Enjoying the Chase (Guarded Hearts 2)

Ten guys? I looked at my watch; it was almost midnight. She probably said that knowing that she wouldn’t get another six guys to hit on her before she left for the night! Damn, that’s crafty. Okay, I can make this work to my advantage, I just need another five guys to hit on her then I’ll make sure I’m number ten.

“Yeah? Awesome! Ryan, go hit on her.” I nodded towards her.

Ryan recoiled and his eyebrows knitted together. He wasn’t the type to walk up to a girl and try his luck. “What? No way!” he cried, shaking his head fiercely.

“Oh, come on, please? You’ll be number five. Wayne, you can be number six, and I’ll have to find another three guys to hit on her so I can be number ten.”

He frowned and shook his head; he wasn’t going for it at all.

“I’ll tell you what to say; I just need her to reject you so I can be number ten. Please?” I begged excitedly.

He sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. “Fine, give me a damn line,” he muttered.

I smiled, thinking of a line he could use. I didn’t want to give him one that was too good; after all, I didn’t actually want her to fall for it. “Okay, how about you say; do you mind if I hang out here until it’s safe back where I farted?” I joked, knowing he wouldn’t ever say that to a girl. He looked at me in disbelief. Seth and Wayne both burst out laughing. I grinned and shook my head at his gullibility when he’d had a few drinks. “I was kidding. Okay here, say this; do you have sunburn or are you always this hot? That’s an oldie but a goodie.” I shrugged; believe it or not, that corny line had worked for me in the past.

He groaned and looked back over to her nervously. “She’s going to shoot me down.”

“That’s the point, I want her to shoot you down.”

He rolled his eyes. “You owe me for this, Nate.”

He turned and walked off, and we watched as she laughed and shook her head. He was back within a minute.

Seth had already hit on her, so I sent Wayne in next while I went to go find three others. A group of five guys caught my attention, so I headed over to them. “Hey guys, can I ask a favour?” I asked, not sure how to approach the subject.

They all looked at me curiously. “What favour?”

“I need three of you to go hit on a girl and let her reject you. I have a bet on with her that she’ll get hit on ten times tonight. I really want to win the bet.”

As they laughed, one of them looked over my shoulder. “Which girl?”

I turned around and pointed at Rosie. “The hottie in the blue shirt.”

“Nice,” he purred instantly.

I silently wished I’d chosen someone else because now it looked like I had some competition.

“So I need three guys to go and hit on her so I can win the bet. You up for it?” I asked hopefully, looking at them each in turn.

“What’s in it for us?” the same guy asked.

“I don’t know, how about fifty bucks?” I offered.

“Fifty bucks for three of us hitting on her?” he questioned. “How much do you stand to win?”

“Pride and bragging rights.” I shrugged.

“Okay, I’ll go for it.” He shook his head in amusement.

I grinned and pulled out my wallet, grabbing the spare fifty that I always kept in the back of my wallet for emergencies. In my opinion, this definitely qualified as one of those!

I left them deciding which three would hit on Rosie, and went back to my friends. I sipped my drink, watching as, one by one, she rejected them all, increasingly shocked at the attention. Nerves built in my stomach. I really wanted this to work so I could win that dance. Sweat coated my palms making them slick, so I wiped them on my jeans. After the final guy had his turn, I ordered myself to calm down and take a couple of deep breaths. She was just another girl, a bit of fun that I could forget about in the morning.

“Wish me luck” I muttered, slapping Seth in the stomach with the back of my hand on the way past. As I stepped up close to her side, I reached for her hand, engulfing it in mine. She frowned and looked up at me.

I smiled happily. “Hey there, pumpkin. So, are you originally from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.” I smirked at her. “No wait, I’m number ten. You owe me a dance.”

She rolled her eyes. “Again, player? Are you gonna give up soon because, seriously, it’s not working.”

I smiled smugly. “You’re misunderstanding me, I’m number ten.” I pointed to Ryan. “He was the fifth guy to hit on you, the guy next to him was sixth, and those three guys that just came up to you were seven, eight and nine. That means you owe me a dance, sweetheart.”

