Her Seven-Day Fiancé

Jay shook his head to decline the change she offered.

Her smile slipped, replaced by an expression of concern. “Ohmygod.”

He craned his neck, looking behind him. “What happened?”

“That’s what I was going to ask you,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

She lifted a hand to touch his face, her fingers brushing lightly over the stubble on his jaw—and the bruise that throbbed beneath the skin.

“Oh, that,” he said, wondering how it was that her cautious touch was so unexpectedly arousing. “Matt caught me with my shield up.”

“Huh?”

“Paintball,” he explained.

“Boys and their toys,” she mused, letting her hand drop away.

His skin continued to tingle where she’d touched him.

Or maybe that was just the bruise.

Yeah, it was definitely the bruise, he decided as he picked up the remaining drinks and walked away from the bar. Because he definitely wasn’t letting himself get involved with the girl next door.

* * *

“You calling dibs?” Carter asked when Jay rejoined his friends at their table.

“Dibs on what?” Matt Hutchinson wanted to know.

“Of course I’m not calling dibs,” Jay said.

“The bartender,” Natalya Vasilek answered Matt’s question.

“If anyone’s calling dibs, it’s me,” Kevin Dawson declared. “I saw her first.”

“No, you didn’t,” Carter told him. “Because the ‘hot new bartender’ is a friend and neighbor of our CEO.”

Kevin swore.

“But he’s not calling dibs,” Matt reminded them all.

“Maybe because he likes and respects the woman too much to talk about her as if she was an object up for grabs,” Hayley MacDowell said sharply.

“Whatever Jay’s reasons,” Kevin insisted, “if he’s not calling dibs, I am.”

“No one is calling dibs on Alyssa,” Jay said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Carter tipped his bottle to his lips but kept his gaze on his friend, silently assessing.

Conversation moved on to other topics, including a rehashing of all the highlights of their recent game. As they talked, their glasses and bottles emptied.

“I think Alyssa’s the real reason you broke up with Renee,” Carter said to Jay when the play-by-play had begun to lag.

“I broke up with Renee because she ranked below my business and my friends on my list of priorities,” he replied.

“That might be true,” Nat allowed. “But that doesn’t explain why you keep looking at the bartender.”

He dragged his gaze away from Alyssa.

“And the Master Assassin strikes again,” Hayley noted.

“Who’s got the next round?” Jay asked, holding up his empty glass.

“I think it’s my turn,” Hayley said, pushing away from the table.

“I’m out,” Matt said. “I’ve gotta get home to Carrie.”

Kevin made a sound like a whip being cracked.

Their soon-to-be-married friend was unperturbed. “Yeah, it’s a real drag, being engaged to a gorgeous woman with whom I share mutual interests, stimulating conversation and really hot sex.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Nat said to Hayley, no doubt eager for an excuse to leave the three remaining men at the table.

When they returned with the next round of drinks, conversation shifted again to more neutral topics.

A short while later, Kevin left with Hayley, because they were headed in the same direction. Then Carter and Nat headed out together. Jay knew that he should make his way home, too. Weekends were the busiest time at Adventure Village, and he had the early-morning shift the next day—including two birthday parties on-site.

But he stayed where he was, sipping his Coke and wondering about the discovery that his neighbor and the hot new bartender were one and the same.

* * *

Though pouring drinks kept her hands busy, Alyssa’s gaze kept shifting between the clock and the door—and, occasionally, the table where Jason was sitting with his friends. Where he remained after his friends had gone.

Sky bumped her hip. “Should we update our earlier conversation?”

“About what?” Alyssa looked at the clock again.

“Your claim that you have yet to meet someone with whom you want to get naked. Because while you’re acting as if you’re not watching Jason Channing, he’s acting as if he’s not watching you.”

She shook her head. “Jason’s my neighbor.”

“That could be convenient,” her friend said.

“Have you heard anything from Liam?” she asked, eager to change the topic of conversation—and for Sky’s brother to make his promised appearance.

Now Sky glanced at the clock and frowned. “No, I haven’t. And I didn’t expect him to be this late.”