Hunks Too Hot To Touch (9 page)

Shauntie did know first hand how much rejection hurt and she wouldn’t want to put that on anyone else, but she didn’t want Sapphire not to go after the guy she wanted in her life. This mailman must have something about him for her to be so anxious.

“Sapphire, you’re a very strong woman and if he does tell you no than you’ll move on to the next hot guy who will love that you asked him out on a date.”

“I know you’re right,” Sapphire sighed, “but I’m still a little apprehensive about what might happen. I’ve never spoken a word to him before. Don’t you think going up to him and asking him out on a date will seem odd?”

Shauntie understood were Sapphire was coming from, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. “I still say go for it.”

Sapphire’s black eyebrows suddenly arched mischievously at her. “I’ll ask my crush out on a date if you stop trying to find ways to shove Nash away from you. He seems like a pretty decent guy, so why wouldn’t you give him a chance. He hasn’t done anything to you.”

Being caught off guard by Sapphire’s suggestion, Shauntie wasn’t too sure what to tell her friend. She wasn’t used to getting challenged about her love life. Adding Nash into her personal space wasn’t going to help her.

“I can’t agree to your demands. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not interested in Nash?”

“I guess until you make me believe you or you give up this lie and admit that you do like him more than you care to admit. Being honest with yourself isn’t going to hurt you, Shauntie. He isn’t J.T. Don’t make him out to be or you’ll be alone for the rest of your life.”

Enough! She was done talking about this because it was going nowhere in her book. Shauntie wanted to offer Sapphire advice about pursuing the man she wanted...it wasn’t supposed to be the other way around.

“You have your opinion and I have mine. How about we move on to a safer more neutral ground?” Shauntie suggested. “Do you know if Emerald has found her man yet? She has such an easy time finding men. They seem to flock to her.”

Sapphire gave her head a quick shake. “I don’t think she has because she hasn’t mentioned anything and I talked to her last night. We both know that as soon as she does Emerald will tell us about it. She wants everyone to know what’s going on in her life.”

“Yes, she does and that’s why we both love her so much. Emerald is the most fearless one out of the three of us.” She laughed.

“I believe you’re the same way, but you keep it hidden more than Emerald,” Sapphire said, surprising her. “It’s time for you to live a little more. Get out there and show everyone what you’ve got. You can’t spend the rest of your life working and planting flowers. You need a family and could probably have one if you opened your eyes.”

Why did Sapphire think there was something wrong with her life? Why couldn’t her friend understand how fulfilled her life was? She wasn’t missing anything out of it.”

“Sapphire, I’m─”

“Don’t you dare try to lie to me,” Sapphire retorted, cutting her off. “I have known you for years. We’re like sisters. I can tell that you aren’t happy, but I’m done pushing you. I know you’ll make the right decision. Hey, how about we hit the dance floor? I feel like dancing.”

Glancing out on the dance floor, Shauntie noticed how crowded it was and she knew that she wasn’t in the mood to deal with it tonight. Her mind was on too many other things. Sapphire had given her a lot to think about tonight.

“I think I’m going to pass,” Shauntie replied. “Why don’t you go out there and have some fun? I’ll stay here and watch our purses. Date enough for me while you’re there.”

“Are you okay?” Sapphire asked, concern in her voice. “I can stay here and talk some more if you want.”

Shauntie gave her friend a huge smile. She didn’t want Sapphire not to have any fun because she was at a crossroads at the moment. “No, go on out there. I’m okay. Don’t worry about me so much.”

“Thanks. I won’t be out there for long,” Sapphire promised before she got up from her seat and rushed out on the dance floor.

Sitting back in her seat, Shauntie allowed the atmosphere of the club to flow over her while she thought about what Sapphire had told her. She was pushing Nash to the side for no reason. He hadn’t done anything to her.

Honestly, the second she looked up and found Nash towering over her, she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding. Something deep inside of Shauntie warned her Nash would stimulate the part of her personality that loved spice and spur of the moment fun like a game of hide-and-go-seek.

