Though Stacey was one of her few girlfriends, she couldn’t confide in anyone about Justin. Tenley’s conscience reminded her that Stacey was putting herself in harm’s way just by living with her and deserved to know she could be in danger, but she didn’t want to make her paranoid. Justin would be out to get her. Not Stacey.

“I’m not interested in a relationship right now.” She’d told Stacey the same thing a hundred times, so it should come as no surprise. But for the first time in a long time, she’d found a man she could imagine committing to, and the threat of her ex lurking around every corner was making that impossible.

“I don’t believe you,” Stacey said, scraping the last of the yogurt from her bowl before rounding the corner to plop it in the water. “You’re into Rowan. You can deny it all you want, but I saw the way you looked at him when he left. You want more of whatever he gave you this morning.”

“Doesn’t matter what I want,” she said, unable to deny the truth. “Starting something with Rowan would be a huge mistake.”
Especially now.

Ace and Rowan jumped off the treadmills when Ace asked, “Are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Tenley this morning, or are you gonna make me guess?”

Ace had managed to outpace Rowan all morning because his mind was back in that apartment with Tenley. He wanted to hear her make those sexy sounds all over again, this time while she was in his bed.

“Nothing happened,” Rowan said, using the towel around his neck to wipe the sting of sweat out of his eyes.

“Yeah, right,” he said, grinning. “I know the look a woman gets when she’s satisfied, and Tenley had that look in spades by the time we walked out the door.”

“Mind your own business,” Rowan said, reaching for his water bottle.

“Just tell me this,” Ace said before tipping back his water bottle. “You back with her or what?”

Rowan wished he knew. Even after what happened that morning, he still didn’t know whether he had the right to call her again. Which he was dying to. “I don’t know, man.”

“Don’t you think you should find out?” He gestured to Rowan’s phone, which he’d stacked on his shirt before stepping on the treadmill. “Text her. Call her. Whatever. Just find out if she wants to pick up where you left off before you started acting like an ass and scared her off.”

Ace had read Rowan the riot act after he told Ace what had happened with Tenley, and after a few days of licking his wounds, he had to admit his friend was right. If some woman he’d just met had acted the way he had, Rowan would have written her off too.

“I don’t want to make the mistake of coming on too strong again.” He hated second-guessing himself. He usually knew exactly how to handle women based on what he was angling for: sex or something more. But Tenley was a complete mystery to him. Which only made him want her more. “I think I’ll give it a day or two before I—”

“Big mistake,” Ace said, shaking his head. “You gotta strike while the iron’s hot, man. A girl like Tenley doesn’t sit at home waiting for a guy to call her. She’s too busy living her life. And since that life includes a bar and a gym, it’s only a matter of time before she meets another dude who makes her forget all about you.”

Damn. He couldn’t risk that. Rowan grabbed his phone, and his fingers hovered over the screen. “Damn.” He wiped more sweat off his forehead. “What should I say?”

Ace chuckled and Rowan knew he was getting off on watching him squirm.

“Just tell her it was good to see her today. See if she responds.”

That seemed harmless enough. Rowan fired off a text, holding his breath to see if she’d respond right away. After a minute passed, he cursed himself for being an impatient idiot. He set the phone on a nearby chair while he refilled his water bottle from a cooler in the corner.

Ace grinned when the phone vibrated, letting him know he had a message. “She says you blew her mind.”

“Gimme that,” Rowan said, grabbing the phone from him. Looking at the screen, he couldn’t hide his smile as he read her words over and over.
Goes both ways
, he replied.

“She’s good for you,” Ace said, smirking. “She makes you work for it, keeps you guessing. You need a woman like that.”

No, what he needed was stability and a girl who could make him feel secure in what they had. He knew Tenley wasn’t likely to be that girl, but he’d give anything if she could be.

“I don’t want to play games,” Rowan said, gripping his phone. “I want…” He was almost afraid to say it. “I guess I’m ready for a girlfriend again.”

“And you want it to be Tenley.” Ace nodded. “I get that. She’s hotter than hell. But it seems she’s got a lot going on.” He tapped his index finger against his temple. “Maybe too much.”

“Are you saying she’s too smart for me?”

Ace laughed. “Well, there is that. But that’s not what I meant. I get the feeling she’s been through the emotional wringer with men. Could be impossible to break through those barriers, buddy.”

As they walked to the showers, Rowan said, “Giving up doesn’t feel like an option. I tried that, remember? And I’m not gonna lie. I’ve thought about her every goddamn minute since I walked out of her brother’s office that night.”

“Then there’s only one thing you can do,” Ace said, gripping Rowan’s neck. “Make her see you’re not like all the rest.”

***

Rowan didn’t text Tenley to let her know he was going to pass by her work that night, but he was pissed when he saw her favorite regular sitting on a stool at the bar, chatting her up as she mixed drinks for her other customers.

