Strike
Sheryl Zaines
Anne has always been the wild friend, the risk-taker. When she moves away, Tori’s life is going to be a whole lot duller. But of course Anne insists on one last adventure—tailing their hot hunk of a neighbor, the one they watch through his window as he works out, to see where he goes on Thursday nights.
A bowling alley—this might be the first time one of Anne’s schemes hasn’t gotten them into trouble. Until Tori finds that her friend has a little matchmaking in mind.
Collin is instantly smitten. He has no trouble getting into Tori’s bed, but the next morning she’s gone. What will he have to do to convince her to let him into her heart as well?
A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave.
Strike
Sheryl Zaines
Dedication
Dedicated to my husband, who knows all my bad habits, all my dark secrets and is still my biggest fan.
Chapter One
“Well, it’s your last night here, what do you want to do?” Tori asked.
“So many choices, so little time,” Anne muttered in response.
Tori was putting away the clean dishes, not needing to turn around to see that her friend was distracted and not really answering her. She even knew what was drawing the other woman’s attention. It was the hot guy who lived across the street. He never closed his curtains—not even while he was working out, which he did every night except for Thursday.
“I thought this was the one night a week he didn’t exercise,” Tori said.
Tori turned around to look, even though she couldn’t see anything. The curtains were closed with only an inch-wide gap for Anne to look through. Anne really believed that no one could tell she was looking.
“Unfortunately,” Anne responded. “I never did figure out what he does on Thursdays that is important enough to deprive me of my daily viewing of his body.”
Tori walked around the end of the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. She sat down on the edge of the sofa, not letting herself get too comfortable. She knew they were going to be headed out the door any second—just as soon as Anne got done daydreaming. With nothing to do but wait, Tori quickly became fidgety.
“So, what is he doing now?” Tori asked.
“He’s eating,” Anne replied.
The silence drew out while Tori waited for her to expound. Surely he was doing something more. That couldn’t be enough to keep her friend’s attention, could it? Watching him work out was one thing—his body was shown off in its prime—but to be entranced by day-to-day behavior was something else entirely.
“You’re really so bored that watching him sit and eat has you captivated?” Tori shook her head at her closest friend, just as she had been doing since she started acting like a peeping tom. It had only taken Tori a few minutes to get bored of staring at him. It wasn’t that he was hard on the eyes, it was just that she watched people work out for a living and didn’t want to do it at home.
“He’s not sitting and eating,” Anne corrected. “He’s standing over the sink scarfing down food.”
“Sounds amazing,” Tori said sarcastically.
There was no response. The silence drew out as Anne continued to leer out the window. Tori wanted to tell her to get a life, but it was her last chance to see the man she had been watching for almost a year. A few minutes more of waiting wouldn’t hurt anything.
Anne finally broke the silence. “I think I figured out what I want to do tonight. Just remember, you promised we would do anything I wanted.”
Tori took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever was coming next. When she had made the promise to let Anne decide what they would do, she’d known she was making a mistake. Anne was always the one trying to get them into trouble and Tori was the one who kept them out of it. She had learned when they were very young never to let Anne have free rein, otherwise she would end up regretting whatever they had done. Well, obviously she hadn’t learned the lesson completely, or she would not be in this position. Her only hope was that she would be able to talk reason into her later.
“Okay, let’s go.” Anne had turned away from the window and was coming across the room at her. Tori just had time to grab her purse before she was being dragged into the hallway. They were down the stairs and almost to the main entrance before she got an explanation of where they were going.
“I’m going to find out what he does on Thursday nights,” Anne announced.
“You’re going to follow him?” Tori asked.
Anne had spun around to use her back to push the door open, leaving her facing Tori. A huge smile took over her whole face and her eyes twinkled. Tori could see the anticipation building in her friend.
“No, we are going to follow him,” Anne corrected.
Tori followed her friend out the door, hoping the guy would be long gone. Maybe he would already be in his car, driving off, leaving them with no hope of catching up with him. Then they could just settle for dinner at their favorite restaurant and everything would be okay.
Luck was not on her side. As soon as she stepped out of the building, she could see his chocolate-brown hair. He was walking away from them on the other side of the street. Wait—he was headed toward the parking garage. Tori held her breath, hoping they were going to lose him before they even started. But the air came out in a huff when he waltzed right past the door and kept going toward the downtown area.
Anne had released her hand, but Tori knew she hadn’t been set free from this fool’s errand. Anne’s mind was set on this and it was better just to ride it out. Eventually the novelty would wear off and they could find something else to do. Until then, it was just a matter of being patient.
“He has gold highlights in his hair,” Anne said.
Tori had never really looked closely enough to see the details, so she took the time to examine him from head to toe. It wasn’t as if she had anything better to do. Anne wasn’t keeping up her end of the conversation.
