Chapter Nine
Emma wasn’t sure why Vince’s gaze suddenly turned serious, but before she could question him, he blinked, and a friendly expression returned to his handsome face. Which was a relief, since she needed to bring up what they should do on their “date.”
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Almost.” She nodded, then glanced down at the skinny jeans she brushed with her hand. “I…we should probably discuss what…well, how we should act.”
Shoot. She better not stumble over her tongue all night. It was no way to impress Stephan or his friends. And she knew all about the influence of friends.
It was Macy’s suggestion that put Emma in her current predicament. So, yeah, she knew how much influence a friend had, and counted on Stephan’s friends tonight. If she made a good impression, perhaps they’d encourage him to pursue her…despite her date.
She sighed.
Vince touched her arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, I was just wondering…what if Stephan doesn’t ask me out because of you?”
“I gave that some thought.” His gaze was confident and sure as he turned in his seat to face her. “How about this? We’ll make it clear that we’re keeping things casual. Hanging out and having a good time, but not attached.”
That kind of made sense.
“Yeah.” She rubbed her chin. “Okay. That could work.”
He smiled. “Okay then. Tell me what you want me to do tonight. How close are we supposed to be? Have we been dating? Kissed? Slept together yet?”
Slept together?
Butterflies—on freaking fire—swarmed through her belly at the thought of having sex with the man.
But he wasn’t the man she wanted to date, so she immediately banished the thought. Her heart was set on Stephan. Not an ex-soldier leaving Georgia in a few weeks. Been there, done that, no thanks. There was no reason to entertain thoughts of any kind other than friendship where Vince was concerned.
Bringing her mind back to the conversation, she decided to take a logical approach and keep things as truthful as possible. “No. We haven’t.” She couldn’t bring herself to say “slept together” while staring into his warm brown gaze. “I think this should be our first date. So we haven’t done anything, yet.”
Yet being the optimal word. She wasn’t stupid. At some point, they were going to have to kiss in front of Stephan. She really hoped she wouldn’t like it. In fact, Emma was counting on that. Otherwise, things were going to get complicated.
He nodded. “Makes the most sense, too. He knows I’m here to help my brother, so once he realizes Dom’s your neighb—”
“He already knows,” she spoke up, remembering her conversation with Stephan right after the exam. “He told Macy and I about you going to basic with his brother, then Macy—and her big mouth—told him I knew you, too.”
A smile twitched his lips. “That woman’s a firecracker. I’m surprised she didn’t tell him I was your boyfriend.”
“Yeah.” Emma rubbed the shin her friend had kicked. “Darn woman knows we’re just supposed to be casual.”
He sat back in his seat. “Okay, since this is our first date, then hand holding it is.” He glanced at her and winked. “Are you ready?”
No. Yes. Lord give her strength.
She nodded again and reached for the door.
“Don’t even think it,” he said. “I get the doors for women I date. And don’t try to give me any crap about our date being fake, because it needs to appear as real as possible.”
Releasing the handle, she turned to him and saluted. “Yes, sir, General, sir.”
His chuckle filled the space between them. “You can drop the rank, smart-ass. But,” he said in a tone that matched the mischievous gleam entering his eyes. “I’m not opposed to the ‘sir.’”
She snorted. “That’ll be the day.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He smirked as he got out of the car.
Admittedly, Emma felt a little odd waiting while he walked around to open her door. None of the guys she dated did that. They opened doors to restaurants and places they frequented, but never made her wait in the car until they could get her door.
It was new. And kind of nice.
Warmth spread through her chest, and when he held his hand out to help her from the car, a rush of heat filled her cheeks. Lordy, the man was attentive. And because it made her wonder if he was attentive in other relationship aspects, she shut off those dangerous thoughts and took his hand.
After helping her from the car, he continued to hold on to her. Emma tried her best to ignore the tingling spreading up her arm as he ushered her inside and through a crowd to a counter where he rented a lane and shoes.
“They’re part of a team, right?” She motioned toward people in colorful shirts.
“Yes.” He reached for her free hand again and guided her around the crowd. “Probably in a summer league.”
She nodded like she knew, but the man was too astute.
He stopped and smiled down at her. “You’ve never bowled before, have you?”
