Dating Impossible (2 page)
Authors: Kathleen Grieve
Releasing his arm, JJ stuck her tongue out at him and trailed
in Ambra’s wake.
Gaze glued to her alluring hips, he laughed. Now
that
was the Josephina Jo he remembered.
Hot damn
! Ought to be
interesting getting reacquainted with the striking woman she’d become.
****
Oh my God, oh
my God, oh my God
…
The mantra screamed inside JJ’s head as she trailed after Ambra
and took her place in line with the other bridesmaids. Had she really just
stuck her tongue out at Cruz Avery? How freakin’ childish. She’d always felt
immature around him. She wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere until her
embarrassment faded. She mulled her recent encounter with her teenage
heartthrob over in her addled brain.
Had he actually looked a tad disappointed when she’d called
him Jett? She’d turned her back to him to keep from laughing out loud or he’d
surely have known she was kidding, so she really hadn’t gotten a very good look
at his face. Maybe he had been disappointed and maybe it was just wishful
thinking on her part.
The excited whispers of the other bridesmaids buzzed around
her. The organ music began. One by one, they filed down the aisle holding
fragrant bouquets of red and white winter lilies. Dimly aware of her
surroundings, she followed as rehearsed. Her frenzied thoughts continued.
Her? Mistake Cruz for Jett?
She
practically snickered for all to see, barely managing to keep her smile neutral.
JJ was
the
resident expert on
everything Cruz Avery. Sure, the men were identical twins, but they were such
opposites. JJ had always known which was which.
Always
.
She didn’t need the tell-tale burn marks that were scattered
on Jett’s neck, arms, and chest to distinguish between them. Another thought
smacked her right between her eyeballs. Cruz had really been about to kiss her
back there! And when she’d purposely flashed more than a bit of leg to gauge
his interest, he’d practically salivated with hard cock in hand. Why had she
stopped him?
Stupid…stupid…stupid…
Her childhood crush was just that.
A crush
. She was no longer the gangly, flat-chested, awkward girl
who longed for Cruz Avery’s love and attention. Without conceit, she was well
aware her beanpole figure had developed curves in all the right places and her
double D’s drew a man’s notice. They had certainly drawn Cruz’s attention just
now. Her lips curved in pure feminine satisfaction.
About fucking time
!
Unable to resist, she snuck a peek in Cruz’s direction. As
best man, he stood on the groom’s side of the altar. His attention should’ve
been on his brother and Roxanne, but instead, he stared openly at her. His
smoky grey gaze held a definite interest. He inclined his head.
Outwardly, she knew she presented the picture of calm, but her
stomach fluttered with exhilaration. The teenage girl that still lurked inside
of her wanted to jump up and down, screaming at the top of her lungs. God, she
would’ve amputated her right arm for him to look at her like that when she’d
been in high school.
Easily six feet tall, he’d slicked his short black hair to
the side in his usual style. Clinically, she continued her assessment. Chiseled
jaw? Check. Sensual mouth? Check. Broad shoulders that filled out his tuxedo
jacket to a perfect “T”? Double check. Heat spread across her cheeks.
Yowza! So
much for clinical.
He was still so freakin’
hot
!
He winked, and her heart rate accelerated faster than the piped organ music
that had filled the cathedral earlier. Too bad he knew his effect on women. As
a young girl, JJ often wondered if he’d known she was in love with him. Well,
puppy love, she amended. Brow arched in an attempt to feign aloofness, she returned
her concentration to Roxanne and Jett as they promised to love each other
forever. After all, Cruz hadn’t corrected her when she’d called him Jett’s name
when she’d been trying to squeeze into her stupid-ass bridesmaid dress earlier.
The dirty rotten…
Shit!
She needed to
remember she was in a damn church.
