Full Potential

by L. J. Kentowski

  Tyler’s eyes narrowed at Wade.

  “Is he still in Seeton?” she asked.

  “He lives on the outskirts of town…alone. Well, with three dogs. He’s drunk more than sober, and lucky as hell his dad bought the trailer he’s living in because he can’t hold a job to save his life. I’ve had to bust him several times for driving under the influence.”

  “Sounds sad.”

  “Some people get what they deserve,” he said with a shrug, fixating on Tyler again. “Isn’t that right, bro?”

  Arms crossed over his chest, Tyler replied with a definitive nod.

  Wade stood. “Well, I’ve got to visit the little boys’ room. Tyler, save my seat?”

  The edges of Tyler’s mouth hinted at a grin, and he gave another short nod.

  “I’ll be back.” Wade squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t let my big bro here scare you off.”

  She chuckled. “I can handle him.”

  “I don’t doubt it, speed racer.”

  Jena laughed again, and—to avoid Tyler’s intense scrutiny, one she felt more than witnessed—watched Wade walk away. Once he was out of sight, she glanced back up at Tyler. His stare had not faltered, and when their eyes locked, her stomach took on a new level of butterfly activity, similar to hummingbirds on crack.

  “You’re really taking this stool guarding duty pretty seriously,” she said, when any other form of conversation failed her.

  “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t want someone else to swoop in and cause you to miss out on cozy conversation with my brother. I see you’re on a pet name basis already.”

  “Pet name?” Then she remembered Wade’s reference and blushed. “Oh, yeah, that.” With a wave of her hand, she giggled. Why she was so nervous was beyond her. “He pulled me over on the way in to town earlier for speeding.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “How do you know?”

  Tyler deadpanned. “This is Seeton, Jena.”

  “Ahhh, that’s right. No secrets here.” She grabbed her drink from the bar and took a sip.

  “None you can hide for very long, and some you didn’t even know you had.” His eyes were unreadable, but she swore they were trying to tell her something.

  “Tyler, sit down. You’re making me nervous.”

  “Jena Morgan, nervous? I don’t buy it. Not the woman I met a few months ago anyway.”

  Her body stiffened. “Are we really going there?”

  “Do you want to go there?”

  Yes. Like, can we relive it?

  She took another gulp of her drink, finishing it off. Probably not the smartest thing, seeing where the conversation was heading, but for lack of anything to say, she wanted to keep her mouth busy. And of course, that thought led to additional ways, which, in turn, caused blood to rush to her cheeks…and other places.

  Tyler spun and faced the bar, giving her an excellent view of his ass. She heard him talking with someone but didn’t make out a word due to her concentration on the way his jeans perfectly molded his form. When it finally dawned on her how silent it was, she glanced up. Tyler was peeking over his shoulder, staring down at her with a knowing smirk. And if his understanding wasn’t enough to embarrass her, which it totally was, Tanner was behind the bar, giving her the same meaningful grin.

  Jena’s face was on fire.

  “You want another martini?” Tanner asked. “Or something else?”

  “I should probably switch to water.”

  Tyler’s censuring eyes were on her. “You have somewhere to go?”

  “No, I just—”

  “She’ll have another,” Tyler said.

  Tanner walked away, and Tyler sat on the stool next to her.

  “You getting all caveman on me?” she asked.

  That comment got her another heated smirk, and she cursed her unfiltered mouth. Christ, she’d been in Seeton less than twenty-four hours and couldn’t seem to stop acting like a bumbling idiot around people…some more than others.

  Tanner returned, set their drinks on the bar, and left as quickly as he’d come. No lifeline there, apparently.

  “How’ve you been, Jena?” Tyler asked.

  “I’ve been good. Busy.”

  “Yeah, you said that before. I heard your cousin had a baby?”

  “Yes, a beautiful little boy. I was helping their family out for a while until she got back on her feet.”

  He nodded as if he knew this already, which he probably did, being from Seeton and all.

