They each picked up their shot glass and lifted it.
“To friends and family,” Roni offered, then they brought their glasses together in “cheers” and downed their respective shot.
Nicole felt the burn of the liquid as it splashed through her mouth and down her throat. It hit her belly and she had to concentrate to keep it there.
Yuck. She hated shots, and she really hated whiskey.
Everyone else seemed to have no problem with their drinks and quickly slammed their glasses back down on the table.
Nicole shifted slightly, and when her leg brushed up against Kent’s, she moved quickly away as if she’d been burned.
She felt Kent’s chuckle at the side of her face, and turned, only to realize that their faces were merely inches away from each other.
She sucked a breath in sharply, and felt the warmth spread through her body, as his eyes focused on her lips and dilated slowly.
She couldn’t stop her tongue from darting out to moisten her lips, and grew heady as Kent groaned softly.
“You wanna get out of here?” Kent asked quietly, leaning closer to her, never lifting his gaze from her lips.
Nicole’s head cleared at that, and she backed slightly away from him. Yes, she was totally attracted to Kent and knew that he was probably used to girls jumping at the chance to go home with him, but as much as she wanted the chance to get to spend more time with him, she knew they had different ideas on how that time would be spent.
“Oh, ahhh, I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Kent blinked, trying to hide his surprise.
“No problem.” He pulled his arm back from behind her and straightened in his seat. He picked up his beer and turned to say something to Rich.
Nicole felt her stomach drop with disappointment. If Kent was so turned off by her not wanting to go home with him tonight, what would he think about her not wanting to have sex before marriage? She knew the answer; he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. He was a sexy, single guy, who literally could have sex with any woman that he wanted. Why would he waste his time dating someone like her?
She took a swift drink of her Gin and Tonic, then excused herself to go to the restroom, before she embarrassed herself further.
When Nicole left the table, Roni reached over and punched her brother in the arm.
“Hey,” Kent exclaimed, “What’d you do that for?”
“What’d you say to her, you jerk?” Roni asked angrily.
“Nothin’. Shit, Roni.”
“It wasn’t nothin’. She looked upset.”
“God, Roni, this is the last thing I want to discuss with my sister. She’s not into me, alright. All I did was ask if she wanted to get out of here.” Kent managed to look indignant and slightly embarrassed.
“Jeez, Kent. She’s not some floozy who you can just pick up for a one night stand.” Roni said accusingly.
“I didn’t mean it to come out like that, okay. I like her; I just wanted to get some time alone with her.” Kent explained. “If she’s not into it, whatever, I’ll find someone who is.”
“Don’t be such a tool,” Roni chastised her brother as she stood up. “Like I said, Nicole’s not like these other girls. If you want to “hang out” with her, why don’t you act like a grown-up and ask her out on a date? You guys are so immature.”
She picked up her purse and Nicole’s, then walked away without a further word for either of them.
“Hey,” Rich piped in. “What did I do?”
“Don’t worry about it, Man, my sister gets a little nuts sometimes. What do you say we pick up some beer and hang out at my house? I bet some of the guys would be game to come over for a poker game after closing.”
“Sounds good to me,” Rich responded.
They left some money on the table for Kara, then went to ask Pete if he wanted in on a game of poker.
Chapter Five
Kent woke to the sound of his phone buzzing. He whipped an arm out from under the strewn sheet and searched in vain for the annoying device.
Just when he started to drift off, the incessant buzzing started again.
He sat up angrily, his hand coming up to cradle his pounding head.
“Shit.”
He may have played a little too much poker, and drank a few too many black and tans, the night before.
When his feet hit the floor, he swore under his breath when his heel made contact with his phone. When he felt the vibration under his foot, he grimaced and reached down to pick it up.
He gingerly opened one eye and flinched at the pain that seemed to radiate from his head.
How many shots had they done?
He was finally able to focus enough to look at his phone so he could see who the ass-pain that had been texting him all morning was…
He should have known, Roni.
Looked like she had been nagging him via text since early that morning.
“Nic is upset at your behavior last night… You’d better MAN UP...”
She had sent the same text twenty times in the last three hours.
Psycho.
He threw his phone down on the bed, then went to get some aspirin and a little “hair of the dog.”
Two hours later Kent was standing in front of Roni and Nicole’s apartment, headache free, holding a bunch of flowers and wondering if he really wanted to get this invested in a girl right now.
His six foot frame had him taking up most of the space in the narrow hallway. He paused before
