He disappeared into the crowd around the bar and Remi
sighed. She didn’t know what was worse, sitting there with a man she had
absolutely no interest in—or sitting there alone. Painfully alone.
Ah well.
She dipped her straw in and out of the cocktail, studying
the people. In her sexy new clothes, she definitely wasn’t out of place. Many
girls wore similar outfits. Rouge was the hottest bar in Chicago, an upscale
place to see and be seen.
When the others returned to the table, breathless and
laughing, Delise said, “Where’s Elton?”
“He went to talk to someone,” Remi said. A frown creased
Delise’s forehead.
“Well,” she said, head swiveling one way, then the other. “We’ll
have to find someone else for you.”
“It’s okay, Delise!”
“No, it’s not.” Delise pouted. “We’re finding a hot guy for
you tonight if it’s the last thing we do.”
“I’ll find my own guy!”
Delise rolled her eyes. “No, you won’t.”
“I will, I promise. I’ll…go for a walk. Right now.” She
stood. “After I get another drink.”
Delise shook her head, but subsided back into her seat. “Fine.”
Remi could tell Delise didn’t believe she would try to pick
up a guy. She knew her too well. She grinned as she squeezed between some
bodies at the bar to order another mojito.
Drink in hand, she twisted and turned through the crowd,
surrounded by warm bodies and mingled scents of Armani, Chanel and Prada. She
glanced back at the table and saw Delise watching her with narrowed eyes and
raised chin. She couldn’t help but be amused by her friend’s determination,
even though she wanted to shake her head. She waved a hand at Delise and moved
on through the crowd.
Near the catwalk she paused again to watch the dancers,
admiring their defined abs, long lean thighs and sexy moves. Then she spotted
Delise coming toward her. Remi’s eyes flicked around and she saw that group of
stunningly gorgeous guys still there, laughing, each of them holding a beer.
She moved toward them.
What was she going to say? This was crazy.
She paused beside the men, and put a hand on the forearm of
the one closest to her. He looked down at her—waaaay down. He had to be six
foot three at least, and considering she was five foot three—okay, a few inches
taller than that in her new heels, but still—he was in another layer of the
atmosphere. He lifted a brow.
“Excuse me,” Remi said, heat sweeping from her collarbones
up over her throat and into her face. “Can you do me a really big favor?”
Jason looked down at the tiny, little blonde standing there
with her hand on his arm. Was she even old enough to be in the bar? Amusement
tickled inside him. He was used to girls hitting on him, went with the territory,
but this little pipsqueak teeny-bopper blonde was hands-off material. Not even
close to his type, anyway.
“Favor?” he said.
She nodded, smiled with pretty white teeth and tipped her
head. “My friend is determined to fix me up with someone. If you’d just talk to
me for a few minutes, maybe she’ll leave me alone.”
“Talk?” His lips quirked. “You want to talk?”
“Well.” She licked her lips and blinked rapidly. “Whatever.
Just fake it. You know.” Her eyes darted to the side, then back. She gave him a
bright smile.
She was kinda cute, in a Reese Witherspoon sort of way.
Heart-shaped face, small mouth, big eyes. Her chin-length blonde hair flipped
out at the ends and long bangs grazed her eyelashes.
She pressed her lips together and gazed up at him and those
big eyes were like turquoise pools, liquid and shiny. He couldn’t help but
smile. It was a new pick-up line, one he hadn’t heard, but he didn’t have it in
him to tell her to take a hike. He turned toward her and bent his head. She was
so little, he’d have to crouch to talk to her. “Sure,” he said. “Let’s talk.”
He shifted his body so they stood apart from the other guys,
who were giving them amused glances. They could think he was hooking up with
blondie here, it didn’t bother him. He was a free and single man again as of
this weekend, free to do whatever he wanted, including pick up little blonde
pixies in bars if he wanted to.
Which he didn’t. He almost laughed at the thought. But those
big blue-green eyes made it kinda hard to say no to her.
Relief shone in her eyes and her smile beamed. “Thanks,” she
said. She rolled her eyes. “My friend gets an idea in her head and there’s no
stopping her.”
“Why is she so determined to find you a man?”
She gave her head a little shake, then lifted her drink,
closing her mouth on the straw in a tiny pursed-lip suck that shot heat
straight to his dick. Jesus.
