He’s standing tall now. The guy I’ve been exchanging eyes with for the last twenty minutes. Towering over the crowd, talking with his entourage. All that tan and muscle and big energy…heat rises through my midsection as we make eye contact, again.
Damn, this boy is fine.
The closer I get, the slower I strut, until the crowd forces me to a stop right in front of him.
“Hey,” I say coolly.
“Hey,” he replies, his eyes dragging across my body.
I smile.
He smiles back.
Damn those full lips, bright teeth, broad shoulders…
“Lena,” I say reaching out my hand. “And that’s my friend Gigi.” I nod toward the place where she’s already talking to his friends.
“Josh,” he says, shaking my hand, lingering long enough for me to notice. “What brings you ladies out tonight?”
“That’s a long story, not worth getting into right now.” I toss my hair and jut a hip flirtatiously. “How about you?”
“Me and my friends just wrapped a volleyball tournament in Hermosa Beach,” he says, his eyes lighting up.
Athlete. Of course.
“Oh yeah? Pro volleyball?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, chuckling. “Josh Ball. You can even Google me.”
“Well, hot damn. How d’ya do?” I run my tongue across my lips. They’re parched from several hours of drinking, but also because I’d like to run my tongue over something else…
“Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the final round,” he says. “But fortunately, that means we could go out tonight and…here we are.” He spins his cocktail glass.
A drunk-squad pushes past us, nearly knocking me over. Josh reaches for my arm to steady me, and suddenly we’re as close as we might be on the dance floor.
I look up. Even with me standing tall in my four-inch platforms, he’s hulking.
“Yes, we are,” I say, taking a step back to compose myself. “So…Josh, you from around here?”
He shakes his head and slowly lets go of my arm. “Miami area. How about you?”
“Originally from Seattle, but here since college.” “Nice. I love it out here. Have been tempted to move a few times, but the kids I coach would miss me too much.” His voice loudens as the DJ turns it up a notch. “What about you?”
“No kids who would miss me if I moved,” I say leaning towards his ear to avoid having to yell.
I catch the scent from his neck. Mmmmm…spicy.
He smirks. “I meant, what do you do?”
“Oh.” I smile brazenly. “A&R at a record company.”
He raises his brow. “Boss lady.”
“Something like that,” I say with a wink.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asks, exchanging cryptic hand signals with his friends before flagging down the bartender.
“Thanks, but I’m good. We’re on our way out.”
He exaggerates a frown before turning back to place his order.
There’s something about this guy. He’s got that X-factor. Yes, he’s good-looking and charming, but there’s more to it. I could tell from across the bar when we first made eye contact.
We shoot the shit for a little longer—about volleyball and music and how he’s never met a “Lena” before. It’s the kind of small talk you engage in when you want to stretch time.
“Well, we should be heading out,” I say eventually, because I really am tired and when I look over at Gigi, she shoots me a look that tells me she’s ready to get back to the real world.
“Can I get your number?” he asks, his phone ready in hand. “I’ll be back in LA in a couple of weeks for the AVP tournament…maybe we can meet up.”
“Sure,” I say, hesitantly taking his phone. I quickly punch in my digits before I change my mind.
I hand back Josh’s phone as Gigi threads her arm through mine. “Let’s hit it, woman. Nice meeting you all,” she says to Josh, and then waves at his friends as we saunter towards the exit.
“Nice meeting you, Lena!” Josh calls out.
I break our pace and pivot towards him. “Nice meeting you too, Josh,” I holler back before leaving the bar with a satisfied swagger.
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