Tiffany grabbed Abby’s arm and pulled her to her feet, and along with the rest of Team One, they approached the booths.
Maybe Tiffany and the other girls in their team were gorgeous, but Abby was different. She was real. And curves or not, if she got a chance to talk to these guys, they were going to see it.
And maybe the man with blue eyes would see it best of all.
All she’d have to do was put her mind to it, believe in herself, and have fun.
Fun was what they were there to have, wasn’t it? And really, anything was better than moping around the old cabin hung up on Tyler.
The first round of speed-dating began.
Chapter Four
What was her name? Michael tried to imagine which of the names listed fit her, but he couldn’t make up his mind.
Victoria was beautiful, and classic, and regal, but there was a sweet innocence about the name Sarah that fit her so well, too. And Donna? Michael bit down on his bottom lip and thought about it. There was something about all of the names that appealed to him, and not one stood out against the other.
All this time, he thought that when he’d come across his mate, he’d know her right away, and that the connection of their souls would tell him everything he needed to know. It turned out that the bond wasn’t like he thought it’d be.
He’d have to learn all about that beautiful woman on his own.
Waiting was the hard part.
When the bell sounded and the first round started, Michael hoped that the first woman would be the one who’d stirred the tiger and made him feel alive for the first time in a long time.
It wasn’t.
Instead, an attractive woman in a tight, lace dress slipped down onto the bench across from him and leaned across the table to smile at him. From the way she sat, Michael was fairly certain she was pushing her breasts together to make them really pop.
Yesterday, what she did might have roused his interest. Today, Michael didn’t even care to look.
“I bet a man like you would love to get a taste of something like this,” she said with a wink, making it very clear that she was putting herself on display. The brazen nature of her statement left Michael feeling uncomfortable.
Yikes. What the hell was wrong with her?
This was supposed to be speed-dating, not speed-hooking-up, wasn’t it? They were supposed to talk and get to know each other, not trade cheap hook-up lines.
Michael fought hard to keep frown out of his face. He wanted to remain polite.
“No,” he said, maybe a touch colder than he would have liked. It was the truth. Now that his possible mate was on his radar, maybe as close as a booth away, Michael didn’t want anything to do with anyone else. No matter how attractive the woman across from him was, she wasn’t going home with him, no matter what she said or did.
“What?” the woman asked. “Honey, I mean these. Maybe you misunderstood what I was saying.” She ran her hands along the outsides of her breasts, pushing them just a little closer together. Michael had never seen a woman trying so hard before, and he wondered if that was a reflection on him, or a reflection on her.
No matter what she did to her breasts, Michael didn’t look. He remained seated on his bench, feeling uncomfortable.
His jaw twitched. “I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I was pretty sure that the purpose of tonight’s event was to chat, wasn’t it? To get to know each other?”
The woman blinked and sat back in her seat, taken aback. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
“I am,” Michael insisted. He folded his arms on the table and kept his eyes on her face. “I can see your body. I saw it the second you walked over. So why don’t you spend some time talking to me about who you are instead?”
Shock read plainly on her face, and then she narrowed her eyes and scowled at him like he’d just insulted her. Michael had no idea what she was so pissed off about.
“Are you gay?” she demanded, angry.
“I beg your pardon?” What kind of a question was that? “I’m at a speed-dating event for straight people. What do you think?”
“I think that you’re crazy if you’re not gaga over me right now,” the woman jabbed back. “I’m giving myself to you on a silver platter and you want more? What am I going to have to do?”