You Rock My World (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 3)

All these things slid through her mind as she studied him. Dressed in black shorts and a pale green golf shirt, he looked like he could grace the pages of GQ magazine. His dark eyes were intense, and that pulse to the right of his mouth told her he wasn’t as relaxed as he wanted to be.

She approached them slowly, and for a few seconds, there was awkward silence, and then Travis stepped forward.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “I ah…guess we’re a foursome today.”

“Looks like it,” she replied coolly, gaze swinging to the man beside him. She offered her hand. “Hi. I’m Ruby.”

“Zach Rogers.” The big man’s voice was warm, and his large hand enveloped hers. He smiled widely and openly, and in spite of herself, she did the same.

“You’re a hockey player.”

He chuckled. “My meathead persona give it away?”

“No.” Ruby shook her head. “Your butt.”

He looked surprised, and it took a few seconds for him to recover. “My butt?”

“Yes.” She glanced at Sidney. “That right there is a hockey butt, no?”

Sidney hummed and hawed, then slowly nodded. “I’m going to say……” She bit her lip. “Defense?”

Zach laughed so hard, several heads turned their way. “You girls are good.”

The warning horn blew, and Ruby started to walk past Travis, but he reached for her forearm before she could sidestep him, and when his warmth closed over her skin, her breath caught at the back of her throat.

“This wasn’t me,” he said quietly. “I want you to know that.”

She stared down at his hand on her arm, and the world fell away. Her vision blurred; her heart skipped a beat.

“We can ask to change foursomes.” His voice penetrated the fog, and she blinked as he came into focus.

“What?” Her tone was sharp as she yanked her arm from his grasp.

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Now he cared about how she felt? “Me being uncomfortable would indicate that I still have feelings for you.” She looked him right in the eye. “I don’t.”

He slowly nodded. But wait…was that a hint of a smile hovering around his mouth? Seriously? Heat flushed her cheeks, and she gritted her teeth.

“If you’d rather golf with friends, let me know,” he said.

No way was she going to let him get off being the bigger person. No way in hell.

“I’m golfing with Sidney. I’m good.”

A shot of adrenaline punched through Ruby. She reached for her sunglasses and plopped them on her nose, waiting a few seconds for her heart to slow down. Then she turned and headed for her cart, looking over her shoulder before climbing into the driver’s seat.

“You and I don’t have to be friends to golf together, Travis. You just need to keep up.” She secured her clubs and climbed inside.

The horn blew a second time, and she placed both hands on the wheel, gripping it tightly as she waited for the cart in front of her to move forward. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute, and she was pretty sure a sheen of sweat coated every inch of her skin.

“You okay?” Sidney asked, watching her intently.

“I’m not sure.”

The cart in front of them took off, and Ruby headed toward their first hole. The tournament would last about five hours tops. She could do this without getting into a nasty altercation with him. Right?

“Just don’t kill him,” Sidney whispered as they approached the first hole. God, her best friend knew her better than anyone.