Page 14 of Body Shot

She has a point, but I would never be that rude.

Okay, I might.

Not in this setting, though.

And not when a hunky hockey player is sitting close to me at the picnic table, his right thigh lightly pressed against my left.

Why does that feel good?

I should know better than to let myself get caught up in this kind of excitement, because I don’t date, and even if I did, I’m leaving in a week.

This is a lesson in futility.

Except I like the way he looks at me.

And how blue his eyes are.

The way he’s sitting close but not being creepy.

How it felt when he’d lifted me out of the water earlier.

The fact that he didn’t hesitate to offer to introduce me to someone I’d love to meet.

Why is he so attractive to me?

And what the hell am I going to do if he asks me out?

I can’t possibly say yes.

Can I?

Hana would say I absolutely could.

But the trauma from my only sexual encounter makes it almost impossible for me.

At least, I think it does.

FIVE

Anders

I’ve never impresseda girl by introducing her to my boss before, but that’s exactly what seems to be happening with Claudia. She’s beyond excited to meet Mr. Knight, and the moment they start to talk, I realize I’m way out of my element. She mentions his software company, something about firewalls, NAT, and port forwarding, and I’m completely lost.

It’s okay, though, because it’s obvious how passionate she is about the topic and watching her talk animatedly to Mr. Knight about something he’s equally passionate about is interesting. She no longer appears shy or introverted. In fact, she’s the opposite, completely at ease having a conversation with one of the richest men in the world, who also happens to be my boss.

“I’m sorry,” she says after about fifteen minutes. “I’ve totally monopolized your time. Forgive me.”

“Not at all,” Mr. Knight says, grinning. “My wife is off with her friends, the baby is sleeping, and I get to talk about one of my two favorite things—computers and hockey.”

“Well, it was great to meet you,” she says. “I can talk about computers all day. But I’ve been told I bore people, so I try to behave in social settings.”

“My wife tells me the same thing sometimes,” he says, laughing. “But honestly, loving what you do is important, so your attitude will get you far. And good luck at Vizionaire. I’ve been following them online, and I think they’re doing great things.”

“I think so too. That’s why I was psyched when they hired me.”

“Please keep in touch,” he says, reaching for his wallet and pulling out a business card. “Email me, let me know how you’re doing.”

“I will. Thank you.”

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