“That obvious?” She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, probably should’ve warned you. But I did think to bring socks.”
She’d had the foresight to shove a pair in her purse before taking the pie to Dom’s.
Bringing their entwined hands up to his mouth, he brushed his lips across her knuckles. “Good thinking. And I apologize. I should’ve thought to ask you sooner if you’d ever bowled,” he said, those warm lips of his grazing her skin with each word.
Her mind was oddly fuzzy.
“I could’ve run through the basics with you,” he continued, lowering their hands. “But there’s really not much to it. I’ll help you the first few times. You’ll catch on quick. Everyone has their own style. You’ll discover yours by the end of the night.”
Style?
She was about to ask him to elaborate when a familiar laugh sounded in the distance.
Glancing around Vince’s broad frame, she spotted Stephan sitting in a row of chairs with two other doctors she recognized. “I see Stephan,” she told Vince, relief flushing away half of her nerves. Better yet, she knew his friends and their wives who occupied the other seats. “He’s on lane twenty.”
“Luck is with you.” He smiled. “We got lane twenty-six. It’s an end lane, and close enough to him that he can see us, but not hear us.”
She relaxed even more. “We won’t have to be on guard the whole night.”
Maybe she’d actually have some fun.
“Vince? Is that you?” Stephan asked from behind her date.
Mind suddenly blank, Emma stood frozen, unsure whether to step around Vince and say hi, or pretend she hadn’t recognized his voice.
She hoped to God she didn’t look like the idiot she felt.
“Ready?” Vince mouthed to her, then took the decision from her by turning so they both faced Stephan. “Hey, how’s it going?” Vince tugged her close and slipped his arm around her waist. “I believe you know Emma.”
At the contact, her heart pounded hard in her chest. Or was it because of the way Stephan looked at her?
Shock, and something unreadable widened his blue eyes. “Yeah…Emma…hi. I didn’t know you bowled.”
As much as she would’ve loved to boast about stats and leagues to impress the guy, she knew the moment she rolled—more likely dropped—a ball everyone would clue into her novice status.
Better to keep it real.
“I don’t,” she said. “It’s my first time.”
Warmth entered his blue gaze. “Well, we all have to start somewhere. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Yeah. She’ll do great,” Vince said, pulling her in closer. “Thanks for mentioning this today, and the other activities. If Emma’s game, I think maybe we’ll check them out. She graciously agreed to come here with me tonight to keep me company.”
Oh, nice one, she thought, hiding a grin as she nodded. This way it wouldn’t look as if they were stalking the guy. Which, yeah, she supposed they were. Plus, he made sure Stephan knew they weren’t exactly on a date tonight, either.
Stephan’s amicable expression didn’t alter, except for a quick blink. “Good. I think you’ll enjoy them, too.”
“I’m sure we will,” she finally said.
“Starting right now.” Vince grinned down at her. “Let’s go find you a ball.” Then he glanced back at Stephan. “Thanks, again, for the tip.”
“Sure thing.” He nodded. “Have a good time.”
“You, too,” Vince said, before tightening his hold on her waist and leading her away.
Emma was torn between leaving Stephan standing there, and following Vince’s lead. Was she missing an opportunity? Maybe he was jolted enough to ask her out already. Although, he’d never ask her while she was with a guy, so it was probably best to get on with her casual not-quite-date.
Vince released her waist and grabbed her hand again. “You’re doing great,” he whispered as they walked to their lane.
“Super.” She snickered. “Because I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Understatement of the year.
She sat on a plastic seat in their assigned lane to don her shoes, while he fiddled with the control panel. A few seconds later, their names appeared on the screen above for all to see.
Great. Not much chance of keeping her lack of prowess a secret. But she was glad Vince knew what he was doing.
“So, what next?” she asked while he swapped shoes.
“Simple.” He smiled. “Now we go find our balls.”
Emma couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Lordy, I’ve got to be the easiest woman in Columbus if I’m fondling balls with you in the middle of our first date.”
Setting a hand at the small of her back, he chuckled while they walked to the racks of balls. “You want to find one that’s not too heavy or too light, and your fingers fit in the holes just right.”
