CHAPTER 4 BENNETT #2
“Seriously?” I swipe again and he shakes his head. So I swipe again and again until I see a smile tug at the corner of his lips. My worried expression falls as I crumple the napkin and chuck it at his face. “Asshole.”
He lets out a laugh and then shoves my shoulder. “Relax, fucker. You’re coming off a hell of a win, hitting in the winning run for the team. You’re surrounded by people who worship you, you have a beer in hand, and the girl you want to bone is on her way to hang out with you.”
“I don’t want to just bone her,” I say, needing to clarify that, because I want so much more with her.
“Either way, you’re in a good spot.” He grips my shoulder and squeezes it.
When we arrived at Maritime, we headed straight to the back where the bar holds a sitting area for us.
Old worn-leather couches form a large square with an equally sized wooden coffee table in the middle.
There are curtains on two sides of the space, offering us a little privacy, but it’s open in the front, giving us a view of the general public.
Old fishing gear recycled from ocean cleanups hangs from the ceiling and the walls, ranging from broken lobster cages, to sun-soaked buoys, to fishing nets.
It’s eclectic and reminds me of those bars you see in New York that are decked out in Christmas decorations, but instead of wreaths and baubles, it’s thick ropes and nets.
“Just…just be cool, okay?” I ask.
“This is not my first time helping a friend score. I got this in the bag.”
He says that just as I catch sight of Bower walking through the bar, glancing around, looking for me.
Her hair is parted down the middle, slightly curled, and draped around her shoulders.
She’s wearing a pair of jean shorts with frayed hems, a brown belt, and a cropped, off-the-shoulder long-sleeved blouse that’s tight around her torso but loose around her chest. Her tanned skin is on full display and my mind short-circuits as she moves closer and closer, almost in slow motion.
She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.
Her long lashes blink, scanning for me.
Her toned legs move, one step in front of the other, closer and closer to me.
And those pouty full lips glisten from the light bouncing off the gloss she applied.
Fuck.
Me.
“Shit, is that her?” Nolan asks, nodding right toward her.
“Yup.” I swallow thickly.
“Fuck, dude,” he whispers and then shifts on the couch next to me. “You are so fucked.”
Yup.
I am.
Her head turns just as her eyes connect with mine and a huge smile plasters across her face before she heads right toward me and I walk to meet her.
Security walks up to her, ready to turn her away, but before they can, I say, “She’s with me.”
They nod and step aside, allowing Bower to walk right up, loop her arm around my neck, and give me a huge hug. My arms wrap around her waist, my forearms pressing against her bare skin. Her scent of rich caramel and sweet pistachio, something I can’t place, fucking intoxicates me.
Her hand slides across the back of my neck as she pulls away and looks up at me. “Hey there, Mr. Game Winner.”
“You watched?” I ask as I keep my arm around her, wanting her close, something it seems she doesn’t mind.
“I did! Since I was coming tonight, thought I should probably educate myself.” Her fingers dance across the hair at the nape of my neck, sending chills across my skin. “Good job, Benny Boo Boo.” She smirks and then pulls away, making me have to let go as well.
“Thank you,” I answer and then stick my hands in my pockets. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“What are you drinking?”
“Just beer.”
“Then I’ll join you.” Like she always does, she takes my hand and I guide her to the back of the sitting area, where I hand her my beer and she takes a sip from it before sitting next to me on the couch.
I nod at a waiter who acknowledges me to bring another beer.
“And who do we have here?” Nolan says before I can even introduce him.
“This is my friend, Bower,” I say. “Bower, this is Nolan.”
Bower’s eyes light up as she takes in Nolan, who’s wearing a pair of pink ripped jeans, a white T-shirt with the collar torn, and a silver chunky necklace dangling at the base of his neck.
“Nice to meet you, Nolan,” she says as she wets her lips.
Yup, this was a bad idea, I can feel it already.
Nolan takes her hand in his and gives it a shake. “Hell, if I wasn’t taken, I’d be asking you to sneak back to the bathroom right about now.”
Dude, what the actual fuck?
I glance at him and he just smirks before letting go of her hand.
“Jealous that Bennett here has you all to himself.” He pats my back just as a beer is placed in front of me.
“Oh, we’re just friends,” Bower says with a wave of her hand. “Isn’t that right, Benny Boo Boo?”
I can feel the fucking wince from Nolan, not even having to look at him. Being friend-zoned right off the bat. Fucking humiliating.
Top that off with her using my nickname. Yup, might as well throw in the towel now.
“Friends,” I reply and clink my glass with hers, one of the most painful declarations I’ve ever made.
“Friends, huh?” Nolan asks. “How could you be just friends with this guy?” Nolan nods toward me. “He’s the whole package. Good-looking, killer at the plate, a six-pack that makes every single one of our teammates drool.”
Bower glances at me. “You have a six-pack?”
“Uh, I mean—”
“Sure does,” Nolan says, lifting my shirt and flashing my stomach, giving Bower a glimpse.
“Oh my God, you do.” Bower smirks. “When did that happen?”
I scratch the back of my neck. “Well, you know, I have to work out and—”
“And the dick on this guy,” Nolan says, shocking the shit out of me, because what the fuck is he doing? “When I say he’s the whole package, I mean the…whole…package.”
For the love of God.
Embarrassment eclipses me as Bower takes a sip of her beer and crosses one leg over the other.
“Is that right?” She eyes me for a moment.
“Then how come you’re hanging out with your older sister’s best friend rather than calling over one of the many girls who are clearly frothing to get into this space? ”
Nolan chuckles and then an evil glint falls over his face as he starts to say, “Because he has a massive—”
“Donaldson,” I say, loud enough for practically the entire bar to hear me.
Confused expressions from Bower and Nolan both look in my direction as I clear my throat and repeat, “Donaldson, uh, he’s calling you over.
” I point toward Donaldson, one of our relief pitchers who is at the bar.
“He wants you, Nolan.” I shove at his shoulder. “Better go see what he wants.”
Nolan knows I’m a fucking liar as he glances at me, but thankfully goes with it as he says, “Probably wants to do a shot. I’ll be back.”
“Take your time,” I say, wanting to get the point across that his help is not needed, especially since he was just about to blow up my spot without even a fucking second thought. It was right there on the tip of his tongue, ready to blurt out to Bower that I have a massive crush on her.
Unsure what I’d have done if she found that out. Probably melted into a pile of sweat, never to be seen again.
“So…what was that about?” Bower asks as she leans back on the couch.
“Pretty sure he’s already drunk,” I say, even though I know he’s not.
“He’s kind of strange but super fucking hot.”
“That’s the general consensus.”
“Yeah? Your teammates think he’s hot?” She playfully smirks at me.
“We have a hard time keeping our hands off him.”
“Oh yeah?” Her smile grows even bigger. “Tell me more about that sausage fest.”
Ugh, why did I say that?
“What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room.”