He nodded, and turned away as she closed the door and the driver put his foot on the gas. Grabbing his keys from his pocket, he walked across the road toward the parking lot, pressing the fob to unlock his car.
He’d head straight to the gym and whack the hell out of a punching bag. Right now, nothing else would make him feel better.
It was turning into the weirdest night ever and her date hadn’t even started yet. Becca pushed open the door to Moonlight Bar and forced a smile onto her lips. The clang of rock music hit her ears, mixed with the rumble of conversation spiked with the occasional shout. It was packed, even for a Friday night. As the door swung closed behind her, she spotted Naomi and her husband, Alex, along with a sandy-haired guy who looked around thirty.
Naomi was the first to see her, standing up and waving wildly. Alex and his friend stood, too, making Becca feel self conscious as she weaved her way through the throng of people to their booth.
“You got out of there alive!” Naomi grinned. “How did it go?”
“It was fine.” She had no idea how to explain what had happened between her and Daniel. That’s if anything had actually happened. If you took it down to the basics, she’d tried to touch him and he’d stopped her.
The rest – the aching gaze, the intense electricity that seemed to heat the air between them, the way he held onto her like he didn’t want to let go – was almost certainly a figment of her imagination.
Yet she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Hey, Becca.” Alex kissed her cheek. “It’s good to see you again. This is my friend, Shawn Smith.”
“It’s great to meet you.” She held her hand out to him at the exact moment Shawn leaned in to kiss her cheek, and her knuckles punched his hard abdomen.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my god, I’m sorry.”
Shawn chuckled. “It’s okay.” He stepped back, rubbing his stomach with his palm. “You have a strong right hook.”
Becca was mortified. Had she really hit him the moment after they were introduced? Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“I was just going to shake your hand,” she said faintly. “I really didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s the first date I’ve ever been on that started with physical violence.”
“I guess the only way is up.” Naomi shot Becca an amused look.
“Would you like to sit down?” Shawn asked her, pointing at the bench seat. “We ordered you a white wine. Was that alright?”
Becca exhaled softly. “Thank you. I just need to head to the ladies’ room first. Freshen up a bit.”
“Try not to hit anybody else on the way there,” Alex said, giving her a friendly nudge with his shoulder. “Those fists should come with a warning sign.”
“Shut up.” Naomi rolled her eyes at him. “Can’t you see she’s embarrassed?”
“Are you embarrassed?” Shawn asked her, tipping his head to the side. “Because you shouldn’t be. I’ve been hit much harder. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
“A little.” But that wasn’t the overriding emotion rushing through her right now. Compared to the mess her brain had become thanks to her tasting with Daniel Carter, punching a blind date she wasn’t going to see again barely registered.
And let’s face it, if her mind wasn’t still completely preoccupied with her very good looking, very disinterested boss, she’d probably have noticed Shawn leaning in to kiss her, and held her hand back. But she’d been running on automatic, the same way she had been since she’d left the barrel room. Her body doing what it needed to do while her mind still thought about him.
“Are you okay?” Naomi murmured. Becca blinked. How long had she been standing there? She couldn’t keep acting like this. Shawn must think she was crazy.
“Just trying to wind down from a heavy day.” She made herself smile. “A splash of cold water on my face and a mouthful of wine should do it.”
“I’ll come with you to the bathroom,” Naomi said, sliding her hand into Becca’s. “I need to freshen up myself.”
“Have you ever wondered what girls do in the bathroom together?” Alex asked Shawn as Becca and Naomi headed to the back of the bar. “Why can’t they just do what we do? They’d be in and out in five seconds.”
“I haven’t wondered, no.” Shawn sounded amused. “Because that kind of thing gets you in trouble.”
“I’ve been in trouble since I’ve met Naomi.”
Naomi turned around and blew him a kiss. “Yes you have, baby. Just remember that.”