More Than I Wanted (2 page)

I
looked at Heather. I didn’t know whether to thank her or smack
her. She recognized the look.

I
watched him walk back over to Scott and pat him across the back,
“You’re in,” he said. “Next weekend you’re
mine.”

A
few minutes later, he was heading back to us, and my stomach knotted
up. I had nerves, butterflies roaming free in my belly, and swallowed
hard as he came over.

“Ready,”
he said, smiling down at me. That sultry, sexy, smile – I’m
in trouble.

I
put my beer down and stood, “I guess so,” my voice was
softer than usual.
Oh my gosh, find your voice
– my
heavy flirt mode wanted to turn on automatically, and I didn’t
want it to. Not now, it wasn’t the time.

I
followed him to the net. Austin went to the pole, picking up the
volleyball sitting at the base and brought it over.

“I’m
a little nervous, I took a face plant before you got here,” I
admitted. “I dove for the ball, and landed quite elegantly on
the ground, hence my red nose.”

“Well,
in this case we’re jumping up, not down,” he soothed.
“You should be fine.”

I
watched as his body maneuvered, tossing up the ball, and then jumping
up, smacking the ball down. I couldn’t look away. He was art in
motion. Holy cow, I wanted him – now. I was almost embarrassed
by this new sudden crush over a cute guy syndrome. I hoped my
thoughts weren’t too obvious, because my hormones were raging,
gushing through me so fast it was nuts.

As
he explained the angle of my hand and where to hit the ball, I
watched his lips, his mouth, and his eyes as he talked, and melted
into a small puddle on the ground. When I regained my composure, I
nodded and gave it a shot. I could get the angle, but truth be told,
I couldn’t get the height on a jump. I thanked him for his
time, not wanting it to end, but I couldn’t hold him there
forever with a stinkin’ volleyball. I was kicking myself for
the lack of conversation, but I couldn’t find my interesting
and compelling voice. I simply nodded and smiled too much with him
standing beside me. I wore a goofy grin, and hoped he didn’t
see me as a complete idiot.

“Thanks
for your time, I appreciate it. I think I’m just not able to
get the height. Don’t let me keep you from your friends,”
I said, trying to gracefully exit without making a bigger fool of
myself.

“Anytime,”
he said, dropping the ball and heading back to his friends. It
appeared my feelings of lust were unrequited. At least he was nice to
look at.

I
dropped back into the chair next to Heather. “He’s not
interested, I can tell,” I groaned. “Either way, thanks
for trying.”

“Sorry,
Boo, Maybe we’ll give it another shot later. He’s got a
lot on his mind right now,” she soothed. “He’s
really a great guy; the two of you would be cute together.”

I
sighed, “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind getting naked with him.”

Heather
laughed, “Yeah, he’s a looker. The kicker is he has a
great personality too. Jake’s another nice guy, but he’s
sort of a player. He has a girlfriend, but I have a feeling he takes
liberties there, if you know what I mean. I don’t think Austin
would be a cheater.”

“Ew,
yeah, no cheaters, thank you. I’m not one of those girls who
can tolerate that or turn a blind eye.”

“Anyway,
what’s going on with Stacy?” The chatter continued, and
we covered topics from work to every other topic under the sun. I was
grateful they had a spare room I could crash in, because I had way
too much to drink.

The
group rotated designated driver duties, so as people were ready to
filter out, he made sure that everyone got home safely, whether
driving them or calling cabs.

I
stripped down to my panties and put on a fresh t-shirt that Heather
offered. Climbing into bed in the spare bedroom, I thought of Austin.
After a long day of laughter, sunshine, and way too much beer and
food, I was ready for a good sleep.

I
drifted off to visions of the good looking solider, the latest guy to
hold my interest. There was something about him, a confidence and
swagger, but hidden beneath those layers a look of vulnerability in
his eyes. He was gorgeous, but I also wanted to take him in my arms
and pull him close to me, telling him it would all be okay. I’m
not sure what triggered that feeling, but while he was beautiful to
look at, there was also a distance in his eyes. He just didn’t
seem interested in me at all.

“Come
over next weekend, it’s all I’m saying. Just be there,
you know, dolled up a little bit, and when he stops to pick up Scott
– oh what a coincidence you’re here,” she planned.

“It
feels lame. Can’t you just give him my number, and if he’s
interested he can call?”

“Sure
I can do that, but let him see you at your best,” she coaxed.
“Trust me, you’re a hottie, and you should let him see
that side of you. I’m not saying you aren’t naturally
beautiful, but you weren’t able to present your best side the
other day after getting banged up.”