His body was long and lean. Nothing like the body builders she seemed to attract at the gym. The hours he spent on his workout equipment had given him the body of a runner. As her eyes roamed over his tight jeans and clinging shirt, she conceded that he was amazing to look at. He was everything she wanted in a man, yet none of the men who asked her out looked anything like him.
She wished she had a closer view of how the denim hugged his ass. It looked tight and firm and her hands itched to touch it. His tucked-in T-shirt emphasized his slender waist. There wasn’t an extra ounce anywhere on his almost six-foot frame and she knew his body was rock solid.
His long strides ate up the sidewalk. She didn’t think anything of the quick pace, but Anne was starting to breathe hard from the exertion. She thought maybe Anne would call an end to this silly mission, but then he stepped into a bar. Anne started to cross the street, seeming intent on following him in. Tori grabbed her elbow and pulled her back up onto the sidewalk.
“There is no way I am going into that place with you,” Tori said. “If it was any other bar within twelve blocks, I would be fine with it. But that place only has two windows, which are too high to see into, and has a horrible reputation for being dirty inside.”
“You said we would do anything I wanted,” Anne pointed out.
“Now just listen to me for a sec.” Tori had her hands up while she talked. “The other side of the building is Louie’s Lanes. I would bet that’s where he’s going anyway. Let’s go in there and see if I’m right. If we don’t see him, then I’ll go into the bar.”
“See, I need you with me. I had no idea the other side was a bowling alley.”
Anne wove their arms together and started heading across to the parking lot. All the customers going in we
re about her father’s age and none of them looked like the type to bother her. They slipped through the door without drawing anyone’s attention and stood watching from the back corner.
“That’s so not fair,” Anne said. “Look—they don’t have to use those ugly shoes that have been worn by everyone. They have their own.”
Tori didn’t know much about bowling, but she did know that you had to rent house shoes in order to do it. But the people around her getting ready to play were pulling stylish shoes out of their bags and putting them on. She had to agree with her friend—it was cheating.
That was when she saw the man they had been following come through the door that connected the bowling alley to the bar. She could feel Anne get tense as he emerged, but then felt her friend sag in disappointment as the guy walked over to a beautiful brunette. He even tapped his beer bottle against hers before he took a swig.
“He came here to meet a woman,” Tori whispered. “Any more questions?”
Anne was staring at him and acting as if she hadn’t heard the question at all. Her mouth was puckered up and Tori knew she was chewing on her bottom lip. She took a deep breath and finally responded.
“No, I don’t think so. I’ve never seen anyone come over to his apartment. See the way they’re sitting together? There’s no tension there. If they’d been dating long enough to be that comfortable with each other, I would have seen her before this.”
As if on cue, another man came through the main entrance and walked straight over to the couple. He didn’t sit down but was obviously part of their group.
“Following someone is a lot easier than I thought it would be,” Anne said. “I don’t know why I waited so long to try it.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself.” Tori tipped her head in the direction of the shoe rental counter and the kid behind it. “We haven’t escaped notice completely.”
Anne assessed the kid, who was spraying disinfectant into the ugly shoes that no one wanted. When she turned back to Tori she had a huge smile. Oh no—she’d thought of a way to “handle” this. She walked over to the counter and leaned up against it.
“Is this where we sign up to play?” she asked.
Tori choked. She had no intention of hurling a heavy ball down a lane. This was so out of character for Anne…but then again being unusual was the norm for her friend. Tori’s mind was racing, coming up with excuses to get them out of whatever Anne signed them up for.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am, but it’s league night.” The kid looked upset at having to break the news to her. “All the lanes are in use. But you can come back any other night of the week.”
Tori sagged against the counter, relieved that she didn’t have to lie to get out of the situation. Finally something was going her way. Now all she had to do was get her friend out of there. Obviously her question had been answered. The guy across the street bowled in a league once a week and that was why he didn’t work out on Thursdays.
“Do you mind if we look around?” Anne asked.
Tori flipped her head around. What did she mean “look around”? The only thing to look at was a display case full of bowling balls. She wondered just how long Anne would be able to drag that out.
“That’s fine,” the kid said with reservation. “Just stay back from the lanes. These guys take the competition pretty seriously.”
Anne was headed off toward the display case. Tori followed, knowing that it was expected. Anne strategically placed herself where it would look as if she were looking at the case, but in fact she was staring at the people on the other side of it. Tori stood next to her, face-on to the glass shelves. Except she had to turn her head slightly to see the group over by the benches. Her eyes rested on the globes in front of her and her eyes almost popped out when she saw the price tags underneath. Why would someone pay that much when there were free balls next to the lanes?
“They’re not getting ready like everyone else,” Anne said.
The three people they were watching were just sitting there, not getting out bowling balls or putting on shoes. Then the brunette got up from the bench and walked to the other side of the room. Inching around the display case to keep her in view, they saw her stop at one of the lanes. She spoke with one of the older men and her glum expression was even darker as she got done talking to him and returned to her seat.
