She shakes her head and politely declines, “I was just leaving.”
My chest tightens at the thought of her getting away. “Well then, let me walk you home.”
She shakes her head again and steps away from me. “No need. I came in a cab.”
“Well then, let's share a cab together.”
She holds her hands up and tells me firmly, “Look, I'm just not interested, okay?”
I'm so shocked by her outright refusal all I can do is stare after her as she walks away from me. I can't help but notice how that pretty blue dress clings to every curve of her body as if to torment me with visions of what she’s saying I can’t have.
I've never been the kind of guy who doesn't take no for an answer, but something about Cindy pulls at me. I saw the twinkle of interest in her eyes before she banked it.
Oh, she’s interested all right—whether she’ll admit it to herself or not.
I can't just let her walk away without knowing more about her. There's something deep in my gut telling me she's the one—she'smine—and I've always listened to my gut.
So, I do something I've never done before.
I follow her.
CHAPTERTWO
Cindy
“By the way,I'm going to murder you the next time I see you. Just so you know.”
My brother's laugh grates on my nerves over the phone, but then he cuts himself off. “Wait, what are you doing calling me? Why aren't you with Jesse Hamilton?”
My brow furrows. “You knew that guy?”
Nate lets out another raucous round of laughter right in my ear. “Cindy, he's only the best basketball player on the court nowadays. If you ever turned on your TV, you would know that.”
I sniff. “I don't care who he is. I'm not interested.”
I can practically see Nate shaking his head through the phone. “Man, only my sister would have the audacity to turn down the most famous basketball player in the nation. Do you realize how many girls would kill to be in your position, Cindy?”
I flip my hair over my shoulder as I put my brother on speakerphone and start getting undressed for bed. “All the more reason tonotgive him the time of day,” I point out sensibly.
If he has hoes throwing themselves at him left and right, I certainly don't want to be mixed up in all that.
Nate groans over the phone. “You’re impossible, Cindy. When are you going to put yourself out there and give someone a chance?”
“Never,” I deadpan. “I'm perfectly happy with my life the way it is now.”
Nate sighs on the other end of the line, and I brace myself for what I already know is coming.
Sure enough, his voice becomes more serious as he starts in softly, “Cindy, everyone's not like our father, and you're not meant to be alone. You're so beautiful, and you're smart and funny and witty…”
I cut him off, “Save me the TED Talk, Nate. I've heard it all before.”
He lets out another long sigh, “It's just the way Jesse Hamilton was looking at you…I've never seen the guy show that much interest in any girl before.”
I can't deny the flutter that takes flight in my belly at Nate's words. As much as I might try to deny it, Jesse is the hottest guy I've ever seen. I'm tall, but he even towered over me and made me feel tiny.
And the way his dark hair fell over his forehead and the way those emerald-green eyes glittered down at me…
My heart starts to pitter-patter away when I remember it.