He looks gorgeous. The fact that he’s smiling right now only makes it better. He’s wearing a gray dress shirt over black pants. I think Emy and Shannon almost passed out when they saw him pull up. When he stepped out of the car… forget it.
“Are you very close to them?” he asks.
“Yes, they’re my ride-or-dies,” I respond, fussing with some strands of hair.
He pulls into a spot and kills the engine. “That’s cool. I have a best friend named Ryker who I’m tight with. You’ll meet him tonight. And then of course, there’s my sister and brother who I’m also very close to.”
I nod. “Is it the same Ryker from the tournament?”
His smile widens. “Yes, that’s the one. I’m surprised you remember him.”
“Emy wouldn’t let me forget if I tried.”
He chuckles. “Okay, we’re here. This is where we hold our practices and some of our smaller tournaments. But don’t worry, it doesn’t smell like sweaty gym socks. We cleaned up and decorated the place for the party.”
I giggle. “I’m not at all worried. Trust me, I don’t work in the most elegant environment all the time either.”
“Oh, yeah? What do you do?”
I shrug. “I work at the hospital. It’s not very pleasant sometimes.”
His smile fades, and I instantly wonder what I said wrong. Of all the things we’ve talked about over the last couple of days through text message, my job never came up. We discussed so much, including our favorite types of food, music, and movies, but what I did for a living happened to slip both of our minds.
“All right, let’s get going. Are you ready?” he asks.
I take a deep breath and respond. “I’m ready.”
We step out of the car and walk up to the main entrance.
“Lorenzo’s Fitness Center… you own this?”
He smiles. “I do.”
Holy shit. I didn’t know he was the owner.
He opens the door for me, and when we step foot inside, I see the whole gym is decorated in red and green embellishments. Colorful lights bounce off the walls, reminding me of school dances I attended as a kid growing up. Glittered snowmen and snowflakes line the wall, music fills the air, and a table full of holiday treats is set up against the wall.
“You guys decorated all of this?” I ask, my eyes in awe of the beauty.
He places a hand on the small of my back, causing that same bolt of electricity I felt the other night come rushing back through me.
“We sure did. I couldn’t have a party here if it looked like crap. Let’s get our coats checked and then head on inside.”
He leads me inside the center area of the gym, and almost instantly, Ryker walks up to us.
“Hey, Enz! You made it, bro!” he shouts. He’s holding a drink in one hand. Behind him, a woman with red hair wearing a dress that resembles a piece of lingerie comes forward.
“Hey, Ryker,” Lorenzo says, embracing his friend. “This is Carissa Rodgers. Carissa, this is my best friend and the biggest goofball you’ll ever meet, Ryker Manzoni.”
“Hi, Ryker,” I say.
“Carissa, it’s lovely to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Justine.” He gently pushes her forward.
Her cold, surly smile sends chills up my back. Shit. Winter doesn’t have anything on her cold and stuck-up personality.
I smile politely, and thankfully, Lorenzo saves me. “Justine, it’s so good to see you again. How’s Mandy?”
Her chilling smile fades, and her green eyes dart toward Lorenzo. “Amanda? She’s well, thank you.”
“So, have you checked out the bar? It’s nice…” Ryker states and drains the rest of his drink.
Lorenzo chuckles. “For what they charged? It better be.”
Holy crap… I can only imagine how much this is costing him, more so because he invited me. I would have felt like a bitch if I had made up some excuse not to come. Thank God for my two girls, pushing me to attend tonight.
“Yeah, well, there’s a shit ton of catered food coming in just a bit, and the music, the DJ… the drinks of course. I wanted the best for tonight,” Lorenzo states.
“It must have cost an arm and a leg. Everything is so much money,” Ryker responds.
“As it should,” Justine abruptly responds.
No one says a word, but the look on Ryker’s face says he’s not all too thrilled. I wonder if she’s always like this when she’s with him or if she just doesn’t want to be here. From what I’ve witnessed so far, Ryker seems to be a really nice guy, but like I said, so far. I don’t really know him. Lorenzo has spoken highly of him every single time he’s talked about him.
“Well, let’s go grab a drink,” Ryker says as he throws his empty cup in the garbage to our left and grabs Justine’s hand.
Lorenzo and I exchange a look, and I swear I can feel my panties melting. He is incredibly hot, and whenever he smiles at me, I want to die. I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt like this about anyone.
I want to melt into his gaze, and the sudden urge to get him in a corner and make out with him takes over me.
No idea where that’s coming from, but fuck. He’s gorgeous.
Breaking the spell, he turns to look at Ryker. “Dude, you already had a drink.”
Ryker nods. “And now, it’s time for another. Come on!”
“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” Lorenzo asks as we buckle up. We said good-night to Ryker, Justine, and a few other guys he introduced me to from his gym, and now he’s taking me home.
I smile and adjust myself in the seat. “It was so much fun. I don’t go out too often, so this was really nice. The food and the music were great. Your friends and the staff all seem very nice too.”
He chuckles, and the sound of it sends me swooning. Damn.
“Yeah, those guys are great, and Ryker is the best. Justine… not so much.”
I place a hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh. “What’s her deal anyway?”
He shrugs, pulling out of the parking lot. “She’s his baby mama. They dated a while back, she got pregnant, and ever since Mandy came, she wasn’t all that nice to him. She broke up with him and then she wouldn’t allow him to see the baby for so long. She always hounded him for money, even though he always sent her more than what the government said he should. Plus, he always buys her anything and everything on top of it.”
I furrow my brows. “I don’t understand. If he’s doing what he’s supposed to and being a good dad, why is she acting like that toward him?”
He shrugs again. “I don’t really know. I think she just likes drama.”
We both chuckle before he continues.
“Nah, but now they are back together, so he’s able to see his daughter again and be in her life like he wants without the drama. That little girl is everything to him.”
I smile as we turn onto my block. “Aww, how old is she?”
“She just turned four.” He pauses for a moment and then asks, “Do you have any kids?”
I shake my head, even though he can’t take his eyes off the road and look at me right now. “No. Do you?”