Chapter 8
Thailand is stunning, but as for the unknown item I just ate off a stick, not everything tastes like chicken. Try new foods, but always have a glass of water on standby.
~ Adventurous Amanda, August 2012
“Loved the last article,” Penny said the following day after the waiter left with their lunch order.
With Betsy at an offsite meeting—aka spa day—for most of the day, Amanda had easily agreed to a slightly longer lunch than normal and had met Penny and Lexi at a small café near Penny’s new office. Penny agreeing to step away from her desk this close to the end of tax season was still a shock. This never would’ve happened last year. Another point to Ethan.
“Thanks,” Amanda said.
“So the jazz bar was your favorite? I could tell from the article,” Lexi said.
“Yeah. It was nice, but I had a great time at the blues bar and at eighties night at the karaoke bar,” Amanda said. “The country bar—” she paused, shuddering.
“Yeah, I’ll skip that one.”
“I thought she favored the blues bar. Something in her words,” Penny said, her brow quirked.
Amanda bit the inside of her cheek. Less observant friends would be awesome.
“Each place had something special.” But she’d downplayed the blues bar. It wasn’t just about Ben. Well, Ben had definitely played a role. That kiss had rattled her. His kisses always did. But instead of fervent and consuming, this one had been just a sweet brush across her cheek. At least it had started that way. Her heart still raced thinking about it. About how different each kiss he’d given her had been, but they all wreaked havoc on her senses.
And then he’d bailed again. At least he hadn’t tripped over his feet in his escape, just casually walked away like he hadn’t sent her brain into a spin. She couldn’t get a read on him. He didn’t like her. Then he kissed her senseless. Then he wanted her to not glorify the bar. Then he kissed her again like she was the sweetest thing he’d ever held in his arms.
Okay, that was a reach.
Then he didn’t take her clear invitation to play boozy golf.
Hell. She never had this much trouble figuring a guy out. It was one of the perks of traveling. She had a no long-distance policy and no one had complained.
But Ben was different. And judging by the fact that she’d toned down how much she’d loved Oscar’s, she’d caved into his requests instead of doing her job.
Shit. She never caved. It was one of her most valued qualities. It was something her mother would’ve done.
“Umm. Earth to Amanda,” Lexi said, waving her hand in front of Amanda’s face, and Penny eyed her curiously again. It was never good to be on the receiving end of that look. It led to questions. Continual questions until Penny got the answers she wanted. A cross-examining attorney had nothing on Penny Connor.
“Sorry. Just thinking about my next article. Just finished it up this morning and I’m second guessing something.”
“Umm. Nope. Let’s go back to this blues club,” Penny said.
“Yeah. What’s up with you?” Lexi asked.
“Nothing,” she said, her voice steady.
“Maybe I can get Grant out there one night. We could all go. All six of us.”
“Six of who?” Amanda asked, eyeing her friends.
“Me, Grant, Penny, Ethan, you, and…” Lexi trailed off.
“I’m not dating anyone, so I’d hate to be the fifth wheel.”
“Yeah, can we talk about that?” Penny asked.
“What?”
“Your dating life. We haven’t had a story in a while. And you’ve never cared about being a fifth wheel since we always go to have a good time, and if your flirting game is successful, you don’t go home alone,” Penny said.
Amanda smirked. “I think you’re calling me easy again.”
“We discussed connoisseur of men, right?” Penny asked, grinning.
“Much better title.” Amanda felt no shame in her healthy sex life. And her friends had made it clear that they were never judging, just jealous. At least they had been until they’d both successfully partnered off.
“Stop evading. And Penny’s right. You haven’t mentioned any connoisseuring lately. I miss your stories, they were always way better than my online train wrecks. At least you were having fun,” Lexi chimed in.
Amanda chuckled. Before Grant, Lexi could’ve written a book on horrible online dates.
“Nothing new to report. Just working a lot and Penny keeps dragging me to Strikers games.”
“I mean, I’m not forcing you to come with me,” Penny said. “And you did bail because of work last night.”
