Page 3 of Holiday Hookup

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, closing my eyes, hoping to God I haven’t fucked up royally, losing two of my best friends along with my career.

“You’ll make it up to me somehow.” He arches a brow and I start to laugh as he stands, holding out his hand for me to take. Once I’m up and we’re eye to eye, he clasps my shoulders, “You need anything, you call me, okay?”

I give him a slight nod before he walks toward the door.

“Where are you going to go anyway? I’m guessing you won’t be going back to LA?”

God no. That place sucks the life out of you on a good day. I need to get out of that world and try being a normal human being for a while.

“I might just stay here,” I admit, not realizing how much that idea loosens my anxiety. “I’ve never actually stayed in one of the places we’ve played, and since this is the farthest thing from LA, it’s perfect.”

Brent chuckles as he opens the door, looking back one more time. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, just don’t go getting some groupie pregnant or get some kind of STD or something.”

A laugh bubbles out of me as he walks down the hall, causing a deafening silence to remain. And for the first time in ten years, I have no idea what comes next.

And it’s fucking amazing.

Chapter 3

“Why did you bring me here?” I ask Jenn as she downs another shot of Jager like it’s her job. “You know I hate places like this.” My eyes scan the room and for the life of me I can’t figure out what this place is supposed to be… is it a bar? A club? A combination of both? I have no freaking clue.

“Come on, Nel, you need to loosen up, have a few drinks, and forget everything for a few hours.”

I roll my eyes because she’s pretty much telling me I should forget I have a son for a few hours, and I can’t say I blame her. I do need to loosen up, which is the only explanation I have for why I take the shot in front of me and down it as if I don’t have a care in the world.

“There she is!” Jenn screams over the pounding music and before I know it, there are two more shots in front of me and I drink them as fast as I can before I think better of it.

“If I were you, I’d slow down a bit.” The deep voice from behind me causes ripples of arousal to course throughout my entire body as I close my eyes and picture what he might look like. When I turn, our eyes lock, my mouth dries as it opens in awe, because the man in front of me is the most beautiful human being I have ever seen in my entire life, and that includes seeing Ryan Gosling in person once.

His shaggy jet-black hair is in direct contrast to his green eyes that connect with mine with such intensity that before long, I have to look anywhere but in his direction. The dark scruff that dons his defined jaw leaves me wondering what it would feel like between my thighs… between my breasts…

Stop it, Nellie. Do not picture this Ian Somerhalder look-alike naked… even if it could load your spank bank reserve for the next few years.

“Excuse me?” I ask, remembering the words he uttered just a second before. The smirk cresting could send most women to their knees, and if I’m not careful, I’ll become one of them.

“I said you might want to slow down. Too many of those”—he points to the three empty shot glasses in front of me—“and I’ll be picking you up off the floor.” I try not to picture what that might look like, his strong arms wrapped around my body as he carries me out the front door. “And from what I heard your friend say, you probably can’t handle too many more.”

Now that gets my attention.

“How nice of you to warn me.”

The sarcasm is not lost on him as his smirk turns into a full-blown smile that lights up his entire face, causing parts of my body that I long ago thought perished to come back to life.

“And from now on, please refrain from telling me how to live my life. I don’t need a supervisor,” I say, turning away and grabbing Jenn’s hand, pulling her toward the dance floor. I regret the words the second I walk away, knowing that he was just trying to be nice and yet that little voice in the back of my head keeps putting those walls higher and higher.

As we dance, Jenn showcasing how much better she is the longer we’re there; I try not to feel the eyes of a certain gorgeous man as they follow me. I try not to imagine what it would be like to have his body molded to mine as we move to the music and forget about our lives for a few short minutes. Yet, when I finally get the courage to look back, hoping to catch his eyes, he’s gone. Shoot.

“You’re seriously ditching me right now?” I ask as Jenn fixes her hair in the bathroom mirror, then takes out her lipstick and fixes that while she stares at her reflection.

She just shrugs at my question, smacking her lips together and smiling.

“Matt wants to go back to his place, and I’m not going to turn him down… have you seen the man?”

Of course, I have. He’s a stereotypical jock with blond hair, blue eyes, and a body to match. Very much Jenn’s type and the exact opposite of mine.

“You’re being a crappy friend right now.” I’m guilt-tripping her, and from the smile on her face, she knows it. This is just Jenn, and I don’t know why I expect anything more from her since she’s been like this since we hit college.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not my fault you didn’t dance with any of the men that offered.”

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