Page 80 of Chance of Romance
His lips crooked into a half-smile that saidI'm sexy and you know it. Too bad he was a cheater because he was incredibly nice to look at. His nose had a slight bump at the bridge like it had been broken, but other than that he was exquisite perfection—thick black hair, dark eyes with a fringe of lashes women would kill for, chiseled cheekbones, square jaw with a shadow of dark stubble, and a smoking hot body. He was tall and wide with huge muscles, a real hulk of a man. He probably spent all of his time at the gym when he wasn't boinking random women.
“Sounds like a jail sentence,” Marcus said. His hulking body was blocking her path to the exit.
“And who are you, the warden? Move along. I'm sure there's some woman here you haven't flirted with yet. Oh, wait, you already hit on all of my friends.” Not her, though, never her. Like she cared. She would've shot him down in a hot second. “Maybe try for a MILF or a GILF next.” She gestured to her right. “Ooh! There's your next GILF. That grandma looks like a fantastic dancer and you know what they say about movement on the dance floor…” She did a geriatric hip thrust to demonstrate the link to sexy times.
He narrowed his eyes. “I'm beginning to understand why you didn't dance with anyone tonight. You move like an awkward duck. And you know what they say about movement on the dance floor…” He smirked.
She clenched her teeth. She didnotmove like an awkward duck. She'd spent most of the night ducking, err, avoiding Sabrina's drunk uncle, a close talker who kept accidentally spitting in her face. “I didn't seeyouon the dance floor either. Too busy strutting around, sniffing out your next lay.”
He glowered down at her. “Man-hater.”
“Man-whore.”
Someone pinched her ass and she jumped. It wasn't Marcus. She turned, face-to-face again with drunk Uncle Spitty. She'd forgotten his real name.
He leered at her. “There you are, girl! Let's go to my place for a nightcap.” Apparently he'd forgotten her name too.
“Don't touch me again,” she bit out.
Marcus's arm dropped over her shoulders. “She's with me and we're about to leave.”
She froze, shocked at Marcus's gentlemanly move, saving her from Uncle Spitty.
Uncle Spitty leaned close. “What about us?” Spittle sprinkled her cheek.Gross. She was about to back up a step when Marcus used his grip on her shoulder to turn her away, guiding her toward the exit.
She didn't appreciate the manhandling, but what the hell. She'd wanted to leave anyway.
“Don't go!” Uncle Spitty hollered belatedly.
She took a few steps away with Marcus before glancing over her shoulder. Uncle Spitty was making his unsteady way back to the bar.
She halted in her tracks, and Marcus stopped too, looking down at her in question. Like he was waiting to follow her lead. Curious. She'd figured him for thelarge and in chargekind of guy. “Thanks for calling off Uncle Spitty,” she said. “I got it from here.”
Marcus dropped his big hand from her shoulder. “No problem. Uncle Spitty?”
She nodded. “He's a close talker. He's been accidentally spitting on me all night.”
He laughed, a rich deep rumble of a laugh.
She laughed too. This whole night had been ridiculous. She'd felt like a lone antelope—the last single woman on the savannah—fleeing Uncle Spitty's close conversations and dodging Hailey's matchmaking. Lexi had been very firm with Hailey about the matchmaking, but the woman wore rose-colored love goggles and it was no use. Lexi was the last single woman in their formerly all singles Happy Endings Book Club, a romance book club that Hailey had started with the goal of helping every last one of them find their very own happy ending. Lexi had only joined the book club because two of her friends were members. Now she had a big ol' bull's-eye on her forehead with a perky strawberry blond hunter closing in.
“Hey, Lexi! Hey, Marcus! You leaving?”
Speak of the devil and she appears with her dog. Hailey approached, wearing a deep red off-the-shoulder dress with red ballet flats in honor of Valentine's Day. Little Rose's white furry head peeked out of Hailey's pink doggie purse.
Marcus poured on the charm for Hailey, saying in a deep honey voice, “Hey, sweetheart, how's it going?”
Hailey sped up. “Great!” Her pale blue eyes were huge, taking them both in. Rose's big dark eyes seemed equally surprised. Rose had a pink bow with red hearts on her white tuft of a ponytail perched right in the center of her head. The bow matched her dog sweater.Give the poor dog some dignity.“I just need to borrow Lexi for a minute.”
Next thing she knew Hailey had dragged her several feet away. Lexi braced herself for the third degree leading to some serious Marcus matchmaking—nail that guy down—but Hailey surprised her.
“What're you doing with Marcus?” Hailey whispered. “Are you guys together? Rumor has it, he's a player.”
Lexi glanced over at Marcus, standing a distance away, waiting for her. Maybe to shield her from Uncle Spitty? He did make a good shield, being a hulk of a man. She turned back to Hailey. Suddenly Marcus as a human shield made even more sense. If Hailey thought they were together, it would get Hailey off her back about being single. And Marcus would be a safe bet as her arm candy since her heart was already closed against him and his cheating ways. Men like that couldn't help it. Like her dad and her older brother and her stupid ex.
Her devious brain took it to the next level—turning the tables on the meddling matchmaker. While Lexi was safely part of a couple she could throw Josh in Hailey's path. The plan hinged on the fact that Josh and Hailey were frenemies to the death (or bed, whichever came first) and, equally as juicy, their parents, Joe and Brandy, were currently dating. Joe Campbell was Josh's dad, Brandy Adams was Hailey's mom. Maybe soon Joe and Brandy would get serious and send Hailey in a tailspin, which would make her ripe for the Josh picking.Muah-ha-ha.
“Yup, we're together,” Lexi said.With absolutely no sex. It's the perfect fairy-tale love! Birds singing as we frolic through a meadow. Rated G for goofy.