  “So, how long will you be here this time?”

  “A few weeks. Or, however long Riley needs me.”

  God, this was awkward. The trivial conversation made the tension between them seem even more uncomfortable than it already was. Riley was right. An elephant the size of a tyrannosaurus rex was lurking around, and with the way Tyler was eyeing her, the beast would soon gobble her up.

  He reached for his beer and took a drink. Jena used the opportunity to down a long swig of her martini.

  “Ugh, I can’t stand this,” she blurted.

  Tyler’s gaze snapped to hers and then moved to the hand on her drink. “You don’t like your martini?”

  “No, not that.” She’d said the words with a wave of her hand, and then without thought, rested it on his forearm. “I mean this…us.”

  He stared down at her hand for what seemed like an eternity. When she watched him lick his bottom lip, her fingers inadvertently squeezed as if his tongue had a direct connection to her motor functions. His eyes snapped to hers. “There’s an us?”

  Jena couldn’t tell if it was hope or disbelief she heard in his tone, or maybe she was merely too sensitive at the moment. She removed her hand and placed it in her lap…for safety purposes. “No, of course not.” Tyler’s eyebrows shot up, and she realized how defensive she’d sounded. “I mean, there was…the us from before. What we did, it’s making everything awkward between us, and I hate it.”

  Eyes narrowed, he studied her features. She desperately wanted to fidget under his gaze…either that or lean in and kiss the living hell out of him.

  “You think what we did is making the situation awkward between us now?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. She was about to answer, with what she had no clue, but he didn’t give her a chance. “Or is it something else, Jena?”

  His features, so intent on her, so heated, captivated her. How had they gotten to this point so fast? “You think it’s something else?” she whispered.

  “Possibly.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Unfinished business?” He put a hand on her thigh. The heat of his touch burned through her jeans.

  “I…um…”

  “Everyone, can I please have your attention for a minute or two?” Riley’s voice came through the haze of lust fogging Jena’s brain.

  Tyler’s mouth lifted into a grin, and Jena realized she was leaning toward him. He gave her a wink and squeezed her thigh before removing his hand and turning his attention to the other side of the bar. He raised a beer to his still smiling lips.

  Jena jerked back and faced Riley behind the bar, swiping at the side of her mouth in the process to check for drool. Luckily, there was none.

  Thoughts were spinning around in her head as she half-listened to Riley’s speech. Dax stepped up behind his fiancé and wrapped his hands around her waist as she spoke.

  All Jena could think about was a certain someone’s arms wrapping around her waist and how great it would feel.

  “—and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her.”

  It took a moment for Jena to realize all eyes were on her. When she did, her face flushed. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Tyler sporting a huge smile while saluting his beer to her. Glancing around, she realized everyone’s drink was up, waiting for her to acknowledge them. On a deep breath, she grabbed the martini from the bar and raised it. Tyler clinked his beer against it, catching her eye in the process. She was barely able to make her hand lift the drink t
o her mouth.

  “We’d like to thank all of you,” Dax said. “Shots are on us.”

  A collective cheer erupted around the bar.

  Riley set two shot glasses in front of them. “What are you guys having?”

  “Fireball,” Tyler said.

  They both turned to Jena.

  “I think I’m going to pass,” she said.

  “Oh, c’mon, Jena,” Tyler said playfully. “It’s a celebration shot. What are you afraid of?” His eyes were dancing, tempting her, teasing her.

  “Yeah, Jena,” Riley spoke up. “What are you afraid of? It’s not like you have far to go. The bed’s right upstairs.”

  Jena glared at her grinning friend. “Fine. I’ll have a cherry bomb.”

  “Ooo…I haven’t had one of those in a long time. I’ll have one with you. Be right back.”

  Once Riley was out of sight, Tyler leaned toward her. “You know, if you really don’t want to do the shot, you don’t have to. I was only teasing you.”

  “I know. I can handle it. I just…I don’t want to lose control again.”