Her friends were all watching with wide eyes and even wider smiles.

Rosie’s smirk fell from her face as she realised what I was talking about.

“No,” she muttered. “How did you...? Seriously? No way, you can’t be number ten because you were number three.” She brightened as if she suddenly had a get out clause.

I should have known she’d come up with some way of getting out of it. Okay, if she wants to play it like that, fine.

“Okay, beautiful, you asked for this. I know the guy that has the power to stop the music playing. When I raise my hand the music’s going to stop, and I’m going to propose to you in front of everyone. Do you have a ring I could borrow, or should I just wing it without one?” I asked, trying to keep a straight face.

She looked sceptical, obviously trying to work out if I was serious or not. After a couple of seconds, she’d clearly made up her mind. Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms over her chest.

“No way,” she stated confidently.

I shrugged. She’d already told me she hated to be centre of attention; this ploy would work out perfectly. “You asked for it, sweetie.” I turned back to look at the DJ and raised my hand, praying this would work otherwise I’d look like a moron. Almost immediately, she gasped, grabbing my wrist and yanking it back down again.

“Jesus, Nate, you’re so freaking annoying!” she hissed, looking cute as a button.

“Thanks, muffin.” I pulled her to the dance floor while she closed her eyes and shook her head in apparent disbelief. When we got to the dance floor, I turned and took her hands, looping her arms around my neck before gripping her waist and pulling her closer to me. She felt so good in my arms.

“You know this isn’t a slow song, don’t you?” she asked, as I guided her to start dancing. I nodded; the song wasn’t something I particularly liked, but it had a strong and fast beat to it. I would have preferred a slow song to sway along to, if I was honest. She grinned up at me and then started dancing properly, shaking her little ass to perfection. My whole body responded to her every move. I could feel the attraction building – and my jeans tightening across the crotch. While we danced, I looked at every inch of her face, loving how relaxed she looked.

When she smiled, I couldn’t help but smile back. My body was just reacting, loving the closeness of her. I leant down, pressing my forehead to hers, looking into her big brown eyes as I slid one hand up her back to the nape of her neck, tangling my fingers in her hair. Her breathing had definitely sped up and her arms had tightened around my neck as she was grinding against me. Neither of us spoke, but I didn’t need to. It was weird having her in my arms. I’d never felt anything like it, and I savoured every second in case I didn’t get the opportunity again. When the song finished, she pulled back slightly. Her arms moved from my neck slowly, trailing down across my shoulders and chest teasingly. I literally had to bite my tongue to stifle a moan of desire.

“Thanks for the dance,” she muttered. I cocked my head to the side, wondering if that was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Want another one?”

Rosie smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I agreed with my friends, one dance with guy number ten. I’ve kept up my end of the bargain.” She shrugged, but still hadn’t walked away from me. I took that as a good sign.

I let my arms drop from her waist. “Yeah okay. That dance was totally worth the fifty bucks; I don’t think I could afford another one anyway,” I joked, running a hand through my hair nervously. Why the hell am I so freaking nervous? Jeez, get a grip, Nate!

She frowned. “Fifty bucks?”

I winced, realising I shouldn’t have said that. Couldn’t exactly take it back now though.

“Yeah, I had to pay those guys to come and hit on you so I could be number ten and get the dance.” I shrugged, watching her mouth drop open in shock.

“Wow, now I feel a little like a hooker,” she replied.

I burst out laughing at her randomness. “A hooker, really? Does that mean you’ll put out if I take you home with me?”

She moved closer, raising one eyebrow. “What do you think the answer to that question is?”

I blinked a couple of times. I’d never had a girl behave like this with me, usually once I’d made my move they were hanging all over me, listening to me talk, or just checking me out. It was refreshing to meet a girl that could hold her own against me.

I decided to go for the honest answer. “My guess is I’m going to bed with a mental image of you, some lube and a box of tissues.”

