Page 22 of Keeper
A half-hour or more went by, but still no sign of Marta. I let out a sigh and gave up all hope. It was time to go look for her.
I slid to the end of the booth and reached for the privacy curtain—only to have it snatched away from my fingertips before I could grasp it. The curtain slid open with awhoosh.
A tall, handsome man with a chiseled jawline and a healthy shock of wavy hair stood before me. His wide frame and confident stature oozed‘athlete’—the towering height, the square chin, the expensive suit tailored to his trim but muscular frame. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he was Marta’s quarterback.
Startled, my hand went to my heart. It was racing in my chest … probably because of the scare he gave me.
“You scared me,” I said, quietly panting.
We locked eyes. He didn’t look nearly as dopey as Marta described him—actually, he didn’t look dull at all. A quiet intensity burned white-hot behind his bright, piercing eyes, betraying his calm and composed demeanor. I couldn’t look away if I wanted.
“Sorry.” His deep voice was sinfully smooth, like dark velvet. “I thought the booth was empty.”
Something about him reminded me of still water. You could mistake his classic good looks and easygoing aura for something shallow and harmless—but if you jumped right in, expecting a fun little swim, you just might find out how deep and dangerous hereallyis. He could pull you under with frightful ease, instantly sucking you into his murky depths, where you’d never have the strength to come up for air again.
One look into those gorgeous eyes, and I could see all the hearts he’d wrecked.
There’s way more to this guy than Marta realizes,I thought with absolute certainty.She’d better be careful.
“You’re sitting here all by yourself?” he asked, his eyes darting to my chest.
I didn’t want to be alone in a private booth with Marta’s boyfriend or fuck-buddy or whatever he was—something about the way we kept trading glances at each other spelled bad news. And I didn’t care howmean she was to this guy, or how badly she wanted to be rid of him; true friends just don’t do that to each other.Even if it would make things fair.
“Well, yeah,” I muttered, folding my arms over my cleavage. “I’ve been here the whole time, waiting for you guys.”
He looked mildly confused.
“Youdidfind her, didn’t you?” I asked.
Still not understanding, he tilted his head. “Hm?”
“Aren’t you the quarterback?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not a quarterback.”
I was both relieved and disappointed at once. On one hand, that meant he wasn’t Marta’s man, and so I didn’t have to feel guilty about thinking he was hot—of course, that didn’t make him any less dangerous. On the other hand, it also meant Marta was still missing and I was left to fend for myself.
“Oh,” I said. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“Can I take his place?” he asked, not missing a beat.
The flash of his perfect smile made my heart want to leap into my throat. But I knew I had to resist him, because meeting a new guy at a night club in a city hundreds of miles from home simply didn’t lead to anything good or lasting. It could only lead to regret.
I had to stay strong.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, no.”
Some guys got weird when you rejected them, but this guy accepted the message with an understanding nod and a heart-melting smile that had me second-guessing my willpower. I guess when you’re that handsome and confident, one girl rejecting you isn’t the end of the world. He had plenty more fish in the sea.
“Worth a shot,” he said, beginning his retreat. “You’re so beautiful.” The way he said it was so disarming. He wasn’t trying to be charming. Instead, he sounded as if he were simply speaking a truth that anyone could see. “Anyway, have a good night.”
He pulled the curtain shut and was gone.
And I was alone again. Alone with the thoughts swimming around in my head. I almost felt like that guy was playing a joke on me. Guys sometimes told me I washot,meaning they wanted to sleep with me,but no one had ever told me I was beautiful likethatbefore.
And coming from a guy as hot and muscular as him?Forget it.Guys like that never paid me any attention.
Where was Marta? Why had she left me alone for so long?
