Page 11 of Tuck & Roll

Race stood behind his desk, signaling Kylie should do the same. “Now. Let’s go out to the bar and have a drink to seal the deal.” They passed the door Jed had closed, concealing Tuck and his friends from her view earlier. It was once again open, but no one was inside. The bed was a tangle of covers and sheets half on the bed, half on the floor. Wow. That must have really been good.

Race motioned to a bar stool next to the one he was taking. “Prospect.” He held up two fingers. Cutter poured two shots and deposited the drinks in front of them. He gave her a friendly wink and stepped away. The sound of a cell phone going off stopped Race from saying what he was starting to say. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. “Hang on.”

Jed was behind the bar again, leaning on his elbows, across from Kylie, grinning for all he was worth. Like he hadn’t just threatened her and everything he’d just said to her was all in her imagination.

If she was a little more sure that he wasn’t a complete dick and she hadn’t been so hung up on Tuck, Jed would definitely be worth breaking her no one-night stand rule. The way he walked and talked oozed confidence born of experience. The man didn’t need flowery words and empty promises to get what he wanted from a woman. The way he let his eyes roam over her sent a spark of desire through her. She felt he was the kind of man that could back up all his seductive glances and whispered promises.

“I gotta know, Kylie. Who was the lucky guy?” Jed leaned in conspiratorially, but still loud enough for people standing around them to hear.

Her face screwed up in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Of all the times for Tuck to end up standing next to her. She couldn’t catch a break.

“The one that gave you a hickey.”

Tuck clenched his teeth and stared down at her neck. “What hickey?” Did he just growl?

“I don’t have a hickey.” Why were they having this conversation?

“You did about six weeks ago.”

“Huh?”

“I saw you at Walmart, but you didn’t see me. You were checking out and I was in the line on the other side of you. You didn’t do a very good job of hiding it.”

Damn it. Mentally slapping herself in the forehead, she knew exactly what he was talking about, but was unsure how to proceed. She waited to see if Tuck would say anything. When he didn’t speak up, but looked pissed, she thought he didn’t want her to tell anyone it was him. Instead, he opened his mouth and she realized he didn’t remember having sex with her at all. Somehow, that was way worse than being a one-night stand for him. That explained why she hadn’t heard from him again after that. Not that she’d expected him to contact her or anything, but an ‘I’m sorry I was a jackass’ would have been nice.

And what the hell? It was only six weeks ago. How many women had he been with since that time that it didn’t even register for him? Was sex with her really that forgettable? This whole conversation was mortifying and hurtful.

“Yeah, Kylie Jo. Who’s been sucking on your neck?” He waved for the prospect to hand him a beer.

Her gaze dropped quickly to focus on her shot in front of her. What was she supposed to say? There was no way in hell she was going to say Oh, well, this is awkward, but you were the one to give me the hickey when you brought me back here and we had sex in your room. “Just someone I used to know.” She gritted her teeth, pinned Jed with a death glare and fought the tears threatening to clog her throat. Over Tuck’s shoulder, she could see Darren taking a seat on the stool behind him, a severe scowl on his face.

And the humiliation just kept coming.

She started to pick up her shot, then paused, wondering if she was supposed to wait for Race to get off the phone so they could do it together. He said they were going to get a shot and seal the deal. She wished he’d hurry up and get off the phone if they were going to do this. She was afraid if she bolted before he got off the phone, he’d think she was unable to work around Tuck, which would be a big red flag and she’d lose the job.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? Someone you used to know?” Tuck asked.

Why was he pushing this? What did it matter to him anyway?

“Nothing. It doesn’t mean anything and it’s really none of your business.” She was getting angry. She wanted to do this toast thing with Race and get the hell out of there. She couldn’t take much more of this. She was holding on to her emotions by a thread.

She could see the muscle in Darren’s jaw ticking and his mouth flattening into a thin line. He looked like he might be wanting to say something. God no. She had to stop him. While Tuck’s attention swung to someone walking through the door, she told Darren not to interfere with the barest shake of her head. He must have recognized her plea because he picked up his beer and drained half of it.

Damn it. Race was still on the phone. He was smiling and his tone was warm as he replied to whoever was on the other end of the line. Family would be her guess. She fidgeted on her seat, praying he’d wind things up. She had to get out of here. Now.

“What if I’m making it my business?” Tuck was like a dog with a bone.

“Why? Why would you want to make it your business? We’ve hardly seen each other in the last six years. Why all of a sudden do you feel the need to know all the details of my personal life?” The longer she was forced to deal with Tuck, the stronger her desperation to flee became. Tuck’s face scrunched at her defensive tone.

“Everything all right?” Race picked that moment to end his phone call. He looked between her and Tuck, his brow dipped in confusion.

“Yes,” she replied, turning what she hoped looked like a genuine smile on Race. “I just need to get going. I’d like to get started on your project.”

Although Race didn’t look convinced that everything was good between herself and Tuck, he let it drop. He raised his glass, “To a mutually beneficial business relationship.”

She clinked her glass with his, tossed back her drink and choked, “Bleh.” Tequila. She hated tequila. She reached over and grabbed Tuck’s beer out of his hand, took a big drink to wash the taste away, then handed it back. “Thanks.” Her voice came out a little raspy from the tequila burn in her throat.

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