The way Nash approached her was keeping her on her toes. She couldn’t guess what angle he was going to use with her next. In addition, he wasn’t allowing her to know everything about him at once. She loved learning what made other people tick. She couldn’t admit to Sapphire that the anticipation of finding out about Nash was something she looked forward to more and more.

All of their conversations up to now had been a very spirited exchange of words. Nash didn’t seem taken back by her stubbornness. Instead, it only seemed to invigorate his pursuit of her even more.

Shauntie couldn’t believe she was sitting at her favorite club on a Friday night and instead of being out there on the dance floor wearing a hole into the tile, she was sitting by herself thinking about Nash and she seriously doubted wherever Nash was tonight that his mind was on her.

****

“What’s up with you tonight?” Brian Terry asked Nash as the stunning blond walked away from their table blending into the crowd. “You just sent away the third hot chick that asked you to dance tonight.”

Nash brushed off his friend’s complaining. He didn’t want to be bothered with any of the women here tonight. The only woman on his mind was Shauntie and if she was out having fun tonight with another man. Could she be in the arms of someone else instead of his?

Why had he left her house without trying harder to get through to her? Shauntie was the woman he wanted in his life, not the club hopping women here tonight that were only looking for a good time.

“Brian is right Nash,” Chance cut in glaring at him. “You aren’t acting like your usual partying self tonight. Usually you can’t wait to pick up one of these girls here. Is there something going on that you aren’t telling us about?”

“Yes there is,” Nash admitted. Why should he keep it to himself? Shauntie would be introduced to his friends soon enough especially when he finally got her to see things his way.

“I’m not interested in anyone at
Peppers
tonight since I’ve found the woman of my dreams.” He couldn’t keep the silly grin off his face.

Shauntie was so perfect. She was everything he had been looking for when he dated the women here, but he constantly kept coming up with the short end of the stick.

“Woman of your dreams? I didn’t even know that you were looking for her. I thought you loved dating all of these gorgeous females around us. When did you get tired of them and decide to move on?” Brian questioned. “Didn’t you go out with that leggy redhead last week or the week before?”

Nash opened his mouth and then snapped it closed. “If you must know all of that changed when I laid eyes on Shauntie Kane. She is truly stunning with curves in all of the right places.

“Shauntie’s warm brown skin has me dreaming about the different ways I want to taste and touch her. Remember how I told you about the new roofing job I got the other day?”

“Are you telling me you actually think one of those snobby females will give you the time of day?” Chance inquired. “I’m surprised she even allowed you inside the house. How could you have fallen for one of them so fast? Is she really that gorgeous or did you just fall for an excellent pair of breasts and a tight ass? What makes her so different from the rest of the women here tonight?”

Nash didn’t have to explain himself. Chance’s track record with females was pretty bad. He had no reason to be in his face about anything since every week he had different woman was on his arm.

Chance had an intense fear of commitment and he probably always would. He wouldn’t be able to understand Nash’s feelings for Shauntie or the depths he would go to for her.

“I’ve always been interested in Shauntie and now I might have an opportunity with her. I won’t allow it to slip away from me again. I have a second chance with her.”

Brian eyed him from across the table giving him an odd look, as waitresses dressed in their red shorts and tight black tops walked past them. Nash mentally kicked himself for not keeping his mouth shut. Brian was going to remember Shauntie.

“Wait a minute,” Brian said, “are you talking about the girl who dated J.T.? You used to talk about her all the time whenever you spotted J.T. with another woman. Wasn’t she a doctor or something? I mean she’s wealthy. I know you aren’t talking about the same person. I thought you’d forgotten all about her. It’s been a while since you brought her up.”

Chance’s eyes darted from him back over to Brian. “Shauntie’s a doctor and you actually think she would give you the time of day? Why would she ever think of you as anything more than her roofer?”

Nash thought Brian and Chance would be happy for him. What was going on tonight with his buddies? Weren’t they supposed to be buying him a beer and celebrating he might have found someone? Instead of getting praise and congratulations all he was getting was cheap shots and negativity. He wasn’t expecting any of this from his friends. They should be on his side not against him.

“Brian, you’re right. Shauntie is the woman that J.T. used to date when he was our roommate. I had feelings for her back then, but as you know she only had eyes for J.T.”