“Well, that discussion didn’t look pleasant,” Tori said. “I don’t think they’re having a good night.”
They stood quietly, trying to hear what the brunette was reporting back to the guys. Even though the group was only about thirty feet away, Tori couldn’t hear anything. Who would have guessed that a bowling alley would be so loud? Neither of the guys seemed surprised by what the brunette said, even if they weren’t pleased.
Anne stepped back, looking as if she were going to walk over toward the group. Tori was ready to grab her and pull her back, but she didn’t have to. The tall guy who had been was the last to join the group turned toward them. They both stared in surprise, frozen where they stood as he walked by, and watched him leave through the main door. Apparently the group wasn’t bowling after all.
They turned around just in time to see Anne’s neighbor stand up. The brunette rose beside him and leaned in as he put his arm around her. Anne had been right—they did look very comfortable with each other. Too familiar not to have known each other for a long time. They disappeared back into the bar he had emerged from just minutes before.
Anne took the step forward that Tori had anticipated earlier. Only Tori knew her friend was no longer planning on just going to the other side of the room. She was going to follow the couple into the bar. Tori had no intention of letting that happen. It was one thing to go unnoticed in a room full of people, but quite another to blend into an empty bar. Besides, the couple looked as if they wanted to be left alone, not stalked by strangers. Now came the hard part—convincing Anne that it was time to leave.
* * * * *
Tori stepped through the door of the bar, feeling the strain of their conversation. Their discussion had got so heated that they’d had to take it out to the parking lot to keep from drawing attention. Each of them had brought up things from the last twelve years, trying to make their point. In the end it had been worth it. Instead of going into the sleazy place attached to the bowling alley, they were in a nice pub with windows that looked out onto Main Street.
“This is more like what I had in mind for your last night,” Tori said.
“Well it’s not at all like what I had in mind,” Anne replied. “I’m really worried about what you’re going to do without me. I have to prod you into doing anything. Without me here you’ll probably never leave the apartment except to go to work.”
Tori took a sip of her drink as she listened to her friend rant. She had been waiting for this conversation. It was one that had been repeated many times over the years, although not to this extent. She was an introvert, and did depend on others to create social situations for her. This knowledge was piled on top of the guilt she had for not doing what Anne wanted on her last night.
In all the years they had known each other, they had never been apart for more than a week. Now her friend was moving over a thousand miles away and they didn’t know when they would ever see each other again. She was losing more than someone to party with—she was losing her closest friend.
“I will promise to get out of the house and do more if you promise to keep out of trouble. Sometimes I think I’m the only thing keeping you out of prison,” Tori said.
That had her friend laughing, knowing that none of her antics were enough to be arrested for, but acknowledging that she would cause a lot more trouble if she wasn’t held back. Neither of them knew what to say. Tori had been dreading having to say goodbye and still didn’t want to do it. They had the morning drive to the airport to take care of that, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. So she sat there with her drink in her hand, listening to the television over the bar and the
muddled conversations of the people sitting at the tables behind them.
“Got to go to the little girls room,” Anne said as she slid off the barstool.
Tori didn’t move from her seat. She was staring at the television, even though she wasn’t paying attention to what was playing. Her mind was racing about the promise she’d just made. Her friend was right—she did need to get out more. It just wasn’t something she had ever been comfortable doing, nor had she needed to. Anne had always been there to push her into things.
The bell over the door clanged and out of habit Tori turned to see who it was. His brown hair looked as if fingers had just been run through it. Narrow cheeks accentuated his high cheek bones. There was a slight rounding to his chin that just took the square edge off his jaw. Her mouth opened when she realized it was her neighbor, the very guy they had followed to the bowling alley. He stood just inside the door, scanning the room.
She was staring at him and no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t look away. Not even when his gaze locked with hers. She got nervous when he started walking her way. By the time he made it to the open stool next to her, she realized that not only was she blatantly gawking at him, but her mouth was open too. The night couldn’t get any worse.
“It’s not very often I get a woman staring at me,” he said.
Her mouth abruptly closed as she realized she’d been wrong…it could get worse. She locked her eyes on the glass in front of her, afraid to let them stray anywhere else. The drink was half gone. Even though she hadn’t had much, she felt buzzed. She swallowed, knowing that the silence was drawing out. She was going to have to say something.
“I thought you were someone else,” she lied. Then she felt guilty, so she followed it up with the truth. “Someone I didn’t expect to see tonight.”
He had already flagged down the bartender and ordered a beer. It didn’t look as if he was in a rush to find somewhere else to sit. She wanted to tell him that the seat was taken, but Anne had been sitting on the other side of her. Sinking down into the seat, she prayed for him to get bored and leave.
Strike Page 1