Amanda laughed. “Do you hear how she says ‘work’? Who are you and where did my Penny go?”
“Very funny. I’m getting better at prioritizing.”
Amanda leaned in, wrapping her arm around her best friend. “And for that, I’m grateful. You needed to get a life.”
“Hey,” Penny said, shoving Amanda playfully. “And stop evading.”
“I’m not. Just nothing new to report. Bit of a dry spell and all.”
“That’s why you should go to more games with Penny. Watch hot players during the game and then go out with them afterwards. Sounds like a lot of fun,” Lexi said with a grin.
“I’m sure Grant would love to hear you go on and on about hot players,” Amanda said.
“Oh, hush. He knows he’s my favorite. They’re just so pretty to look at. But the only hockey butt I’m interested in is Grant’s,” Lexi said, blushing.
“I bet I could set you up with one of the guys. A few of them are definitely interested,” Penny said.
“Umm. I’m good for now. And I did meet a guy at that City Putt place. Hot. Fun. But I wasn’t interested. And get this, his name was Ben. I mean, what are the odds?” She laughed, and then groaned when she caught Penny’s gaze.
“Oh, really?”
Well, shit.
“So, what about Ben?” Penny continued. Amanda held her friend’s gaze. She would not crumble.
“What about Ben? Pretty sure he’s not a fan of me. You know, reporter and all.” Had she sounded as nonchalant as she’d hoped? Penny’s gleam told her otherwise.
Dammit.
Penny didn’t miss a beat. “You guys would be great together. He needs some fun. So serious all the time.”
“He doesn’t like me because I write for a magazine. The dreaded media. Didn’t you know that my sole goal is uncovering his secrets?” Amanda couldn’t hide the annoyance in her voice. And Penny latched on, her smile wide.
Someone hand her a shovel. She was normally smarter than this, but her brain was a jumbled mess whenever he was mentioned. She needed to work on that. Like immediately.
“After that night at the bar, I tried to find out from Ethan what Ben’s deal is with the media, but he said he didn’t know the full story. I know Ben’s guarded, but it’s more than that. I’m sorry he was so awful to you,” Penny said.
“It’s fine,” she said, waving her hand.
“Stop trying to play it cool. You’re clearly interested in him, and I bet he’s just as interested in you. Men suck at showing it,” Lexi said.
“He’s really a great guy, aside from that one issue.”
“Seriously?” Amanda deadpanned.
“Okay. It’s an issue, but the sexual tension between the two of you is off the charts,” Penny said.
“I don’t know about that,” Amanda waffled.
“And he was looking for you at the game last night,” Penny tossed out before she took another bite of her sandwich, like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb on the table.
“What are you talking about?”
“Yes, what are you talking about?” Lexi echoed. Amanda swore the woman should be rubbing her hands together with glee based on her tone.
“He kept looking up at me during the game. Well, not me exactly. More like the empty seat next to me,” Penny said.
“Oh man. Now I feel bad. You couldn’t find anyone else to go?” Amanda said, taking a wide breadth around Penny’s statement. She didn’t want to think about him searching for her. When he’d scored last night, they’d flashed to him on the bench, his helmet off as he ran his hand through his sweat-drenched hair, and looked toward the penalty box. She’d thought she’d caught something in his expression, but he’d quickly masked it with his helmet, and she refused to read anything into that. No matter what Penny said, or what Amanda might want.
Why would he care if she was at the game?
“Stop avoiding. He was looking for you. So fess up. Something’s going on and I want to know what,” Penny said.
“Yes. You dragged stories out of us this past year, so it’s only fair that we return the favor,” Lexi chimed in.
“Fine. He might’ve kissed me when he brought me home one night after we were at the bar two months ago. Like pushed me up against the door and kissed the hell out of me.”
She secretly thrilled at their gaping mouths. Hell, that’s how she felt every time he kissed her.
“What?” Penny squawked. “Why am I just hearing about this now? We are supposed to be friends.”
“Calm down. I didn’t mention it because it didn’t matter. He freaked and bailed. I was surprised he didn’t break an ankle in his rush to get back in his car.” Okay, that was slightly overdramatic, but he’d bailed pretty quick.
