Author: Jaci Burton

But he wasn’t on her list of acceptable males to date. Or to do anything with, for that matter.

“There’s nothing between you and me,” she said.

“Isn’t there?”

She liked Joe. She was going to go out with Joe.

“I have a date on Friday.”

He let her hair sift through his fingers and took a step back, but still the shadow of a smile remained on his lips. “Have a good time.”

“I will.” She pivoted and walked away, figuring she’d feel a sense of triumph.

All she felt was empty.

A DATE? SHE WAS GOING OUT WITH THAT LOSER?

Why?

Ty stood back and watched Eddie take the shot, but his mind wasn’t on the game anymore.

Not that it had been 100 percent on the game ever since he’d caught sight of Jenna talking to—what had she said his name was? Joe?

He took a quick glance at the bar. She was wiping it down with a cloth and laughing with one of her customers.

He liked her laugh. It was deep and gravelly, the kind of sound that got into every one of his nerve endings. He wanted to make her laugh like that. Actually, he wanted her naked and laughing.

Hell, he just wanted her naked.

He wanted more than that. He just didn’t know why. He wasn’t looking for a relationship, so why the hell did he care who Jenna went out with?

Except that Joe guy wasn’t for her. He could tell right away it was the wrong kind of match, but if she wanted to go out with the guy, it wasn’t like he had any claim on her. They hadn’t even dated.

If she kept going after the wrong guys, Ty would never get a chance.

Not that he planned to give up. He’d just let her play her games with losers like Joe, and when the right time came, he’d swoop in.

Feeling better, he picked up his pool cue, ready to take his shot.

SIX

TWO DAYS LATER, JENNA STOOD IN FRONT OF HER MIR-ror, inspecting her just to the knees, long-sleeved black dress and black peep-toe pumps.

She chose dangling silver earrings and a long silver chain to complement the outfit.

Simple, yet sexy.

Joe told her to choose a restaurant—an upscale one so he could treat her to a nice meal since she was going to be his tour guide. He said he’d heard Italian food was good in this city.

He’d heard right. She chose Tony’s on Market Street, even though the best Italian food was on the Hill, in her opinion.

Their reservations were for eight o’clock. It was almost seven. Joe said he’d pick her up at seven and they’d have cocktails in the bar before dinner.

She’d spent the day picking up the house, or at least the living room and kitchen, which had been a war zone. She’d vacuumed and dusted and put away the clutter so it didn’t look like an insane person or a hoarder lived there.

Her stomach fluttered. She was nervous. How crazy was that?

Relax, Jenna. She really had to start going out more.

The doorbell rang and she hurried out of the bedroom, stopping at the mirror for one last quick look to make sure she didn’t have lipgloss on her teeth.

Everything in order, she spiked up her hair and went to the door, taking a quick, calming breath before opening it.

Joe stood there with flowers in his hand.

Nice touch.

“Hi. Come on in.”

He smiled at her and handed her the flowers. Roses. How utterly…unoriginal. But still, sweet.

“These are for you. Thanks again for offering to show me around.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for the flowers. Let me put these in some water.”

He slipped off his coat. He wore dark slacks, a white shirt, no tie, but a jacket. Kind of relaxed, but still dressy. He looked incredible.

He was a good-looking guy. A really good-looking guy.

So why wasn’t she tingling?

Likely because she was starving. She’d had a busy day, had run into the bar to see to a few things, do some bookwork, make sure everything was set up for tonight with her assistant manager before rushing home to clean the house and get ready for her date. And she might have forgotten to eat lunch.

So she was stressed. And really hungry.

She put the flowers in a vase of water, then came out. Joe was standing in her living room, looking around. Grateful she’d cleaned up the mess, she wandered over to him. He was examining the art on the wall.

“This is nice.”

“Thanks. It’s one of my favorite pieces.”

“Original?”

“You could say that. Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

He took her coat and helped her with it. The drive downtown didn’t take long. They’d had a dusting of snow earlier in the day, so it was cold. Thankfully he used the available valet parking the restaurant provided, so she wouldn’t have to worry about maneuvering the snow in her heels. They dashed inside where it was warm and cozy.

He led her to the bar and they ordered drinks.

For once it was nice to be on the other side of the bar, receiving rather than serving.

She sipped a martini and tried to settle in for a night of fun. It was time to relax and enjoy her gorgeous date, who turned his panty-melting brown eyes on her.

“So tell me what there is to do in your fine city.”

“Everything. There’s art, music, and theater, if you enjoy those things. There’s also sports as you probably noticed from Riley’s. We have a football and baseball team as well as a hockey team.”

“Not much into sports, but I could get into the art museums.”

Not into sports and good looking? She should be swooning by now.

“Do you like music?”

He shrugged. “Not much time to listen to music, so I’m not a big fan.”

Her heart crumbled. Still, she decided to keep an open mind.

