Fantasy Boyfriend #2 (A Tattooed Bad Boy Romance) (4 page)

"Vibes that say not interested," I admitted.
However, I did watch Number Fifteen for several moments, and then, much to my
dismay, suddenly realized that he had turned around and was smiling at me. I
resisted the urge to turn around to see if there was someone sitting behind me
that had captured the rugby player’s attention. Just to make sure, I
tentatively smiled, and then the guy gave me a thumbs up and a wink. A wink?
Who winked anymore these days? Obviously, this guy did.

Suddenly, the girls started chattering softly among
themselves, and I glanced at them, wondering what they were up to.
"What?"

"Don't look now, Jessica, but he's coming
over!"

I turned back toward the field in dismay. I didn't see
Number Fifteen where he'd seen a moments before, standing in front of the bench
with the other players. We weren’t sitting too far up in the stands, maybe the
fifth row, but I doubted that he would have left his teammates to make his way
into the stands. Then, to my stunned amazement, I spotted the scarlet shirt
threading his way through the crowds milling around at the bottom of the
stands, and then making his way determinedly in our direction.

"Oh my God, he's so cute!” Selena muttered.

I didn't know what to do. I’d never been the focus of
such attention before, and for a second, wondered if I was going to be the
target of another ill-fated comment, especially if Number Fifteen quickly
making his way up through the stands happened to be heading toward someone
sitting behind us. What if he knew Luke? Was that what this was all about? Was
he going to say something? I tried to act nonchalant and pretend I didn't know
that he was approaching, while inside, all I wanted to do was stand up, run,
and dash away from the field. My eyes widened with dismay as I realized he was
standing in front of me. I stared. He was tall, probably just over six feet,
and his size blocked out the field right in front of me. He did have incredibly
broad shoulders, huge biceps, and his hands were huge, as well. For some insane
reason, I stupidly thought of a St. Bernard. They had huge paws. I shook my
head.

"Hi," Number Fifteen said. "My name's
Greg, Greg Sanderson."

He extended his hand. After a brief hesitation, I
extended my hand, only to find it enveloped within his huge grasp. Instead of
crushing my fingers, however, he gently shook my hand, as if realizing his own
strength and being very careful not to hurt me. I smiled nervously up at him.
"Jessica, Jessica Mallory."

He grinned down at me and then gestured over his
shoulder. "I spotted you from down there and felt compelled to come up
here and introduce myself."

He had an intriguing accent, Southern, but I couldn’t
place it. He shrugged, still grinning.

"I know it's a little forward of me, and I run
the risk of being turned down flat, but I thought I'd come up and ask if you
would consider going out on a date."

It came out more of a statement than a question. I
thought he was sweet and couldn't help but feel the tiniest thrill to be picked
out from a crowd. I glanced at my friends, who were taking turns looking up at
him and then back at me, their eyes and gestures urging me to accept. While I
certainly found his attention flattering that he had left his team to come up
and introduce itself to me, I still wasn't sure.

"Come on," he urged. "Give the poor guy
a break, won't you?"

I glanced up at him, surprised. Poor guy? He, like
Luke, was a handsome guy and could probably have his pick of any of the women
in the stands right this minute. In fact, I had a feeling that Desiree, Selena,
or Becky would've jumped at the chance to go out with this guy if he had
expressed an interest in them. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, as long as I
didn't repeat my mistakes. If for no other reason than to permanently get my
thoughts away from Luke, I thought that perhaps a date with Greg would be just
the ticket. "Okay, great, you're on," I said. "Where and
when?"

"How about Saturday evening?" he asked.

I glanced at the girls, their eyes wide now. In fact,
Becky's mouth was hanging open in shock, or awe, or some such. I found myself
secretly pleased, and in the next moment, I nodded in agreement. "It's a
date," I said. Then I realized I needed to give him my phone number. I
didn't have anything to write it down on, and it wasn't exactly as if he had
his PDA or iPhone with him. Suddenly, Desiree shoved a small piece of notebook
paper in my hand. I glanced down at it and realized she had quickly scribbled
my phone number on it. I smiled at her, nodded my appreciation, and then
extended the scrap of paper to Greg. "This is my phone number. You can
either text me or call and I can let you know where to pick me up."