“Ooh. I knew something was going on. The tension was insane the other night. Wonder why he bolted.”
“Who knows? But he did, and it’s been a little awkward. Then he found out about the reporter thing, and so I highly doubt he was searching for me in the stands.”
She didn’t tell them about the blues club, about the kisses against her car. And she couldn’t explain why she held back that information. They were her friends. But something stopped her from sharing everything. She needed to figure a few things out before she was ready for that.
What the hell was he doing to her?
What the hell was he doing here?
Ben stepped out of his car at McLaren Park Saturday morning, pulling his jacket tight to his body as the wind kicked up. He should be home, packing for tomorrow’s game. They were flying out later this afternoon for a two-game road trip, and their first stop was Vancouver for a game tomorrow night. He shouldn’t be in a park, searching for her. Although it was good to get the blood flowing with a quick and easy hike.
He scoffed.
Sure. He was here for the brisk morning air. A quick hike to the top. It would be invigorating. And he was full of shit. As soon as Harty not-so-subtly mentioned that Amanda would be here this morning during practice yesterday afternoon, Ben had known exactly what his plans would include this Saturday morning.
He scanned the parking lot, not seeing her car or her. Was he early? Was she coming? Would she be pissed at him for bailing last weekend? Did she even care? Fuck. He shouldn’t care.
And the mantra of she’s a reporter had grown stale and rarely even made an appearance at this point. He was making excuses—pathetic ones, in fact—and she was distracting him. On the ice. That wasn’t going to work.
But aside from the distractions, he actually enjoyed the time he’d spent with her. Especially at the club. Not that he would ever admit to looking for her in the crowd a few nights ago when he’d been on stage. He’d missed a chord when a petite brunette had sat down at a table near the front. He’d squinted in the low light, but it hadn’t been Amanda. The smile was all wrong. He’d given the woman a small smile of his own to offset his brief stare, before he’d focused back on his guitar. He’d been slightly off for the rest of the night.
He needed to figure out what to do with Amanda before she destroyed his concentration in all aspects of his life. It wasn’t healthy. And fuck, he wanted her. He was tired of fighting it. Hell, when was the last time he’d actually gotten laid? Months. No, at least a year. And nothing serious for years. It was safer that way. And exactly why Amanda wasn’t safe. She wasn’t some random woman. She was connected to his circle, they shared mutual friends. It could get messy.
Which had been his new mantra the entire way over here. And yet, he’d still pulled into the parking lot and got out of his car when he should’ve turned right around and gone home. Or headed to the gym to get in a quick jog on the treadmill and clear his head.
“This is such a bad idea,” he muttered, shutting his car door and looking over the parking lot again.
And there she was. Climbing out of her car. Tucking a silky—he remembered exactly how it felt sliding through his fingers when he’d kissed her—strand of hair behind her ear.
“Amanda,” he called out, raising a hand to grab her attention.
She leaned back into the front seat to grab something, not hearing him.
He slowly lowered his hand, feeling like a total dork. Straightening his shoulders, he headed toward her.
She pulled a baseball cap on, threading her ponytail through the back and pushing her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose—her adorably cute nose.
“Amanda,” he said, edging around the back of her car until he was right behind her.
She whipped around, the tip of her soft ponytail grazing his throat, and he took in a sharp breath—because of her hair—what the actual fuck was wrong with him?
“Cheese?”
They were back to Cheese. He definitely deserved that.
“Hi,” he said, raising his hand and giving her a short wave.
“Umm, what are you doing here?” Her eyes narrowed, the blue-gray, more steely than normal.
“Nice day for a walk,” he said, with a shrug.
“Really? And you just happened to show up here? This morning. When I’m here.”
“Looks that way.”
“Did you know I’d be here?” she asked, shifting from one foot to the other. Like she was nervous.
That made no sense. Amanda was never nervous.
He reached out, gripping her hand, and she let out a soft squeak, and he dropped her hand.
“Sorry. Ethan mentioned you might be here this morning. For your article.”