“Shit,” Rowan muttered, stopping just inside the entrance. Ace and his brother turned to look at him, waiting for some explanation. “It’s the guy from the park. The one Tenley dated.”

Reese gave Andrew a quick once-over, taking in his lean build and yuppie clothes. “Doesn’t look like much of a threat to me. I don’t know what you’re worried about.”

“Did I say I was worried?”

Walker spotted Rowan from across the bar and made his way toward them. His gaze strayed to Ace briefly, but he smiled when Rowan offered his hand. “Good to see you, man,” Walker said, slapping Rowan’s shoulder while clasping his hand. “When I didn’t see you around for a while, I thought my little sister had blown it with you.”

“What’s the deal there?” Rowan asked, nodding toward the bar. “Has he been hangin’ around much lately?”

“No,” Walker said. “Tonight’s the first time I’ve seen him in a few weeks.”

“Good to know,” Rowan said, nodding when Tenley finally caught his eye. She smiled and waved, easing the knot in his stomach as he introduced her brother to Ace and Reese.

“Ace,” Walker said, clenching his jaw, “I hear you’re dating Stacey. I hope you’re being good to her. She’s a real sweetheart.”

“Yeah, she is,” Ace said, obviously sizing up his competition. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll treat her right.”

Walker looked as though he wanted to say more but returned his attention to Rowan instead. “You guys can snag that table,” he said, pointing at one near the dance floor, with a gold reserved sign on it. “I keep it open in case some of my friends pass by.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Sure, no problem,” he said, glancing at Ace one last time. “I’ll send a waitress over to take your order.”

“What the hell was that about?” Reese asked Ace once they were seated. “I was just waiting for the pissing contest.”

“Tenley’s brother is Stacey’s ex,” Rowan explained. “Tenley said it wasn’t serious, but I don’t think Walker likes the idea of Stacey hooking up with our boy here.” Rowan grinned as he slapped Ace on the back.

“I don’t give a shit whether he likes it or not.” Ace glared at Walker’s back as he faced the bar, talking to his sister. “He’s going to have to get used to it.”

“You’re really into this chick, huh?” Reese asked, scrolling through the updates on his phone.

Ace chuckled. “You’ve seen her. Can you blame me?”

Stacey was hot, but Walker was right. She was a sweetheart too. Rowan hoped his best friend realized that and wasn’t treating her like just another groupie.

“Don’t make the same mistake Walker did,” Rowan warned his friend. “Taking her for granted. A woman will only put up with that for so long.”

Before Ace could respond, Maura passed by to take their drink order, flirting with all of them in turn before she put a little swing in her hips as she walked away. Probably wasn’t sure who’d be covering the bill tonight and wanted to hedge her bets by coming on to all of them to ensure a good tip.

“She’s definitely the hottest girlfriend you’ve ever had,” Reese said, watching Tenley pass out drinks while laughing and chatting up her patrons. “I know you’ve dated models and actresses and shit like that, but this one’s the real deal. You can tell there’s nothing fake about her.”

“Except she’s not Rowan’s girlfriend yet,” Ace said, grinning at his friend.

“You think that leaves the door open for me?” Reese asked Ace as though Rowan wasn’t even there.

His brother was just messing with him, but Rowan wasn’t in the mood. Especially since he had to watch that loser from the dealership trying to get her attention while she tried to do her job. “Unless you want to go to work with a black eye tomorrow, I’d keep my mouth shut, little brother.”

“Oh, okay, tough guy,” he said, rolling his eyes with a laugh as the waitress returned with their beers.

“I’m just gonna hit the washroom,” Rowan said, standing. “Be right back.”

Ace grabbed Rowan’s arm. “Don’t do anything stupid. You just got her talking to you again. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Of course Rowan had to make a pit stop at the bar just to let her
friend
know he had his eye on him. “Hey, beautiful,” he said, winking at her.

To his surprise, she leaned over the bar to kiss his cheek. “This is a nice surprise. You guys had nothing better to do tonight?”

“It occurred to me you hadn’t officially met my brother yet.” Rowan hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “It’s not like you’re missing much, but still, pass by if you get a minute.”

“I definitely will,” she said, smiling. “Uh, Andrew, you remember my friend Rowan, don’t you?”

Friend.
Ugh. There was that goddamn word again. But since she probably would have used more colorful language to describe him a few days ago, Rowan wasn’t going to complain.

“Hey,” Rowan said, nodding at him.

Normally when he sized up his competition, he was on the mound getting ready to do battle. In that case, he knew if he lost, he’d walk away with hurt pride, but at least he’d get another chance to make it right. If he lost Tenley to this guy, he had a feeling the loss would be immeasurable.