Page 2 of Space Balls: Houston, We Have Liftoff
Blinking my professionally enhanced lashes at the man pulling out the chair next to me, I smile. He may not be offering me a gin and tonic, but if there’s one thing that might get me out of my self-pity funk, it’s a good-looking man. Especially if he’s offering me a different sort ofcocktail.
I pluck Jules’ glass of champagne from in front of him and take a sip. “I was raised that if you’re going to do anything, you should do it right. That includes getting drunk.”
The man laughs, which does great things for his eyes. Brown eyes the color of that awful-tasting dark chocolate that health experts say is good for you.
He sits, crossing one leg over his knee, angling his body toward mine.
I take another sip, blatantly ogling the man. He has dark, silky hair and long lashes that, as he gives me a long once-over, sweep down toward high cheekbones. Lashes so lush you want to smack him for being born a man.
I cock my head to the side. “Who are you?”
His smile kicks up on one side. A look I’m sure is well-practiced, but nonetheless effective. “I’m Bodie.”
I offer the hand not holding my drink. “Rose.”
He nods, smile still in place. “I like that name.”
I shrug, thankful he didn’t say something lame like most men do when I introduce myself. Because let’s face it, I’m not delicate like my namesake, and I sure as shit ain’t sweet.
“So how do you know the happy couple?” His voice is lazy and low, but still clear over the din of music reverberating around the barn.
“Friend of the bride.” I finish the glass. “You?”
“Same.”
I frown. “Huh. Didn’t think Jackie had that many friends.” I raise one brow and look him over again. “Especially man friends.”
He mimics my expression. “And why is that?”
Standing, I reach across him and grab Holt’s glass, knowing I’m giving him a good showing of the girls in my deep-v bridesmaid dress. Settling back in my seat, I smirk when it takes Bodie a second to lift his eyes back to mine.
“One, because she was too much of a workaholic before she met me to make friends. And two, that man currently twirling her on the dance floor”—I tip my drink at my brother—“would be jealous as hell.”
He acknowledges my words with another nod and a smile. His small actions tell me he’s a laid-back type, a guy not easily flustered.
They’re my favorite kind to mess with.
“I guess it would be more accurate to say that I’m more co-worker than friend.” He leans back in his own chair, the fabric of his suit jacket grazing my bare arm. “Though now that Jackie and I are working together more, I’d say it’s trending in the friend direction. Hence the wedding invite.”
Ah. He’s a NASA nerd. Which is surprising, seeing as he looks more like a Ralph Lauren model than aerospace geek. “And what is it that youdoat NASA, Bodie?”
It’s subtle, but there is a shift in his shoulders, an additional veil of confidence that settles over him. “Astronaut.”
I nod—“Cool”—then look over the table for another glass to steal.
In my peripheral vision, I see the veil drop. His once smirking mouth drops open.
I flare my nostrils to keep from laughing and turn toward him again, feigning confusion. “You expecting a bigger reaction?”
He shrugs, looking sheepish. It’s cute.
I pluck Flynn’s glass by the rim with my fingers and settle back in my seat. “Listen, Bodie.” I cross the arm not holding the glass under my chest, squeezing in and up. His eyes drop to my plumped-up cleavage before meeting my eyes once more. I’ve always known how to work what I got to my full advantage. “Two of my best friends are astronauts. Jackie is a genius and Jules a perverted badass.” I sip my stolen drink. “Plus, I just helped my other best friend, a best-selling author, no less, get out of jail.” I let the base of the champagne glass rest in the valley of my boobs. “And that doesn’t even include all of my impressive attributes, of which there are many.” His eyes flicker to my chest again, and I tease him, leaning forward to give him a better view. “If you’re aiming for a better reaction, you have to bring more to the table than a job title.”
Vance
My nightjust got a whole lot brighter.
I take another sip of my drink, but the voluptuous blonde’s smile warms my insides much better than the whiskey in my glass. “Not so easily impressed, huh? I guess I’ll just have to try harder.”
