Page 6 of Naked

I hesitated. “It has been an interesting experience.”

“Those drivers are hot,” Carrie interrupted. “I mean look at Adam. We have proof right in front of us, but I watched that Vector Racing documentary and holy hell, is everyone hot?”

Adam glared at her again.

I shrugged. “Not really. There is an above average number of physically attractive men, but most of them fall on a spectrum of imperfections. Perhaps they seem hotter because they do something dangerous.” I always had trouble quantifying the emotional aspects of things.

“Ball players are just as hot. Hotter,” Zoe teased. “So hot we all married them.”

And now I was right back to thinking how much I was physically attracted to one baseball player in particular. I missed him. I missed our movie nights and his patient smile. But I had to go and mess it all up by throwing myself at him. What did he think? Was he mortified? Relieved I left so he didn’t have to awkwardly tell me it was a mistake? I’d hopefully never find out.

Another man I didn’t know appeared in the doorway, soundly kissing June. I searched my brain archives and remembered that June was married to former ball player Roman St. James. It was quite the scandal when a Daniels secretly married a St. James—their ballplayer fathers were bitter enemies.

He smiled at his wife and held a book in the air.Mybook! “Zoe.”

Adam snatched the paperback and handed it to Carrie who handed it to Zoe. Roman and June left silently and based on their stares they wouldn’t be back for a few minutes at least.

Ahem.There was alotof sexual tension floating around here.

And it was starting to make my skin itch because it made me want the one person who’d never want me in return. There was zero chance a hot ballplayer would ever date a nerdy statistician. Z-e-r-o. Ballplayers didn’t date or settle down. They slept with celebrities and models and whatever women showed up after games and threw themselves at the players.

Hunter said I had a big old blind spot when it came to ballplayer behavior. He always argued with me. Said I had preconceived notions that, and I quote, “turned my brain dumb.” But facts were facts. I was a nerd and he was an athlete. We were two different breeds that were incompatible genetically. Our one night together was our only. Maybe I did it because I knew it was my one shot at touching the sun.

But I still missed my best friend. It was such a stupid mistake.

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