She burst out laughing and shook her head as she slapped my chest playfully. “You just get cruder and cruder the more I talk to you.”

I did a little bow as if it was a compliment, which caused her to laugh harder. “So anyway, change of subject; why would your parents name you Rosie if your surname was Right? I mean, that’s just a little cruel,” I asked, pretending to be serious.

She looked at me as if I’d lost the plot a little. “I’m not Rosie Right, I’m Rosie York.”

I recoiled, faking shock. “Seriously? Damn it, I could have sworn you were Miss Right.”

She rolled her eyes as she got it. “Nice. Didn’t see that one coming so good job.”

“You like that? I made that up on the spot, just for you.”

As a guy almost bumped her from behind while lost in a bad dance move, I put my hands on her hips, pulling her closer to me so she wouldn’t get caught up in his dance that looked more like a fit than anything else. Her hand rested on my chest as she looked up at me. The temperature in the room seemed to skyrocket as her eyes met mine. I wanted her so badly that I ached.

“Very clever, Nate. I’m officially impressed.” She patted my chest teasingly.

I bent my face closer to hers and ran my nose across her cheek. Her breathing faltered and a little shiver ran through her body as my mouth pressed to her ear. “Seeing as how I impressed you, how about we celebrate with another dance?” I whispered.

She gulped, and I knew it was working; her resistance was crumbling as her body pressed against mine. “Thought you said you couldn’t afford another.”

I sighed and knew that her defences were back up again. For a couple of seconds she’d looked like she was considering it, but the moment was gone, and so were my chances. I let my arms drop to my sides and couldn’t help but feel rejected and disappointed. This was killing me. It was fun in a way; she was fun, but I had no idea how to make this any better. I was fighting a losing battle, which was incredibly frustrating.

I needed to walk away; I couldn’t take any more rejection for tonight. There was only so much bashing my ego could take all in one go.

“Never mind then. I should probably go and lick my rejection wounds anyway,” I joked, hoping my sudden sour mood wouldn’t show. Going for the old-fashioned approach, I took her hand, pulling it up to my face and planting a soft kiss on the back of it. “It was good to see you again,” I said honestly.

“Yeah, you too,” she replied. After a quick glance over my shoulder, she smiled. “Looks like we’re leaving now anyway.”

I turned and looked in the same direction; seeing that her friends had all finished their drinks and were standing around watching us talk.

“Oh, well get home safe, okay?” Should I walk her home? I wondered. I opened my mouth to offer, but she interrupted me.

“I will. Candice is driving, so she’s dropping everyone home.” She smiled sweetly, “See ya, Nate.”

I watched as they all converged on her immediately, casting sly looks back at me, obviously asking for the gossip. She shrugged and shook her head, and I felt even more rejected for some reason. She was even telling her friends that she wasn’t interested in me.

I headed back over to my friends and saw a girl standing there drinking and laughing with my boys. I smiled when I noticed who she was. Emma. She was an occasional partner of mine. She liked sex, so when she wanted to we went at it in a casual-no-strings-attached way. Neither of us wanted more than friends with benefits, which worked out perfectly. Emma was actually just as much of a player as I was so I knew she’d be able to take my mind off the Rosie rejection sting.

“Hey, Emma. Long time no see.” I grinned at her.

A seductive smile crossed her face as she stepped to my side. “Nate Peters, it’s definitely been too long.” She looked around for something before turning back to me. “You on your own tonight?” she asked, raising one eyebrow. I nodded, watching as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Me too. Come on.”

Her hand slipped into mine, and she gave me a little tug in the direction of the bathrooms at the back of the bar.

Now that’s more like it!

As she pulled me into the ladies restroom and locked the door, I quickly scanned the stalls, seeing that we were alone. When she turned back to me, I grabbed her and kissed her, pushing her up against the wall as her hands went straight for the buttons of my jeans. Emma wasn’t one for patience or foreplay; she got straight to it. I slipped my tongue in her mouth and tried to force all images of Rosie out of my head – but it just wasn’t working. The damn girl was all I could think about.