JJ was a doctor of emergency medicine in her own right, so
Cruz Avery was her equal and now her colleague. That thought dispensed an
unwelcome chill of regret. Recent events had taught her not to mix business and
pleasure. No dating co-workers. Not ever, ever again. Her fingers gripped the
bouquet in her hands so tightly, a cramp developed. Slowly, she exhaled and
loosened her grasp, massaging the knotted muscles.
Don’t think
about what happened,
a voice whispered.
It’s in the past. No one has to know.
But I know.
JJ shoved those unwelcome memories away.
JJ was new to the staff at
so their paths had yet to cross in the emergency room. During the two shifts
she’d worked at the hospital so far, she’d learned a lot about the player of
the ER. So much information was out there on Cruz, she was surprised he didn’t
have his own
#DrAvery
hash tag. She
pictured numerous tweets filled with lots of juicy information on the infamous
Dr. Avery. Her lips quirked.
Apparently, Cruz dated anything in a skirt, or, more
precisely, a pair of scrubs. No one seemed immune to his appeal. Radiology
techs, doctors, nurses, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists—intelligent,
educated women were unable to resist the handsome, charming Dr. Avery. As her
dad would say, “The man is like manure—you’ll find him everywhere!” She almost
laughed out loud, but chewed on her lower lip to suppress the urge. Cruz
wouldn’t appreciate the analogy, she was sure of it.
Still, a girl could look, couldn’t she? Yes.
Look but no touching
, she scolded the
wayward wanderings of her delinquent thoughts. She’d even learned of the twins’
recent rivalry for Roxanne’s affection. Evidently, the hospital staff had been
divided into Team Jett and Team Cruz. She shook her head, wondering why some people’s
lives were so fascinating to others. She’d once been the center of such
unwelcome fascination. Her every movement scrutinized. Gloom descended upon her.
JJ shivered. She’d worked hard these last couple of months, resolutely leaving
all the ugliness in the past.
After the wedding ceremony was over, JJ found herself one of
the first at the cash bar of the reception hall located in the basement of the
church. She needed a minor dose of recreational alcohol to cover her tension.
Hip-hop music boomed from the DJ’s speakers at the side of
the large room where a makeshift dance floor had been organized. Tables adorned
with white tablecloths were prepped with elaborate flower and candle
centerpieces and looked lovely. The setting was very romantic, indeed.
She’d heard from Ambra that Roxanne had a fancy buffet
dinner planned. Prime rib, twice-baked potatoes, salad, some kind of vegetable
to be served with red wine and champagne ordered from an exclusive
the ER. Six am was a long time ago. She glanced at her watch and the hands on
the dial registered seven forty-five pm. No wonder she was starved.
Since no food was set out yet, she decided the drink would
have to do for now. A young man in his early twenties placed a napkin on the
counter before her. “What’ll it be?”
“She’ll have a double shot of Patrón, and so will I,” Ambra
said, as she shoved JJ over with the bump of a lean hip.
“Hey!” JJ said with a laugh. “I have to work tomorrow
morning. I can’t get soused.”
“It’s just one,” Ambra said reasonably. “Besides, half the
reception has to work early tomorrow. Yours truly included.”
“Well, I can’t argue with your logic,” JJ said and took the
glass from the bartender. “What should we drink to?”
The respiratory therapist grinned wickedly and held up her
own shot glass to JJ’s proffered one. “To being single!”
“Amen,” JJ agreed. Together, they swallowed the smooth
tequila in one swoop, licked the salt off their wrists, and ate the limes, a ritual
they shared at Roxanne’s bachelorette party. Heat trailed down the back of JJ’s
throat to her core. Her shoulders relaxed. It was good to be around friends and
to celebrate something wonderful.
Her secret
was safe
.
Ambra slammed her glass onto the bar. “Hit us again.”
JJ looked sharply at her friend. There was a sadness in the
deep green of Ambra’s eyes and her lips were drawn tight. “You okay, girl?”
Ambra appeared to develop a deep interest in the dozen
silver bracelets that jangled along her slender arm. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I
be?”