Greg plucked the scrap of paper from my fingers and
his fingers brushed against mine. No electric sparks like I had felt with Luke,
but there was no doubt whatsoever that Greg was a fine-looking guy. He was
sweet and polite, but then again, I had thought Luke had been at first. I
smiled as he offered a brief gesture of farewell and then hurried back down to
the stands and rejoined his teammates on the side of the field. I saw him tuck
the piece of paper into a jacket laying on the side of the bench before
following his teammates back onto the field.

I didn't spot any obvious tattoos, but then he was
wearing a shirt. However, he did meet another requirement on my list. He played
a sport! While rugby has certainly not been in my thoughts when I created the
“must play sports” requirement on my list, one couldn't get any more sporting
than rugby. As far as I was concerned, it was a full on contact sport, even
more so than American football, especially since they didn't wear any
protective gear.

"Can you believe that?" Becky asked, amazed
as her eyes also followed the rugby player back onto the field.

I saw Becky gazing at me, smiling, and then Selena and
Desiree joined in, all three of them teasing me. Before the game started up
again, I laughed and cast my eyes over the bleachers. Suddenly, I stiffened.
There, down near the front of the far right side of the bleachers, I saw Luke.
He was sitting near the girl he'd just been making out with in the parking lot.
To my surprise, he was staring up at me, a slight frown pulling down his
eyebrows. He glanced from me to Greg, who had just rejoined his teammates, and
then back at me again. Was it possible? Was he watching me? Had he seen Greg
come up from the field and introduce himself, I wondered. I pretended not to
see him, but surreptitiously continued to watch him through the corner of my
eye.

He looked jealous. I felt thrilled.

It would serve the bastard right. He wasn't the only
fish in the pond. Maybe Greg didn't elicit the same sexual charge that I had
felt immediately with Luke, but that didn't mean anything, did it? After all,
Greg could get some checks on my ideal man list. He was handsome, and he played
sports, and while I had yet to find out whether he had any tattoos or whether
he was great in bed or rich, I did kind of have a feeling that like Luke, he
was an alpha male. After all, weren't most guys who played contact sports alpha
males? Rugby certainly required strength and stamina, which could probably
equate to some positive points in the sex department. However, I wasn't in any
rush to explore that aspect, especially not since I was still smarting from my
relatively recent episode with Luke.

Throughout the remainder of the game, I pretended not
to notice Luke and his girlfriend. While they had been going at it hot and
heavy in the parking lot, they didn't seem quite as interested in each other at
the moment. I could only wonder about that. Then again, I didn't really care.
Well, I did, but I kept telling myself that I didn't. Yes, I had to admit to
myself that I was still attracted to Luke, but he was a no-go. A no-show,
really.

For the remainder of the game, I paid more attention
to Number Fifteen, admiring his body, his athleticism, and his easy camaraderie
with his teammates. He even joked with a few of his opposing teammates. He
seemed like a nice guy, genuinely friendly and easy-going. Still, I couldn't
help but compare the two. What if Greg turned out to be just as big of a jerk
as Luke had? And as much of a disappointment? Did it matter? I wasn't
interested in marrying the guy, just distracting myself once in
awhile
. If Luke could play that game, so could I.

The game ended with the opposing team winning the
match, and it wasn't long before the crowds began dispersing back toward the
parking lot. My girlfriends and I slowly made our way down through the stands
amid the crowd, carefully watching our step as we were jostled to and fro. Down
below us, I caught sight of Luke guiding his girl-of-the-night by the hand
through the crowd. He didn't look up at me, but I wondered if he could sense
that I was staring down at him. His girlfriend wore a pouty look on her face. I
wondered if they had some kind of disagreement – not that I even cared.

The next morning, I walked into advanced chemistry,
focusing on yet another upcoming test. I also wasn't sure
anymore
about my acceptance of Greg’s offer for a date tomorrow evening. After all, I
was still reeling from Luke's rejection, and I wasn't particularly looking
forward to another one.

I had just pulled my notebook out of my messenger bag
that also served as my purse when I noticed a familiar face in the room. Luke
was back. My heart gave a traitorous thump when I spotted him sitting near the
front of the class, not talking to anybody, but staring down at a book on his
desk. Suddenly, he glanced up, looked over his shoulder, and his eyes met mine.
I resisted the automatic urge to send him a smile and instead merely stared at
him and then turned my attention back to my notebook. It took everything I had
in me not to glance at him for the next couple of minutes. I played it cool,
though. After all, what would it say about me if I showed any curiosity or
interest whatsoever in him after the way he treated me?