“She’s crazy.” She laughed. “My little sister moved out…well,
it’s a long story.”
“Go ahead,” he said, taking a swallow of his beer. Hell, it
was almost done. “Wait. I need another drink. How about you?”
“Sure.”
He caught the eye of a pretty waitress dressed in a low cut,
skin-tight black dress. She was more his type—tall, athletic build, long dark
hair. She hurried over with an inviting smile. “Another of these,” he lifted
his bottle. “And another…” He looked at uh…hell, he didn’t even know her name.
“Mojito,” she said.
“I’m Jason,” he said, not bothering to watch the waitress
leave, even though he knew the tight dress showed off a very fine ass.
“I’m Remi. Nice to meet you, Jason.” Her sweet smile pulled
at something unexpected inside him.
“Where were we? Oh, yeah, your little sister.”
“Oh. Well, my parents died about five years ago. My brother
and sister were both teenagers, so I’ve looked after them since then. My brother
started college this year and my sister recently moved in with her boyfriend.
My friends think I need to start having more fun now that I’m on my own.”
“Wait a minute.”
She lifted a brow.
“If your brother and sister were teenagers five years ago,
how the hell old were you?” He frowned.
“I was twenty-two.”
“No way. You look like you’re about eighteen now.”
She laughed. “I know, I get that a lot, dammit. I’m
twenty-eight.”
Huh. Only a year younger than him.
The waitress returned with their drinks. Remi set her empty
glass on the small counter near them and reached for the purse hanging over her
shoulder. He waved a hand.
“Don’t worry about it. She’ll just put in on my tab.”
“No, no. You don’t have to buy me a drink. Really, I just
want to get Delise off my back…”
“It’s fine,” he said firmly, waving her money away. “I got
it.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you.”
She picked up the full drink and did that sexy little pull
on the straw with her pretty mouth.
“So you’re a free woman.” Just like he was now a free man.
“Whatever.” She waved a tiny hand. “Jasmine’s twenty-one, it’s
not like I had to baby-sit her. But it feels a little weird to not have two
kids at home to look after. I’ve never lived on my own.”
Her bangs lowered and the corners of her eyes creased.
“You don’t want to be alone?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. Delise thinks we’re
celebrating tonight. And I guess…I should be happy. I will have more freedom to
do whatever I want.”
“But you don’t seem happy.”
She looked a little lost for a moment, staring past his
shoulder. Then she focused those glowy turquoise eyes on him and smiled again. “It’s
just hard to let go. My brother’s been partying his freshman year away at
college. And my sister’s boyfriend is a jerk. I can’t help worry about them
even though they’re on their own now.”
He studied her for a moment. “You like being needed,” he
said and her eyes flew open wide at his words. He smiled. “That’s okay. I think
it’s very cool that you care that much about them. But maybe you need a
distraction. Something fun to take your mind off them.”
“Like I am tonight,” she said. “But Delise thinks I need a
man to do it.” She rolled her eyes.
“Having a fun night at Rouge is a good start,” Jason said.
“Except I wasn’t having much fun.” She grimaced. “This place
is cool, but not really me.”
“Me either.” Yeah, when the other guys had wanted to come
here after the game, he’d agreed because, hell, he could go out and do whatever
he wanted now without having to worry about Brianne, but the edgy, agitated,
almost desperate-to-have-fun vibe in the room made him feel tired.
“Where would you rather be?” she asked.
He pursed his lips. “There are a few places in Wicker Park I
like. They play live music, sometimes the bands are just starting out, but they’re
pretty good.”
“Oh, like Underground and Lucky’s. Yeah, I know those bars.”
“How about you?”
“Mmm. I like Blue Moon. They make awesome martinis and they
have great jazz music.”
“Yeah! I like that place too.”
“But actually…” She looked down at her drink. “I really just
like staying home.”
He laughed. “You know what? So do I.”
They stood there smiling at each other. Then Remi looked at
her watch. “Well. I should get back to my friends.”
“Yeah.”
A sharp nudge to his shoulder made him flinch. “What?” He
turned to Dominic, who’d just elbowed him.
“Look who’s here.” Dominic jerked his chin. Jason followed
his gaze and saw…Brianne.