  “You mean with us?” He searched her features, his own not giving away how her words affected him.

  She nodded, hoping the action would make her mouth form the right answer. “Yes.”

  His lips tightened for a second as he returned the nod. “Well, we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen, then. We’re adults, right? We can be responsible.”

  The heat in his gaze made her want to take it all back and be the old Jena. Her desire was to pull him in, kiss him until she couldn’t breathe anymore, and then lead him somewhere where they could be desperately irresponsible.

  She did the head-nod thing again, seemingly the only motion she was capable of. “Exactly.”

  Riley came back with Dax in tow and set a bunch of bottles down on the bar. Switching out a shot glass for a tumbler, she filled their orders.

  “To good friends,” Dax said when they held up their shots. He gave Tyler a pointed look. “And some okay ones.”

  Tyler laughed and bumped his drink against Dax’s. “Touché.”

  “To the future Mr. And Mrs. Beckett,” Jena added.

  “I’ll drink to that,” Dax said.

  They knocked back their shots, and when done, Dax pulled Riley in tight for a kiss. “Mmm…cherry,” he said, licking his lips. “Make sure you grab that bottle for home tonight.” She giggled when he smacked her ass.

  “Jesus, get a room already,” Tyler said.

  Dax shot him a devious grin. “Already planned, my friend. You guys hanging around for a while?”

  Tyler glanced Jena’s way. “I think so.”

  “I’ll be here,” she said.

  “Cool.” Dax turned to Riley. “Come with me. I need to show you something in the back.”

  She shot an eyebrow up and smiled, then turned to Jena and said, “Be back in a bit. Don’t leave.” Dax pulled her away before Jena could answer.

  “Oh, my God. Are they always like that?” She chuckled.

  “Sickening, right? They don’t even try to hide it.”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  Tyler’s arm wrapped around Jena’s waist as he leaned in and put his lips to her ear. “Kind of makes you want to rethink being responsible adults, doesn’t it?” He took a deep inhale at her neck. “You smell incredible. Is that cherry?”

  Her breathing rate picked up as pressure built at all the pleasure points she knew he could relieve. Realizing if she let events go any further, there would be no going back, she panicked. “Tyler, stop.” She pushed against his chest. “I…I have a boyfriend.”

  ***

  Tyler couldn’t explain what had come over him. Ever since he saw Wade pawing Jena, he’d been on a mission to insert himself back into her world. And the closer he got to her, the more insane she was driving him. She probably had no idea she was doing it either.

  He could have sworn the feelings were reciprocated, had even seen the heat in her eyes, the way her body seemed to gravitate toward his. Of course, that was until she threw a grenade at him.

  “A boyfriend?” he asked, cocking his head.

  Jena dropped her chin to her chest. “Well, not exactly a boyfriend, boyfriend. More like a potential one.”

  “A potential one.” He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so disbelieving, but he couldn’t help it. The news had come from left field, and he was nowhere near ready to hear it.

  Nodding, she continued to stare at the drink in her hand. “Mmm hmm.”

  He couldn’t stand the way she was avoiding his gaze, so he reached over, put a hand under her chin, and urged her to look at him. When she finally conceded and met his eyes, he asked, “What does that even mean?”

  “It means I met a guy, and I think it could lead to something more…permanent.”

  “Permanent, like marriage permanent?”

  “Well, I’m not sure about that quite yet, but maybe someday.”

  “Maybe someday.”

  Her smile was strained. “You know, you’re repeating everything I say, right? Are you having trouble hearing?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just surprised. So, when did you meet this guy?”

  “Um…a while ago.”

  Something about the way she could barely answer him wasn’t jiving. “Mmm hmm. And what’s his name?”

  It took her a moment to answer. “Steve.” The name came out slow, almost as if she were trying it out for the first time. “Steve Duncan.”

  Tyler nodded. Something was definitely up. “Where did you meet this Steve?”

  Her eyes narrowed as she straightened in her seat. “What is this, twenty questions?”