“Well, I know we haven’t known each other long, but I
consider you a friend. I hope you feel the same.” JJ squeezed Ambra’s shoulder
briefly. “When you’re ready to spill, my door is always open.”
Tucking a short strand of mahogany hair behind her ear,
Ambra smiled. “Thanks.” She lightly pressed her fingers to JJ’s arm. “Your
friendship means a lot. If anything comes up, I’ll definitely come knocking.” She
handed JJ a refilled shot glass. “What should we drink to now?”
A funky kind of salsa beat poured from the speakers. Ambra’s
eyes widened and JJ’s hips began to move.
“Dirty dancing,” they said in unison. Laughing, they downed
their shots, repeating the earlier ritual.
“Does that mean you girls are looking for a dance partner?”
a familiar baritone drawled. “I believe I can take you both at once.”
“Cruz,” Ambra said, turning toward him. “I’m not dancing
with you ever again. Not after the last time. You didn’t just step on my feet, you
mutilated them,” she complained. She inclined her head toward the bartender and
squinted at his name tag. “Hey, Josh. You dance?”
Surprise registered on Josh’s face. “Why, yes, I do.”
Ambra held out her hand. “Let’s go!”
Without hesitation, he grasped her fingers, navigated around
the counter, and off they went. JJ watched their progress with her back to Cruz.
She sipped the tequila Josh had refilled before heading off with Ambra.
“Well?” Cruz murmured next to her ear. His breath fanned her
neck, igniting little coils of warmth low in her belly that had nothing to do
with the alcohol.
“Well, what?” she replied, enjoying the sensation of having
him near. Reluctant to turn in his direction and break the close proximity of
their bodies, she kept her gaze trained on the crowded dance floor.
“That leaves you and me. Care to get a little dirty?” His
tone purred seduction.
JJ closed her eyes and savored the moment. She knew this couldn’t
last, that nothing could ever come of their brief encounter. Just for a minute,
she was a teenager again. This was her prom. To have the boy of her dreams ask
her to dance… but not just any boy, Cruz Avery. A soft sigh escaped her lips.
She opened her eyes and turned her head, not moving her body.
Their faces were barely an inch apart, just as she knew they would be. A tiny
fluttering stirred in her stomach, spreading tendrils of heat.
Christ. The
man hadn’t even laid a finger on her yet and she was wet
.
“Only if you promise not to step on my toes,” she said, her
voice low and seductive.
He grinned and put his arm around her waist. “Lucky for you,
this song doesn’t have many foot maneuvers.”
Latin beat pulsating through her veins, JJ allowed Cruz to
lead her onto the dance floor. In the midst of the crowd, they stood opposite each
other. She draped her arms around his neck. He reined in her body, shifting his
thigh between her legs. JJ’s face was flushed, the drums pounded her blood. Vibrations
thrummed through her, from the music or the man who held her, she couldn’t be
sure.
The scent of his spicy aftershave filled her nostrils. She
inhaled deeply. His large, strong hands wrapped about her hips. Instant flames
erupted along her flesh where their bodies stroked in unison. Their faces were close,
mouths nearly touching, and she lost herself in the depths of his dark,
smoldering eyes.
“We should’ve done this long ago,” he murmured.
A tiny thrill of exhilaration skittered up and down her
spine. JJ’s eyes widened. She was astonished to find that the lovesick teenager
still lived inside of her. “We could have,” she conceded. “But you were too
busy chasing all of the popular girls at the high school dances.”
He chuckled. “True. What stopped you from asking me to dance?
You were always pestering me and Jett, inviting yourself where you shouldn’t
have been. So what stopped you?”
His words chilled the heat in her veins and she halted
within the circle of his arms. Was that how he remembered her? Not a very
flattering picture. “Maybe I thought you had all the female attention you could
handle.”
“Don’t get all defensive, Josephina Jo,” he said. His voice
held a hint of exasperation.
Stepping out of his arms, she placed her hands on her hips. “I
asked you not to call me that,” she said. Her voice held a distinctive edge.