A strand of hair slipped down her cheek and she shoved it back under her hat, before meeting his eyes again.
“Ethan told you I’d be here? Checking up on me, were you? Didn’t think you cared,” she said, her tone slightly harsh.
He deserved that.
“I’m sorry for not meeting you last weekend at City Putt,” he said. Now was not the time to play games with her. All the cards should be on the table—at least, most of the cards—he wasn’t ready to bare his soul or anything.
“It’s not like we made plans,” she said, her voice softening.
He took her hand again, rubbing his thumb over her palm, and relished at her indrawn breath.
“It was implied.”
She pulled her hand free and squared her shoulders, bringing his eyes directly to her chest. He couldn’t help it.
“Eyes up here, Cheese,” she said, her voice filled with humor, and he barked out a laugh. There was the Amanda he was used to.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, meeting her gaze. The corner of her mouth tilted up in a smile, and he desperately wanted to kiss her.
“Sure. Sure. Wait, are you flirting with me?”
“No.” And now it was his turn to shift on his feet. “Look, clearly you enjoy tormenting me.”
“It’s just so easy,” she said, cutting him off. “Now, you were apologizing to my boobs.”
He looked to the sky, like it would have the answers he needed to have a conversation with this woman.
“I want to apologize. Stop making this so difficult,” he said, looking at her again—in her eyes.
She laughed. “Fine. I’ll stop. And thank you for apologizing. We didn’t make firm plans, but I had sort of hoped you’d be there.”
Hell. He was a total ass.
“It sounded like you had fun.”
“You read the article?” she asked.
“Of course. I’ve read them all, remember?”
A full smile split her face. A genuine smile, with no guile behind it. It almost put him on his ass. She was stunning.
“I still haven’t figured out why.”
Neither could he.
“They’re great, you know.”
Her cheeks brightened. “Thanks,” she said.
“Loved the music article. I’ve been to two of the other bars. You captured the spirit of each place. Country really isn’t my thing, and after your tasteful description of how unappetizing that place was, I’m definitely skipping it.”
“Was I that obvious?”
He chuckled. “Nope. I only know that you mentioned the nice strong drinks because you needed them to numb you enough to forget how rustic the place was.”
She laughed, and then shuddered. “I’m never going back there.”
“And thanks for not glowing about the blues bar. I kind of like my sanctuary without all the tourists.”
“After spending some time there and hearing Oscar’s stories, I wasn’t ready to share the place with the magazine’s readers, anyway.”
“You should come back. I know Oscar has more stories to share.” He shook his head. “That man never runs out of stories.”
“Yeah, maybe I will. So, are you up for a walk?” she asked, nodding toward the path.
“Definitely. That’s why I’m here. Fresh morning air goes well with apologizing,” he said, with a smile.
“Enough already. I accept your apology. And next time we’ll be clear about any plans to meet up.”
“Good. So are we hiking, or not?” He should ignore the feelings running through him at the fact that she wanted to make future plans.
“Yes. Now let’s go find that water tower,” she said.
“Water tower? Couldn’t find anything more interesting to do outside in the city?”
“Not funny, Cheese.”
She elbowed him in the hip. Probably aiming for his ribs but she was so short.
“Crap. I think I injured myself. Is it just muscle under there?” she asked, reaching for the hem of his shirt.
He didn’t miss her grin as he pulled back.
“Calm down. I’m not going to strip you in a public park.”
“Of course not,” he said, but he was definitely open to that idea in private.
“What was that?” she asked, her smile wide, knowing exactly what he’d apparently muttered out loud.
Shit. His brain took a vacation around her.
“So, water tower, huh?”
She let out a soft laugh. “Yes, a water tower. According to my research, it has some of the best views of the city.”
“Are we climbing the water tower?” he asked, his gaze darting up the path. The park was surprisingly empty for being in the middle of a massive city. It was peaceful.
Well, as peaceful as it could be with Amanda standing in it, mischief clear in her eyes.
“Of course we are,” she said, her grin deepening.
That smile spelled trouble. And for the first time, he had no desire to rein it in.