“So, basically, I need to fondle balls until I find one that feels good in my hand.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Exactly.”
For the next five minutes, they joked and fondled balls together, until they each found the right one. Of course, Vince insisted on carrying their selections back to the lane. Emma did her best not to notice how the muscles in his arms rippled from the act.
When they got back, he set their balls on the contraption he called a ball return that separated their lane from the one next to them, which, thankfully, was empty. Glancing past him, she spotted Stephan a few lanes down. He stood, ball in hand, nearly touching his chin, with his gaze transfixed on the pins.
Was he saying a prayer? Offering up his firstborn? Calculating the distance?
She had no idea.
He stood that way for nearly half a minute before taking three steps and releasing the ball with a flip to his wrist. It landed with a thud and looked like it was going in the gutter, then made a sharp left turn and sliced through the pins, knocking them all down.
Turning around, Stephan glanced at her and smiled, his chest puffed out with pride. Her heart skipped a beat. Was he looking at her differently? Maybe it was her imagination. Or wishful thinking. Either way, she smiled back and gave him a thumbs-up.
“I take it that was the doctor’s strike I heard?” Vince asked.
She frowned and refocused on her “date.” “You can hear a strike?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It has a distinctive sound. Here, let me show you.”
“Okay.” She moved off the lane and watched by the score table.
He grabbed his ball, stood in a similar pose as Stephan, took three steps, then released it. She noticed a few things. The thud wasn’t as loud. The ball didn’t curve, it went straight, hitting the pins off center, knocking eight down. But most of her attention rested on him. Damn, the man had amazing shoulders.
And a really great butt.
She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “That did sound different.”
He nodded and threw a second ball, but she vaguely noticed the remaining pins falling. Her attention gravitated to the play of muscles rippling beneath the polo shirt stretched tightly across his back.
Warmth spread through her body in an unexpected rush.
This was bad. All wrong. He was just helping her. She didn’t want to be attracted to the man.
Emma exhaled. She needed to get a grip and focus on their plan…not his butt. Although, gripping his butt was a good plan.
No. She shook her head. Vince wasn’t the endgame. Stephan was.
Straightening her spine, she forced her gaze to remain on the ball he gripped a third time.
“Normally, you’d go next, but I want to show you the difference in sound. This time, I’m going for a strike.” He glanced over his shoulder at her and winked before turning around.
Just like when Stephan had smiled at her, her heart skipped a beat.
Shoot.
She was in trouble.
So were the pins. This time his ball hit with a louder thud and powered down the lane. She swore the pins either fainted or jumped off to avoid the decimation of Vince. The ones taking their chances exploded in a flurry of white until nothing remained.
“Did you hear the difference?” he asked, walking back to her.
“Yes.” She saw it, too.
Both men achieved the same results through different methods. Methods that epitomized the man.
Stephan took the round-about approach, while Vince took the straight and narrow, hitting them head-on.
She refused to analyze which one gave her more tingles.
Instead, she walked to the ball return. “All I’m going to know is the sound of a gutter ball.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “It’s normal when you’re first learning. Don’t let it discourage you. Take the next few turns in a row to get a feel for the ball.”
She nodded, then assumed the same stance as the guys, holding the ball up near her chin and inhaling. I can do this. Emma blew out the breath, took three steps, swung the ball back…and dropped it.
Crap.
The pink menace rolled backward toward the chairs.
Heat rushed into Emma’s face. Great. She hoped Stephan and his buddies hadn’t seen that. No way was she going to look.
Stopping the ball with his foot, Vince picked it up and handed it back to her. “Also normal when you’re first learning. Don’t sweat it.”
Grateful for his understanding attitude, she smiled. “Thanks. The bugger slipped out of my hands.” She was such an idiot. “Let’s try this again.”
He stood back and nodded.
Going through the same motions, she increased her grip on the ball, and this time, released it in the right direction. It landed with a thud louder than Vince’s, but rolled much slower, managing to knock down one pin.
She turned around and shrugged. “At least it wasn’t a gutter.”
“Exactly.” Vince smiled. “That really wasn’t bad. Can I give you a few pointers?”