“Man, I can’t believe you’re interested in getting with a woman one of your friends dated. Isn’t there some kind of code against doing that sort of thing?” Chance asked. Grabbing a handful of peanuts out of the bowl in the middle of the table, he tossed them into his mouth.

“No, there isn’t some sort of rule about that Chance because J.T. wasn’t ever my friend. He was a guy paying one third of the rent for a month or two. Besides, it wasn’t like he ever brought Shauntie to the apartment. The only time I saw her was when she would come by the construction site,” Nash snapped getting fed with Chance’s harassment. Yeah, he might be a cop, but he didn’t have to interrogate him.

“Okay man, whatever,” Chance said getting up from the table; he grabbed his empty beer bottle. “I’m heading over to the bar for another beer and maybe find that chick you tossed away, so I can get her number.” Chance walked away from the table leaving him alone with Brian.

“What’s up with him tonight? He’s being more of a pain in the ass than usual,” Nash asked as he watched the back of his friend’s head as it disappeared into the crowd.

Looking away from Chance, Brian’s eyes landed on him. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “He was in a bad mood when I picked him up. I think it might be something involving his job. I know the police station has been making him work longer shifts since two officers got transferred out of the precinct.”

“Well, I’m sorry his job has been getting to him. But, that doesn’t give him the right to treat me like I’m the suspect in a murder crime. What was up with him and those questions? Shauntie and J.T. are over. I have every right in the world to want to date her and it isn’t any of his business.”

“Don’t let him get to you,” Brian said. “Tell me more about Shauntie. How did it feel to see her again? I remember how you talked about her all of the time back when we both worked construction together. I think even J.T. knew that you liked her.”

Now this was the Brian he had been looking for earlier, Nash thought. The Brian he could always count on to have his back no matter what it was about. He understood why Chance wasn’t concerned about his feelings towards Shauntie. His other buddy wasn’t around during that part of his life, so Shauntie was a stranger to him. He wasn’t there to experience the history.

“I can’t put it into words. She was more breathtaking than I remembered her. I still can’t believe what an asshole J.T. was to her. How could another person use someone like he did?” Nash hated the fact he hadn’t spoken up sooner and told Shauntie the truth about J.T. “I was never fond of the loser and my opinion of him only got worse after he dumped her.”

“J.T. wasn’t the nicest guy in the world,” Brain pointed out. “He suffered a lot from control issues. I still don’t see how J.T. ended up dating a doctor anyway. What did he say to her to make her even think he was worthy of her time? I thought J.T.’s preference was strippers.”

Nash knew Brian was telling him the truth. J.T. had a way of rubbing everyone he came into contact with the wrong way. “Honestly, I don’t know either, but he did date Shauntie and now she won’t give me the time of day. Every time I try to ask her out, she tells me no. I’m beginning to get pissed off by it. Why won’t she give me a chance? Doesn’t she know I’m nothing like J.T.? I won’t ever be able to prove it to her, if she’s too scared to give me a chance.”

She could push him away all she wanted, but he wasn’t going to budge in his pursuit of her. Shauntie was oblivious to the fact he had set his sights on her when she belonged to another man, so now nothing was going to distract him from achieving the end result he desired.

Nash was more than determined to get Shauntie in his life. She didn’t understand the more she fought him, the more it drove him to keep after her.

Brian’s face broke out into a huge grin. “I’m glad to hear the fight in your voice, man. For a split second there I thought you might be giving up.”

Nash frowned, his eyes level under drawn brows. “I’m not a quitter and I never will be. You need to get that crazy idea out of your head right now. Shauntie is having a hard time seeing things my way, but after a little coaching from me I don’t see her having any problems with us being together. Shauntie only needs to understand how serious I am about her.”

“Do you think Shauntie would date you? What if she’s against dating a man who does labor work?” Brian questioned.

Sitting up straighter in his chair, Nash stared at Brian with disbelief. Was that the reason Shauntie didn’t seem to take his interest in her seriously? No, Shauntie wouldn’t do that to someone she hadn’t taken the time to get to know as a person. Nash didn’t like the fact he was getting prejudged before Shauntie got to know him.