Page 13 of Tough Score

Is he still pining over her?

"Really? Why?"

"I'm not sure."

Not that it matters if he still holds a flame for his previous girlfriend.

Reeve Aisa and the entire Hawkeyes team, for that matter, are all off-limits… for their own good. And maybe for mine too. Dating a pro athlete puts you in the spotlight. A spotlight that I'm trying to avoid.

I'm not the one who decided to work for the mob, but it turns out that I'll have to pay for those sins for the rest of my life.

Reeve starts heading straight for us. His eyes locked on mine.

"Are you ready?" he asks on the other side of the bar.

“Don’t you have a pool game coming up? I wouldn't want you to miss it to walk me out. My car really isn't that far anyway. My uncle is being overprotective.”

“Yeah, there's one last game. e play the winners, but Lake said he’ll fill in for me until I return. And your uncle isn't overprotective. It's late out, and the visibility from all the rain isn't good tonight. You shouldn't be out alone. I'll be back as soon as you're safe in your car and headed home.”

I flash a look at my uncle who makes a shooing motion toward me that means it's time for me to go.

"Fine, I'll go," I say.

But my uncle has already turned to the bar and is taking an order from a customer.

"Give me a second to grab my purse and my jacket.” I tell Reeve.

I turn around to open an under cabinet door behind me and pull out my things, including a thin jacket that I brought in an attempt to stay dry. However, the jacket which is used for Arizona's fall season, is no match for the weather here.

I step out behind the bar while Reeve waits for me to walk out in front of him.

He was either taught to have manners growing up, or he wants to check out my ass as we head for the door.

Since it's him, I'm okay with either.

Chapter Four

Reeve

The minute I stepped through Oakley's tonight, my attention caught on the woman with dark auburn hair standing next to Oakley behind the bar.

I did my part to scare Charlie away but I can't do anything about the other guys in the bar who have their eyes on her.

I don't remember the last time a woman caught my interest like this. The kind of attention that makes it physically hard to look away.

Something tells me that Keely is exactly the kind of distraction that could derail my plans for a winning championship season.

Still, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when Oakley asked me to walk Keely to her car.

I follow closely behind her as we head for the door.

“You’re from Arizona, right? What brings you to Seattle besides crusty ol’ Oakley?” I ask, watching her ponytail swish in the dimly lit bar.

Deep shades of auburn highlights catch in the lighting.

“Crusty ol’ Oakley?” she asks, flashing a look over her shoulder with a downturned eyebrow and a lopsided grin.

A fan in a Tomlin jersey is headed in the opposite direction from us with a beer in his hand not paying attention to the fact that he's about to bump into her. Her attention is on me and she hasn’t seen him.. Grabbing her shoulders, I steer her around him just in time.

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