“You too,” Bentley doesn’t miss a beat. He throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him. I squeak at the close contact and Lana is doing everything in her power not to burst out in laughter. “How do you know my sweet Jolene?”
Oh. My. God. Please, someone, wake me up from this nightmare. I didn’t mean to imply that we were dating. Carter’s smile returns, “We used to work together. I’m, as of this weekend, a retired captain.”
“Wow,” Bentley’s eyes widen. “You’re so young.”
“Thanks…I think.” He holds his hand up and waves to us. “It’s time for me to get out of here. Kendall’s waiting for me in the bar.”
“Of course, she is,” I mutter under my breath.
Lana can no longer hold the laughter in and she bends over in a fit of giggles. “That was hysterical.”
I slide out from under Bentley’s arm and put as much distance as I can between us. “Why did you tell him I was yours? I barely met you twenty minutes ago.”
“You looked like you needed a little help.” He takes a step closer to me and I take a step back toward Lana. “Besides, maybe since I covered for you, with what seems to be an ex-boyfriend, you’ll go out on a date with me.”
“That’s not happening.” The words are out of my mouth as soon as he half-ass makes the suggestion. “I don’t date guys I barely know. Besides, you don’t even live here. How would that work out?”
“Technically, you don’t live here, either,” Lana points out.
“Shut up, Lana. That’s beside the point.” I turn toward the man that literally helped me out of an awkward situation and point my finger at him. “I don’t have time to date anyone. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m busy flying around and doing my job.”
“Maybe a fake date, at least. In the hotel bar to really sell it to the dude who just left.”
This guy is relentless. I knew I shouldn’t have told him my name. “I don’t need to sell it to him. He’s perfectly happy in his relationship. I was originally going to introduce you as one of the players we’re now flying around.Youare the one who implied you were my boyfriend.”
“I know when to back down.” He bows slightly, but the smile never leaves his face. “Until next time.”
What does he mean by next time? Lana can’t control herself any longer. “You really stepped in it that time.”
“What do you mean?”
Wiping a tear, did she have to laugh that hard, from her eye she shakes her head. “I’m looking forward to how this will play out.”
Nope. There’s nothing to play out. The area around my heart is man free. There’s no way I’m opening myself up to that hurt again.
Five
Bentley
Jordan sighsas we walk out of the airport and shakes his head. “Go ahead and tell me whatever is on your mind. I know you’re dying to.” The vibe off of him is weird. It’s almost something I think most disappointed dads would look like when they are upset with their kid. Never knowing my dad, I didn’t have that look, even though my mom shot it at me often enough.
“Learn when to shut up and move on. You’ll be lucky if that woman doesn’t go to her bosses and claim harassment.”
That thought never crossed my mind, and it isn’t something I’ve really had to deal with. It’s usually me that has to keep my distance from women when they push for dates. I’ve rarely turned any of them down, but there are a few that just wouldn’t stop. Is that what I’ve turned into? The person who won’t stop. No, that can’t be it. She smiled when she teased me about her name. And…she’s the one who pulled me into whatever conversation she was having. “Naw, man. She was having fun, too.”
“Maybe, but you also didn’t give her much of a choice.” He pulls the door open on the cab and ushers me to go in first. “Just keep that in mind next time.”
I make a face and slide into the seat. He’s not my father, and not even close to being old enough for that. But why do I feel like a scolded child being sent to time out? I shake the thought away and turn my focus to our upcoming game. We have a shoot around in a few hours and my mental headspace needs to be on that. Not the hot girl I met on a plane.
She keeps slipping into my thoughts as we make our way past tall buildings at a snail’s speed. Austin’s traffic is horrible, but this is a completely new level of people. The streets are jammed with cars, and the sidewalks are packed with people. Who knew New York was so much busier than our own city? Most people know that saying “everything’s bigger in Texas,” but this puts us to shame. The buildings soar high into the sky and lights are flashing everywhere. A part of me wonders if this is the sort of city Jolene lives in. So much for focusing on basketball. That’s obviously going to be a lost cause.
Finally, after what feels like forever, the cab comes to a stop in front of what I assume is our hotel. Jordan pays him and we get out of the car. Jordan goes around to pull our bags out of the trunk and we walk toward the building. “I really hope we have rooms on one of the lower floors. I don’t know if I’d be able to stay in one of the upper rooms.”
“It’s not so bad,” Jordan chuckles. “You can’t even tell you’re up that high as long as you don’t look out the window.”
“Any chance there’s an interior room where I won’t be tempted?” I don’t like heights. I’ve never been a fan of rollercoasters and anything like that. My sister had to drag me onto the slides at the water park we went to as kids, and I screamed the entire way.
“You’ll be fine. Don’t even stress.” He stops in front of the hotel doors and looks back at me. “If you get too scared, I can always come tuck you in.”