Page 13 of No More Heartbreakers

“Wow. Did you play sports in school?” Kenley asked.

He shrugged. “Nothing people around here would care about—volleyball, swimming.”

My mind instantly filled with images of Aric on a beach, in the water, his wide chest bare, his arms and legs long, strong, and tan.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Speedo,” Mara whispered to me, clearly thinking along the same lustful lines.

“But I like all sports,” Aric continued his thought as we emerged from the building into the warm night air. He grinned. “I guess that’s obvious.”

“Well, I’ll be seeing y’all at work tomorrow because Janet’s dragging me in for weekend photog duty.Colleenapparently had a very importantsoireeto attend in Buckhead.” Mara’s tone revealed her disdain for anything concerning Colleen.

“I think it’s a family thing—parents’ anniversary party or something,” I said.

“Whatever. It’s always something. That girl’s social life puts Princess Kate’s to shame.”

Our group broke up in the parking lot. As Kenley, Mara, and I reached my car, Aric called out to us and ran over to catch up.

“Hey, it was fun tonight. Great meeting you all,” he said, then lowered his voice and looked directly at me. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Um, okay.” I walked a few steps away with him while my friends waited.

Aric put a hand on my arm, turning me a little to the side for privacy. He lowered his face to mine. My heart started thumping so hard I worried he could hear it.

“Listen, did I do something wrong in there?” He hooked a thumb toward the club.

“No.” I shook my head and forced a smile. “No, everything’s fine.”

“Well, you just kinda… changed all the sudden. It seemed like we were having a good time, and then, I don’t know, I thought I made you mad or something.”

“You didn’t do anything—it’s—I have a boyfriend.”

“Oh.” He nodded as if it made perfect sense. “Where is he tonight?”

That threw me. I’d expected to toss the lie out there and get away with it clean. Now I had to come up with another one.

“He’s… busy.” Lame, but functional.

“Okay. Well, see you at work tomorrow.”

“Yeah—see you at work.”

I walked back to my friends, who stared at me with nearly identical bug-eyed glances. I shrugged and got into the car.

“What the hell was that?” Mara demanded, climbing into the passenger side. “Six-feet-four-inches-of-missing-Hemsworth-brother-Viking-hotness chases you across a parking lot, and you tell him you have a boyfriend?”

“I do have a boyfriend. Sort of.”

“You guys are on abreak,” she argued. “Which has now lasted nearly a month, so it’s looking more like a breakup, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t.”

“Well, if he’d been chasingmedown, I wouldn’t be in this car with you two right now—sorry girls,” Mara said.

“No apology necessary.” Kenley laughed from the back seat. “I’m a hundred percent in love with Mark, andI’dhave to think about it myself. But Heidi’s not interested in someone new. She and Hale are just doing the obligatory pre-engagement breakup.”

“That’s not really it,” I said.

“Well, what then? Aric’s not your type?” Mara asked. “Cause I saw the way you were looking at him while you two were dancing.”

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