Throughout class, I felt rather proud of myself that I
had carefully avoided that side of the room, while at the same time, I got the
distinct impression that he occasionally glanced my way. It was disappointing,
really. Luke and I could've been really good together, I thought, but he had
blown it. While I was still undeniably attracted to him, I wanted a
relationship based on more than just sex. Besides, the way he treated me was
awful. I had standards, after all, and just because he didn't live up to mine
didn't mean that I couldn't live up to my own.

The fact that I didn't glance his way once throughout
the remainder of the chemistry class didn't mean to imply that he wasn't on my
mind. In fact, I almost wished he wasn't there. Just knowing that he was in the
same room made me feel uncomfortable, and not just because of embarrassment,
but because of the sexual tension that arose within me. Damn. How could one guy
have such an effect on me, especially one who acted like such a big jerk?

Finally, class was over and I gathered my things and
began to make my way toward the door along with everyone else. As I exited the
room and students dispersed one-way or another, Luke suddenly appeared beside
me.

"Hey," he said.

I didn't look up at him although every nerve in my
body hummed. "Hello," I said, keeping my voice cool. I didn't trust
myself to say anything else.

"Look, Jessica, I…"

I glanced up at him, almost got the impression that he
even looked apologetic, not that that would make everything okay. I didn't say
anything, but eyed him for a moment before I looked away, glancing down the
hallway. If he could pretend disinterest in me, I could certainly return the
favor. To my surprise, I saw Greg emerge from a classroom several doors down.
He paused, glanced up and down the hallway, and then recognized me. His face
lit up immediately and he sent me a beaming smile and began to walk toward us.
Beside me, I sensed Luke stiffening. Good. Served him right. He didn't own me.

I sent a smile in Greg's direction, and in a matter of
moments he stood in front of me. He glanced between me and Luke. "Hi
Greg," I said, all smiles and friendly. "This is Luke. I turned to
Luke, giving him a hard stare. "Luke, this is Greg Sanderson. He's on the
rugby team."

Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded
grudgingly at Greg. "You played a good game last night," he said.

"Thanks," Greg said.

Greg's face was open and friendly while Luke appeared
sullen. I smiled again just as Greg looked down at me. I hadn't realized he was
so tall, but then again when we had met last night, I had been sitting down.
Now I realized that I actually had to look upward and that the top of my head
barely reached his chin.

"How about I pick you up tomorrow night at six
o'clock?" he said. "There's a neat restaurant I know this serves the
best rack of ribs this side of Texas."

"Oh?" I asked. "Is that where you're
from? Texas?”

He nodded. "You?"

"Montana," I replied. He smiled down at me,
and then suddenly looked between me and Luke.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting
something?"

I shook my head. "Not at all, Greg," I said,
smiling inwardly. I could tell that beside me, Luke was stunned. Now the shoe
was on the other foot, wasn't it? I glanced at Luke, frowned at him, and then
turned back to Greg. "I haven't had ribs since I returned to Boston just
before school started. I'm anxious to see if you know your ribs," I
grinned.

Greg laughed, while Luke stood silent and sullen
beside me. Suddenly, he muttered something under his breath and strode off.

"I hope I didn't interrupt-"

"Not at all," I assured him. "We're
just acquaintances, and he was asking me a question about class."

Greg nodded, his gaze searching my face, and I realized
he was quite handsome in his own right. He also smelled good. I still didn't
see any tattoos and resisted the urge to ask him if he had any. Finally, he
glanced down at his wristwatch – one of those large monstrosities that had a
compass and everything else on it. A worn leather band held it in place. Very
manly.

"Well, I guess I'd better be going, my next class
is nearly on the other side of campus."

"I'm glad I bumped into you," I said.
"I'll be looking forward to our date tomorrow night. Call me tomorrow
afternoon I'll give you directions to the house where I live with my sorority
friends."

He nodded, acted as if he wanted to kiss me or
something, but then offered a slight wave of his hand, turned around, and
walked away. I smiled. He wasn't as bold as Luke, but he had manners. I turned
to look in the direction Luke had disappeared and saw him standing at the far
side of the quad, watching me. Well, if he wanted me, he would have to come
after me. I certainly wasn't going to be chasing after him. I had already
learned my lesson.