Surprise and some unknown emotion rushed through Emma. It was refreshing that he’d asked first, instead of telling her how she should do it. In her experience, limited as it was, military guys were men of action. They acted first, sought permission—or apologized—later.
“Yes, please do.” She waited for the ball to return, then grabbed it and walked to the middle of the lane again.
“First off, it’s good to use the dots and arrows on the lane.” He pointed to marks on the floor she hadn’t really noticed. “I stand just left of the middle so my arm is lined up between the center arrow and the one next to it. This is good for throwing a straight ball. You can also throw a straight ball from the side, you just have to aim at a different arrow on the lane.”
“I’d like to use the middle,” she told him. There was more room for the ball to stay on the lane.
“Okay, then put your toe here.” He tapped a dot with his foot.
She moved to the spot. “Now what?”
“It’s good to remember that when you release the ball, wherever your arm ends up is exactly the direction the ball is going to roll,” he said. “So you want keep your elbow close to your side and try not to drop your shoulder when you release. So, let’s practice the swing without releasing the ball.”
Vince got right behind her. She could feel his heat, his strength, as he cupped her hand while she rehearsed her swing a few times. If she were made of stronger stuff, she probably would’ve made a better student. But, damn…it was hard to concentrate with his body brushing hers with each movement.
“Ready to try it on your own?” he asked, warm breath hitting her neck and ear.
Goose bumps danced down her arm and she nearly dropped the ball. Not cool.
She nodded, and when he moved away, she drew in a deep breath and rejoiced at the return of brain function. Goodness, that was crazy. Her body still tingled where they’d touched.
Refocusing on her task, she stood on her dot, and noticed Stephan watching from the corner of her eye. Great. More pressure.
Praying she didn’t drop the pink eyesore behind her again, Emma stepped forward, and using all of Vince’s tips, released the ball—straight down the center, where it remained, hitting the middle pin and knocking seven down.
“Holy crap.” Grinning, she turned around and clapped, accomplishment warming her blood. “I did it.” She rushed down the lane and launched herself at a smiling Vince. “It stayed on the lane.”
“You did great.” Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her off the floor and swung her around.
“Thanks to you,” she said, squeezing him tight.
Emma knew what she did was insignificant, but, God, she felt good.
So did being in Vince’s arms.
He was hard and hot, and she felt unusually feminine and soft. It was strange and wonderful. And he must’ve felt it, too, because he stilled, then slowly lowered her feet to the floor.
But didn’t release her.
The friction of her body sliding down his lean frame sent a rush of awareness straight to all her good parts. They’d been dormant for so long. Too long. He drew back to gaze into her eyes. Breath caught in her throat. Those amber flecks of his were like warm honey, and she clutched his shoulders as she melted against him.
He lifted a hand to lightly trace her lip. “Emma…” he said in a low tone that sent a ripple through her belly. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Her heart jumped in her chest. “Okay,” she whispered just before his mouth brushed hers.
Warm and soft, Vince’s lips caressed hers until her mind fogged over and toes curled in her rented shoes. Both were temporary, but fit so right. Then those amazing lips grew bolder, firmer, kissing her with a purpose she didn’t understand…and didn’t care.
It was unexpected and amazing, but all too soon, it ended when he suddenly broke the kiss and set his forehead to hers.
“That was…” She exhaled, at a loss for words.
“Perfect,” he supplied.
She smiled. Yes, it was perfect.
Warmth enveloped her like a soft blanket.
“Stephan saw the whole thing.” Vince drew back to kiss her nose. “That should get him thinking.”
Stephan?
Disappointment rushed through her veins like ice water.
He did that for Stephan?
Of course he did, her mind chided. That’s why they were there. He was acting, trying to get Stephan’s attention.
But, for a minute…she thought…
Wrong.
She was an idiot. Her fake date was on track. She was the one who’d gotten caught up in the moment. Lost in a kiss that wasn’t real. A kiss she’d always dreamed of sharing with Stephan.
How could her body have such strong reactions to a man who was just acting?
But she couldn’t fault Vince for that. Or take offense.
“Perfect,” she echoed, and stepped out of his arms.
At least now she knew what she was up against in her quest to win Stephan’s heart.
Her body.
For some reason, it wanted the wrong man.