  “I—”

  “What’s going on here?” Riley approached the bar, her gaze dancing between Jena and Tyler. “You guys look way too serious.”

  “We were just talking,” Jena said.

  “Yeah. Jena was telling me about her potential boyfriend, Steve.”

  Riley’s suspicious eyes landed on Jena, and Tyler knew then he was being bullshitted. Maybe not completely, but there was some definite half-truths flying around. Why? Was it Jena’s way of making sure he kept his distance? He was sure she’d reacted to his earlier advances, and there’d been definite sparks between the two of them. So, why mislead him about some potential boyfriend.

  “Oh, Steve,” Riley said. The words came out sounding too much like she was trying not to bust Jena’s story, but questioning her friend just the same. Tyler didn’t need to have his brother’s investigative instincts to realize Riley had been thrown for the same loop he had.

  “Steve Duncan. She didn’t tell you? Steve and her may get married someday.”

  Her eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. “Steve Duncan? My parents’ accountant?”

  Jena gave him the evil eye, her lips pursed.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, hands raised in surrender. “I figured your best friend would know. Especially with the potential for marriage and all.” Okay, he was being facetious now, but he didn’t take well to being lied to.

  Jena continued to glare. “I haven’t had the chance to talk to her about it yet. I’m here to help with the wedding, not gossip about my love life. I’m not from Seeton, you know, where everyone’s laundry is aired out for the world to talk about. We like to be a bit more private about things where I come from.”

  “Yeah, well, I think there’s something to be said about being open and honest with people.” He downed his beer and slammed it on the bar. “I’ll leave you two ladies to talk,” he said, standing. “Sounds like you have a lot more catching up to do.”

  Before leaving them, he stole a glance at Riley. With her bottom lip between her teeth, she appeared thoughtful or concerned, he couldn’t tell which. It didn’t matter. Jena, whether full of crap or not, was purposely pushing him away, and he wasn’t about to stick around like some reject begging for attention.

  Tyler had let himself think they could have some fun
together while she was in town, nothing serious, just pure adult enjoyment. Obviously, that wasn’t something she was game for. Maybe there really was a boyfriend, and she simply didn’t feel comfortable talking about him with an ex-lover. He could understand that. Or maybe she pitied him for not having someone permanent in his life. No way did he want to be seen as a sympathy case. Hell, he didn’t even want someone permanent in his life. At least, that’s what he told himself.

  No, something in his gut said none of those scenarios were the case with Jena. And as much as he wanted to get to the bottom of her lies, he refused to push her for answers. It wasn’t worth his time. She was someone who’d swept in and out of his life as quickly as the weather changed in the Midwest. Yes, she was back, but there was nothing permanent about Jena Morgan.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Um…what the hell just happened?” Riley asked once Tyler had gone to sit at the other end of the bar by his brother and Dax.

  Jena laid her head down in her arms. “Ugh…I don’t know. I totally panicked. He was getting too close, and I was losing willpower. Next thing you know, I’m blurting out all kinds of things.”

  “By things, you mean lies?”

  Jena raised her head. “Well, they weren’t complete lies. They were more like little exaggerations.”

  “Little exaggerations?”

  “Okay, now you sound like him. Does everyone repeat things here?”

  “Only when they’re lies and exaggerations spewed from panicky redheads.”

  “Damn, Riles, you are so mean now.” Jena pushed up on her hands, hovering over the bar to whisper to her friend. “Do you think he believed it?”

  Riley lifted an eyebrow. “Uh…no. You’re not a good liar, Jena. Never have been. You’re the kind of person who tells it like it is, and everyone gets that within a few minutes of knowing you. So, yeah, he probably knows you’re full of shit.”

  “But it’s partly true,” Jena whined into her arms. “I did go out with Steve back home. And he does have potential.”

  “Girlfriend, this is me you’re talking to. I know Steve Duncan, and he is not marriage potential, especially for you. You’d drive him insane.”