“So what do you do for fun?”

He laughed. “I’ve been in medical school for the past twelve years. I haven’t had any fun. When I haven’t been working or studying, I’ve slept.”

“You’re right. You haven’t had any fun. What’s your specialty?”

“Cardiology.”

“Big undertaking.”

“Yes, but I’m excited about it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Being a doctor has been my dream since I was a kid.”

“A family dynasty thing?”

He laughed. “Not at all. My father worked in construction his whole life. My mom worked as a secretary.”

He was so interesting, so vast, so smart. He was dedicated, motivated, friendly, and definitely not at all bad on the eyes.

They moved into the restaurant for dinner, and he captivated her with his conversation, made her laugh with his stories about medical school and the horrors of life as an intern. He didn’t just talk about himself, though, but engaged her and asked her about herself and her family and her goals and dreams for her own future.

He was almost the perfect man.

After dinner she drove him around and told him about her favorite places. He seemed fascinated with the history of the city, then told her what he was interested in doing.

“Will you settle here?”

“I’ll be here for a few years. I don’t know where I want to end up.”

“Probably somewhere near your family, don’t you think?”

He pulled up in front of her condo, shut off the engine. “I’m a big boy. I don’t need to live so close to home anymore.”

She laughed. “I guess to me family is so important. I can’t imagine ever being far away from them.”

“That’s what makes people so different, Jenna. I like the freedom to live my own life. You like being close to those you love.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Then the conversation was over, and he leaned in.

She waited for the swell of heat, the explosion of sensation.

His lips brushed hers and he enveloped her in his arms. She went willingly into the kiss, tangled her fingers in his hair.

His tongue swept across hers.

It was…nice.

Dammit. It was nice. Pleasant. No fireworks. Nothing in her body was going off like a rocket.

This guy was gorgeous, successful, funny, and she’d just had a great night with him.

And there wasn’t a single hormone in her body that wanted to jump his bones.

How disappointing.

He broke the kiss and smiled at her. “Who’s the guy?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Who’s the guy you were thinking about when you were kissing me?”

“There is no other guy.”

He gave her a look that told her he wasn’t buying it. “I’m a doctor, Jenna. I might not know everything, but what I do know is biology and basic chemistry. You and I got along great.”

“We did.”

“But when I kissed you just now, you didn’t feel it.”

She looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry.”

He tipped her chin with his fingers. “Don’t apologize for something you just don’t feel. It’s either there or it isn’t, and you can’t manufacture chemistry. I had a great time tonight. Thanks for showing me around.”

He opened the car door and went around to open hers, then walked her to her front door.

She turned to face him. “I really wish there’d been something, Joe.”

“Me, too.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you at the bar.”

She watched him walk away and knew Joe would never step foot in Riley’s again.

Even worse, she still didn’t have a damn date for the wedding.

She turned around and went inside.

SEVEN

THE WEDDING CEREMONY HAD BEEN BEAUTIFUL. THE church had been decorated with white calla lilies and ruby roses with baby’s breath and assorted greenery Jenna knew nothing about. It was beautiful. Seeing Tara walk down the white-carpeted aisle in her dress had made her breath catch. She’d looked stunning. Mick had tears in his eyes. Her big, tough-as-nails brother had shed a tear.

Her brother Mick was a married man now. Jenna still found that hard to believe. Her big brother, who had teased and tackled her and looked out for her when they were kids, had found the woman of his dreams and married her. And he had a teenaged son who he was going to officially adopt. Nathan was going to become a Riley.

Sometimes the world moved at such a fast pace it made her head spin.

Jenna had stood on the altar and listened to the priest perform the ceremony, truly listened to the words as Father Abrams told them about love and faith and finding that one person you were meant to be with. As she watched her brother and Tara look at each other, she knew for a fact that two people couldn’t possibly love each other more.

Shockingly, she’d cried. She’d never thought it would happen. Strong and stoic were her fortes. But she’d stood on the altar with tears rolling down her cheeks as Mick and Tara recited their vows.

She’d have to work harder at her intestinal fortitude before Gavin and Liz’s wedding.

After the ceremony the wedding party hung behind at the church to take pictures in multiple shots. Jenna had to admit that had been fun. Sometimes family could be overwhelming. Today, she couldn’t get enough of them.

When there was a spare moment in between photographer shots, she hugged her brother.

“I’m so happy for you.”

Mick grinned and put his arm around her. “Thank you. I’m a lucky guy.”

“You are. Take good care of her. She’s special.”

He squeezed Jenna’s arm. “I know.”

The day turned out glorious. Cold, but bright and sunny. A perfect day, without a cloud or raindrop in the sky.

The bride and groom were happy, Jenna’s parents were beaming with joy, and that’s all she could ask for.

And the bridesmaid dresses didn’t suck—thank you, Tara—so Jenna would survive the day.