“Nice to meet you, Rosa,” he said, offering her his hand.
“You too.” Rosa winked at Tenley. “So what can I get you two tonight?”
“I’m going to have the meatball sandwich, and Rowan will have the chicken wrap.”
He wasn’t used to women ordering for him, but something told him this girl was used to taking care of herself and everyone else too.
“Anything to drink?” Rosa asked.
“Just a bottled water for me.” Tenley looked up at him. “You?”
“Same.”
“You got it,” Rosa said, ringing up our order.
Tenley reached into the pocket of her jeans and grabbed a few bills before he stilled her hand with his.
“I got this,” he said, frowning at her.
He didn’t know what kind of guys she’d been out with—ones who’d let her pay for her own food and left her unsatisfied in bed, apparently—but that wasn’t happening when she was out with him.
Rowan paid the bill, then slid a ten across the counter to Rosa and stuck another ten in the plastic container for some children’s hospital.
Tenley smiled at the gesture. “You do a lot for charity, don’t you?”
He attended a lot of events when he felt it would help the cause and volunteered at a children’s hospital. He knew how blessed he was to be making a good living doing what he loved, and he never forgot it.
He shrugged before turning toward the front door when a couple of loud guys walked in. “I do what I can.”
“Well, well, if it isn’t the sexiest little barkeep I know,” one of the guys said with a lecherous grin as he stumbled toward Tenley.
Rowan stepped in front of her, putting his hand out to stop the guy from falling into his chest. “Hey, back up, buddy.”
Tenley curled her hand around Rowan’s bicep. “It’s okay, Row. They’re regulars.”
He didn’t care who they were. If they didn’t stop looking at her as if they were gauging how long it would take to get her out of her clothes, he was gonna knock them both out.
“Hey,” the guy with long hair said, peering around his friend’s shoulder. “This your boyfriend, Tenley? He’s some big-ass dude.”
Tenley chuckled. “No, he’s not my boyfriend, Chuck. Just a friend.”
There was that word again. Rowan was beginning to hate that goddamn word.
Rosa pointed the two men toward a table. “Sit down before you fall down, boys. I’ll be there to take your order in a minute.”
The fact that Rosa didn’t seem appalled by their inebriated state told Rowan she dealt with a lot of drunks after hours.
“How late is this place open?” he asked Rosa.
“We close at two.” Rosa rolled her eyes. “We get the worst of them after midnight.”
“You’re not here alone, are you?” Rowan asked.
“No, the cook’s in the back.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “But poor old Barry’s not much good. He’s got a bum leg and a bad ticker. He really should retire, but he needs the money.”
Rowan knew what that was like. His father had been an outboard marine mechanic all of his life and still wouldn’t have been able to retire if Rowan hadn’t paid off his house and bought him a new car a few years back.
“You ever need backup and you don’t want to call the police,” he said, passing her one of the non-descript cards he’d given Walker, “you call me.” Even if he was out of town, he had a lot of friends he could call to restore order.
She held the card between her fingertips. “What kind of business are you in? Security?”
Tenley laughed. “No, he’s a ball player.”
“That’s where I know you from,” buddy with the long hair said, snapping his fingers. “Nixon, right?”
“Right.” Rowan rolled his eyes when they started snapping pictures of him with their phones. “Just give me a call when our food’s ready, Rosa. We’re gonna snag a table.”
He grabbed Tenley’s hand and led her to the back of the restaurant, then he slid into a booth across from her. “You have to deal with tools like that all the time?” he asked, gesturing to the two men.
“Comes with the territory,” she said, sounding too nonchalant for his liking.
He knew she could handle herself, but he didn’t want her to let her guard down, especially with guys like that. In his opinion, the ones women underestimated could be the most dangerous.
“Let’s talk about something else. Like why you’re here,” she said.
He appreciated her directness but wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Before he could, his phone beeped. Reese. WTF, man? Where r u? Rowan was surprised he’d even noticed he was gone. Took Tenley to get a bite. Be back soon.
“Sorry about that,” he said, setting the phone on the table.
“Hook-up later?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she stole a glance at the phone.
Some dumbass must have burned her bad. “Would I be here with you if I was hookin’ up with someone else later?”
“I don’t know,” she said, folding her arms on the tabletop. “Would you?”
Before he could defend himself, Rosa appeared with a plastic tray containing their food.
“You didn’t have to bring it to us,” he told her, reaching for it. “I told you I’d come and get it.”
Rosa put her hand on Rowan’s shoulder, smiling at Rowan. “This one’s a keeper, honey. Not like that last loser you were going out with.”
Rowan was torn between asking about the last loser and not wanting to think about her with another man. Finally, curiosity got the better of him as he set her plate on the table. “Is that the guy you mentioned on the phone last night?”
“Yup.” She unscrewed the top of her water before taking a long pull.
“What happened?” He knew he shouldn’t pry, but he needed to know what he was up against. If this guy was going to make it hard for her to trust again, he wanted to know the whole story.
