Page 13 of Full Tilt
“No can do, I’m afraid. I only just got here, and I’m not even halfway through my beer,” he eventually replies.
I look across at Kendra when she turns back to me. Without words, we share the same thought:Why can’t this guy take a hint?
I spin around on my heel, practically spilling my soda in the process. “Literally no one wants you here.” I motion around the private bar, pointing at the various booths, which are now full of Blades players and their partners. “Archer doesn’t wantyou here, Sawyer doesn’t want you here, their wives don’t want you here.” I move on to Kendra and Jack. “Not even your own captain welcomes your presence.”
He just continues to smirk down at me like I’m talking in a foreign language he doesn’t understand. Maybe he doesn’t since he seems pretty fucking dumb.
I decide to make the message even clearer, pointing to my chest.
He drops his eyes, an appreciative glaze forming at my low-cut black sweater, which only ignites my anger further.
“AndI definitelydon’t want you here. Of all the people in this bar, you couldn’t have picked a bigger hater.”
His face doesn’t change, and neither does the position of his eyes.
“Stop staring at my fucking tits!” I yell, garnering attention from a number of people standing around us.
Tommy only finds my outburst amusing, a small tip of his top lip confirming his glee.
He doesn’t move, eventually lifting his glass and eyes in perfect synchronization before he takes a large pull of his beer, downing the whole lot in one go.
I know there are people all around us, bearing witness to the way I can’t help but watch the column of his tattooed throat work. He’s styled his sleek, dark hair to the side, like he always does, and he left a short scruff along his jawline. I shouldn’t be watching; I should still be yelling at him to get away from me.
Better still, I should return the favor on behalf of my brother and punch him straight in the face.
Instead, I do nothing.
On a deep swallow, Tommy peers down into his glass. “I guess I’m ready for another beer.” His deep brown eyes find mine. “Can I buy you a drink, Jenna?”
With the way I grind my molars, I’m mentally dialing my dentist to ask for an emergency appointment.
“No.”
He casually shrugs and reaches across to the bar top, setting his empty down. “That’s a shame because I need to talk to you. Alone.” He casts a brief glance at Kendra and Jack.
“I’m not leaving my friend alone with you.” Kendra quickly comes to my aid, not that I need her to. I can handle Tommy.
“Not going to happen,” I reply to Tommy.
Before I get a chance to protest further, Tommy snatches my glass and quickly sets it down next to his.
“What the fu?—”
“That wasn’t a request,” he cuts me off, expression turning more serious. “Do you really think I want to be within a hundred feet of you either?” He scoffs, and for the first time, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a little intimidated by his dominance. “You know exactly why I’m here, enjoying the pleasure of your charming company.”
My eyes flick to Kendra’s, and I offer her a reassuring nod. I hoped the fight that broke out between the Philly center, Patrick Gentry, and Tommy was because of the game and nothing to do with me running my mouth on an away series, but Tommy’s glare tells me it wasn’t.
I owe this guy nothing, least of all my respect, after what he did to my brother. Still, curiosity gets the better of me as I ask Kendra and Jack to give us a minute, and they make for the booths behind us. If Tommy thinks I’m about to apologize for what I told Patrick, he’s in for a nasty surprise.
When we’re left alone, Tommy takes a couple of steps back into a quieter—and darker—part of the bar, and I reluctantly follow.
The throbbing music does nothing to alleviate the tension as it builds between us, not that it affects Tommy, his sharp gaze cutting straight through me.
“You’ve got sixty seconds,” I tell him. “And then I’m retrieving my drink and joining my friends.”
He ignores my comment—or at least doesn’t acknowledge it. “Tell me something, Jenna.”
My thighs shouldn’t clench each time he says my name.