Shit.
Stunning as usual, she stood nearly six feet tall in her
three-inch spiky heels, wearing a purple dress that looked like it was wrapped
tightly around her body in complicated layers. The deep V in the front showed
off what he knew to be expensive implants. Long, dark hair hung in curls and
waves nearly to her waist.
One corner of his mouth deepened. He sighed.
Remi said, “What’s wrong?”
He turned his gaze back to her. “Hey,” he said. “Don’t go
back to your friends just yet.”
“Uh…”
“Now it’s your turn to do me a favor.”
Her lips parted and her bangs moved again with the lift of
her eyebrows.
“My ex-girlfriend just walked in,” he said in a low voice,
bending closer to her. “Stay and talk to me so she doesn’t uh…get any ideas
about getting back together.”
Remi stared at him.
“You owe me.” He gave her his most appealing smile. It
usually worked. And it did.
She smiled too. “I guess I do.”
He shifted a little closer to her. Just to make it look like
they were together. She smelled incredible. Like spring flowers. Light and
fresh and pretty. He inhaled, feeling a strange urge to bury his nose in her
hair.
“We could go upstairs,” he said. “And sit down for a while.”
“That would be great.” She made a face. “My feet are killing
me in these heels.” She extended a leg and he looked down. And a spark flared
in him.
She had great legs. For someone so small, they were long,
slender and perfectly shaped, with delicate ankles. The shiny black shoe with
the skinny heel and pointy toe almost made him drool. He loved shoes like that.
Especially in bed.
With black stockings and black lace underwear.
What kind of underwear did Remi have on under that sparkly
little top?
Jesus, what was he thinking?
He gave his head a shake. “Come on.” He took her hand in
his, so small it almost slipped right out of his grip, and led her toward the
stairs that climbed to the next level.
“Going upstairs, guys,” he told his buddies as he passed
them.
At the top of the stairs, the music a little quieter, the
lights more subtle and glowing, he surveyed the couches and low tables. The
place was full—what were the chances they’d find an empty banquette?
They moved through the bar, hand in hand, and then a couple
stood.
“You leaving?” Jason asked and they smiled and nodded.
Another sexy waitress appeared to clear their empties and Jason and Remi took a
seat.
“Aaaah.” Remi let out a long sigh. Then she laughed. “I’m
not used to wearing heels like this.”
Jason wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen Brianne without heels.
Kinda funny.
He admired Remi’s legs again, the short skirt riding up
higher on firm thighs. Sweet. He shifted sideways, leaning one elbow on the
padded back of the banquette so he could face her.
“So…your ex-girlfriend. You don’t want to see her?”
He shrugged, his gut tightening. “Rather not.”
“Things didn’t end amicably?”
He pushed out his lips. “Uh, no. She was a little upset.”
Her tears and pleading flashed through his mind and he winced.
“So you’re the dumper…not the dumpee, then.”
“Yeah.” He huffed out a laugh. “But I felt like crap. She’s
a nice girl.”
“What went wrong?” She tipped her head, blue-green eyes
fastened on his with focused attention, and sipped her drink.
He sighed. “She wanted to get married. I didn’t. I figured
it was better to break up now than to let things get too far and have her
disappointed.”
“I’m sure she was already disappointed.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He shifted on the couch. “She’ll get over
me.”
“Why do you say that?”
He looked at her. “I’m not that great a catch. I have this
feeling she loved me for more than just uh…me.”
Her brows drew down and her bangs tangled in her long
lashes. “I don’t know what that means. Was she after your money or something?”
He shrugged. “Or something. I don’t know. I don’t want to
accuse her of being shallow. Like I said, she’s a nice girl.”
“Hmm.”
What was she thinking? He could see her mind turning over.
Enough of this conversation about Brianne. She was the last thing he wanted to
talk about.
“Jase!”
Dammit. He looked up at Brianne and forced a smile. “Hi,
Brianne.”
She stood there all super-model tall and gorgeous, frowning
and flicking her eyes back and forth between him and Remi. Her frown deepened.
The air thickened around them and he felt Remi tense. He put
a hand on her bare forearm and slanted her a glance. Her eyes were wide and
worried and she nibbled her bottom lip.