She took the foil off her sandwich before digging in. “Same old, same old. I didn’t have enough time to spend with him. He said he was getting lonely—code for horny as hell—so he found someone else. Only he didn’t bother breaking up with me first.”
“Sorry, baby. That sucks.” As his brother’s warning rang in Rowan’s ears, he watched her closely for any sign that she was still hung up on her ex. He really hated himself for letting Reese mess with his head.
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her shoulders. “Not like I was gonna marry the guy or anything.”
Having a man cheat on her would have been a serious blow to most women’s egos, but Tenley seemed to take it in stride. She was either more resilient than most, or she’d built a wall so strong no one was busting through it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked after she’d taken a bite of her sandwich. She reached for a paper napkin from the dispenser on the table and wiped her chin. “Do I have sauce on my face or something?”
“No.” He shook his head, tearing his attention from her to focus on the food in front of him. “Just trying to figure you out.”
She laughed. “Good luck with that.”
Chapter Three
Tenley couldn’t believe it was closing time and Rowan was still there. His brother had stumbled out with some hot blonde over an hour ago, but he hung back… watching her. If she wasn’t so turned on, she might be creeped out by the attention. But one look at this guy, and she was good to go. And not just because he was some hotshot pitcher and hometown hero. He was just that good-looking.
Of course Tenley had no intention of sleeping with him any time soon, ’cause she knew if she did, she’d never see him again. And she wanted to prolong this, have a little fun with him first.
“Rowan taking you home?” Walker asked, unlocking the cash drawer.
“No, I brought my bike.”
He scowled. “It’s raining. You’re not taking that thing home.”
Her brother hated that she rode
a Harley, even though he did too. He said he could handle it but she couldn’t. Tenley routinely told him where he could shove his opinions about gender roles and equality.
“Watch me.”
“Oh yeah?” He crooked a finger at Rowan, smirking when he got up and walked toward the bar.
“I don’t give a shit what either one of you say. I’m riding the bike.” Normally Tenley would have been apprehensive about riding her baby on slick pavement, but her brother had just convinced her it was worth the risk.
“Would you mind giving my sister a ride home, Rowan?” Walker asked. “I would, but I’ve got another hour or so of work and she has to teach a class in the morning.”
“Sure,” he said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “You ready, Ten?”
“Thanks for the offer,” she said, reminding herself it was her brother’s fault he’d made it in the first place. “But you don’t have to do that. I have my bike here.”
Rowan glanced out the front windows, frowning. “Uh, you can’t ride your bike in this. I’ll take you home.”
“I can, and I will,” she said, reaching under the counter for her purse and helmet.
Who the hell were these thugs to tell me what I could and couldn’t do? I’d do whatever I wanted to, and they’d stand back and keep their mouths shut if they knew what was good for them.
“I got this,” Rowan said to Walker when Tenley’s brother grabbed her wrist.
“You got this?” she asked, glaring at Rowan. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Rowan sighed heavily while Walker rolled his eyes and walked away. “You can’t ride your bike in weather like this, and you know it.”
Tenley bit the inside of her cheek before glancing outside. Any other night, she would have agreed with him, but if she backed down now, it would seem as though she was submissive, and she was anything but that. “What do you know about it?”
“I’ve been riding for years, beautiful.” The look he gave her implied he was talking about more than just motorcycles.
The sexy bastard was trying to wear her down, and she was ashamed to admit it was working. “Is that so?” She folded her arms under her breasts. “That makes you an expert?”
He stepped closer, totally invading her personal space, while he backed her against the corner of the bar. “Yeah, I’d say that makes me an expert.”
“Why do you care so much what I do?”
He seemed to consider the question for a minute before he said, “No idea.”
At least he was being honest. “I really don’t mind riding the bike home,” she said, thinking it was worth one more shot before she caved.
“Yeah, well, I mind.” He grabbed the helmet from her, grinning to melt her resolve.
It was those damn dimples that finally did her in. If not for them, she would have told him where to shove that helmet. “Fine. I guess I can hitch a ride with my roommate in the morning.”
“You have a roommate?” he asked, threading his hand through hers as they walked to the door.
It was weird for her to feel safe and protected with a man. Probably because most of the guys she’d dated were only tough when they were packing, but Rowan’s hands were strong, skilled, and gentle all at the same time.
“Yeah, we work together at the kickboxing studio.”
“Male or female?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her before opening the door so she could precede him through it.
“Female. Why?”
“Just curious.”
“She works the front desk at the club,” she explained. “That’s how we met. She was dating my brother Walker for a while, but that didn’t work out. I warned her it wouldn’t. I love my brother, but he’s a real player.” She didn’t know why she was confiding in him. She only knew that she wanted to get to know him better, which meant letting him get to know her.
He opened the passenger door of his shiny black Hummer and waited until she had her seat belt fastened.
“Your mother raised you right,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t expect you to be such a gentleman.” Something flashed in his eyes, and she immediately wished she could retract those words. “Sorry.”
“No worries.” He tossed her helmet into the backseat. “My mother didn’t really raise me though. My dad did.”
