Page 93 of Drop Three

She seems very nice, but not my type.

What is my type?Oh, I know…tall, redheaded, legs for days, and a vibrant personality to match.

“Thanks,” I tell her. I can’t carry a conversation for shit and I won’t pretend to. However, she’s interesting enough to talk to, so I’ll entertain her for the night.

Isn’t that what every woman wants to hear? She’s interestingenough.

I need to take a little breather. “Can I get you another drink?” I ask Poppy.

“Sure. Thank you, Bodhi.” She smiles lightly and follows me toward the nearest bar.

She’s not shy, that’s for sure. I expected her to hang back while I topped off her drink,

I order her a margarita and keep the lukewarm beer I have for myself.

Margarita.Not a whiskey sour in sight.

It’s as if I’m unable to move on from Navy. I don’t know if I’m not allowing myself to or if my feelings for her are much deeper than I realized. All I know is I can’t get her out of my head. Her raspy chuckle is a sound I crave on days my body fights to get out of bed. Her voice is a motivator.

It’s also the sound I hear distinctly right now.

Like a fucking melody. She’s intoxicating.

That memorable laugh has nothing on the vision across the room, though.

Have mercy…God did her a solid.

If I wasn’t already down bad, I am now.

Lime green must be the color of the season because Navy seems to have a wardrobe full of the bright, summertime color.

The radiance in her smile and the magnetism of her appearance make me want to run to her with arms wide open. Like a heroin addict in need of a fix, I hand Poppy her margarita at the same time my eyes latch onto the woman my heart fucking yearns for across the room.

Fixating on her is both incredibly stupid and unavoidable. Poppy doesn’t seem to notice as she stands close to me but chats with one of our baseline coaches’ wives.

My actions are not my own. I’ll never train my eyes to stray.

But at least from the other side of the room, it’s not noticeable. At least that’s what I tell myself.

She asked me to let her move on and this is me doing that—in my own way.

Navy is disguised in a group of people, always being the woman in the room with enough gravitational pull to bring an army of the strongest men to a halt.

But I know she feels me near.She has to.

The sound of giggles and cheers echoes throughout the living room space, and while typically the closeness of crowds this size would cripple me, all I see and hear isher.

I tune out the chaos because with Navy as my sole focus, the turmoil ceases to exist.

She’s my compass—my guiding light.

“What up, St. James? Good to see you, man.”

I swiftly turn, my instincts immediately on guard to meet the masculine voice that greets me while my body pleads to lure me toher.

It’s Jethro and his date.

“Hey Jet. How’s it going?” I ask him, before introducing my date. “This is Poppy.”