“She wasn’t a deadbeat like my old man, was she?” His jaw tightened, and she realized she’d put her foot in her mouth again. Suddenly her size six shoe felt like a ten.
“No, she died.”
“I’m sorry, Rowan.” She touched his cheek, savoring the feel of his stubble against her palm. “I didn’t mean—”
He leaned in and grabbed the back of her head while sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. He didn’t hesitate or ask permission. He just saw what he wanted and went for it.
Definitely my kind of man.
Tenley wrapped her free arm around his neck, pulling him closer as she moaned into his mouth. Damn. If one kiss got her this hot, she’d been relying on her plastic partner for too long.
“Damn, girl,” he said, resting his forehead against hers while they both caught their breath. “One more kiss like that, and I’ll have to take you back to my place instead.”
She wouldn’t object either, which was exactly why she should hold out. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, but she wanted a little more than a pump-and-dump with this guy.
She patted his muscular chest, smiling. “Let’s save that for another night. Assuming there will be another night?”
“You better believe there will be, baby. You and me, we’re just getting started.”
***
After another scorching kiss and promise to call, Rowan left Tenley wanting more, which she was sure had been his intent. She wasn’t the type of girl to sit by the phone, wondering whether a guy would call, but she had turned the ringer up on her cell before she left the apartment. Just in case.
“I still can’t believe you met Rowan Nixon,” Stacey screeched as she slammed on the brakes to avoid running a red light.
That was the reason Tenley hated driving with her roommate. She got too easily distracted.
“Is he as hot in person as he is on TV?”
“Hotter.”
When they met, Stacey was looking for a BFF and Tenley was looking for a roommate. They’d agreed to share an apartment as long as Stacey didn’t expect Tenley to share her feelings and shit. She wasn’t into that. She suspected it was because she’d grown up with two brothers who told her to suck it up every time she cried.
“You gonna do him?” she asked, glancing Tenley’s way.
“I don’t know,” she said, reaching into her bag for one of the bottled waters she’d stashed there that morning. “Maybe. We’ll see how it goes.”
For all Tenley knew, he could have moved on already. Maybe he’d been expecting her to invite him up last night, and when she didn’t, he’d decided to write her off. She told herself she didn’t care. But she did care. More than she wanted to.
“Does he know you’re working for your brother again tonight?” Stacey asked, pulling into the parking lot of their workplace. “Maybe he’ll stop by and bring some of his friends.”
Tenley wasn’t the only one who liked athletes. Stacey did too, but she wasn’t as careful about guarding her heart as Tenley was. Every time she banged one, Stacey was convinced he was the one and ended up crying in her Corn Flakes at breakfast, making both of them wish she’d learn her goddamn lesson already.
“He didn’t ask what I was doing tonight, and I didn’t tell him.”
Stacey was prone to over-sharing, thinking that because a guy wanted to get in her panties, he also wanted to know every move she made. Tenley kept telling her that if she held back a little more, they might stick around longer. At least that had been her experience.
“Why not?” Stacey asked, trying twice to back the car into a spot before she gave up and pulled in. “Don’t you want to see him again?”
“Sure, but if I don�
�t, it won’t be the end of the world.” She got a little knot in her stomach when she thought about never seeing Rowan again, which was crazy since she didn’t break down over guys. Not anymore.
“Liar,” Stacey said, getting out of the car.
Tenley’s cell phone rang, prompting Stacey to duck her head back in to sneak a peek at the screen before she answered it.
“Oh, it’s him. I wanna hear!”
“You’re gonna be late,” Tenley said, glancing at the time. Since she didn’t have a class for thirty minutes, she could afford to kill some time.
After a bit of grumbling, Stacey stomped off, leaving her to answer Rowan’s call in peace.
“Hey,” she said, waving to a couple of guys crossing the parking lot, headed for the studio.
“Morning, sexy. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t need a lift to work.”
Damn, that was sweet. She didn’t want him to be sweet. She wanted him to be an ass so she wouldn’t like him so much. “No, thanks, I hitched a ride with Stacey. Sitting here in the parking lot, in fact, getting ready to go in.”
“Busy day?”
“I’ve got a few classes. How about you?”
“I’m just taking it easy. I still work out, but the hard-core training won’t start for a bit.” After a brief pause, he asked, “So, uh, what have you got goin’ on tonight?”
“Working for Walker.”
“I figured as much.” He sounded disappointed. “You work for him every weekend?”
“Yup, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.” If she wanted to hook up with anyone, which she hadn’t lately, it had to be Sunday through Wednesday night.
“You mind if I stop by with a few buddies?”
I wouldn’t mind seeing that sweet ass of yours again. “Suit yourself.”
“What time do you start?” he asked.
“Nine.”
“You need a ride home from work? Maybe we could grab a bite before you have to head in tonight?”
She wanted to see him again, but she didn’t know if she should. She usually preferred late-night hook-ups, not real dates. Too many of those could start to feel like a relationship. “Uh…”
“What’s wrong? You don’t wanna see me again?”
Sweet Spot (Summer Rush #1) Page 3