I
groaned, “It feels desperate.”

“Desperate,
or as I see it smart,” Heather laughed, “You decide.”

We
talked about what I should wear, so that I didn’t look like I
was trying too hard, but allowed me to show off my curves and best
angle. We finally settled on a pair of faded jeans and a snug fitting
shirt that showcased my assets quite nicely. A pair of boots rounded
out the look, and knowing I’d only have a moment or two, I
wouldn’t look like I’d overdone it.

As
girlfriends do, we discussed whether my hair should be up or down,
and every possible detail we could. She was as excited as I was, and
it made for a fun way to fill the day with gossip.

It
was weird to plan this out, when it was obvious he barely reacted to
me at the picnic. What shot did I have anyway? I figured I’d
give it one last try since I was attracted to the guy. If he’s
not interested, I’ll lick my wounds and move on, but at least I
made the effort. It was a rare treat to find a guy that actually held
my attention for more than a second or two.

When
the weekend rolled around, I was nervous waiting for him to show up.
Austin was picking up Scott and a few others to help his sister move
into her college dorm. As my phone buzzed, I looked down and glanced
the number.
Nick, really?

“It’s
Nick,” I whispered to Heather.

“Why
are you whispering?” She laughed, “And don’t call
him back.”

I
shrugged, “Scott’s in the next room.”

“He
knows you have an ex-boyfriend,” she said. “We all have
exes. Even Austin…”

“Oh,
right.” I wondered what Austin’s exes were like, and who
would ever split up with a guy like that. Maybe he broke up with his
last girlfriend, or if she did the splitting up, why? Was there
something I should know?

“I
all ready told Scott I wanted to set you and Austin up, and he wasn’t
totally against it, believe it or not.”

“Really?”

“Really,
so don’t you dare text Nick back. All he ever wants is a booty
call anyway, and he’s not good to you.”

I
nodded, “I know, I know. Sometimes I just get lonely, and he is
good in bed.”

She
finished for me, “And then you regret it, he gets clingy, you
hate it, and then you break his heart again. No more Nick for you.
Focus Kate, Austin is your future.”

“Ha,
I wish!”

“Have
a little faith,” she winked, “I’ve got Scott on our
side, and that’s a rarity. Normally, he tells me to stop
interfering, but for some reason he thought you guys might hit it
off.”

“Nice,
I’m impressed.”

As
Austin’s car pulled up outside, he sat on the horn. Shit, we
expected he’d come in, not just honk.

“Scott,”
Heather prodded, “tell him you’ll be a minute, and have
him come in.”

He
rolled his eyes, “You’re so subtle.”

“What?”
She shrugged and waited.

Scott
and Austin found their way back into the house. Making up an excuse,
Scott went off to the other room to act like he had something to
finish for a few minutes, leaving the hot and sexy Austin in our
presence.

“Hey
Austin, you remember my friend Kate, right?”

“I
do,” he said, shaking my hand. “It’s nice to see
you again.”

“You
too,” I was blushing madly, unable to control it. I forgot how
handsome he was. I mean, I knew, but wow!

“Did
you know our Kate here is a runner?”

I
wanted to crawl under the carpet and die of embarrassment. I felt
like a show dog she was parading in front of him.

“Is
that right?” He was polite, making small talk, but obviously
just being polite. I don’t think he felt the spark that I did.

I
nodded and looked down. “Do you run?”

“I
do sometimes, but not seriously. I do it to stay in shape, but I’m
not big on long distances.”

“I
love endurance,” I said, trying to keep the conversation going,
but I could feel it fizzle before me.

Heather
jumped in, “You should join us for dinner tomorrow night, when
you guys get back.”

“Thanks
that would be nice. I’d love to catch up,” he said. I
sized him up, but he was happy to see his friends, not the desperate
girl who was drooling over him at the moment. Oh well, it was worth a
shot.

Scott
rejoined us, “I’m ready,” he called out, walking
back into the room.

“Sounds
good,” Austin said, and together they walked out.

I
looked at Heather, “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m
going to skip your dinner tomorrow night. I don’t think he’s
interested.”

“Shame,
he’s such a great guy. It does seem like his mind is elsewhere.
I hope it’s not another girl, which would suck.”

“You
tried. I appreciate it. I’m done. I should just call Nick
back.”

“No
Nick! He is not an option,” she groaned.

“So,
guess who was asking about you over dinner?” She said with a
sing-song voice, pleased with herself.

“Yeah?
Really? What did he say?” I should have gone.

“Just
that he thought you seemed nice. I mentioned maybe he should call you
sometime, and he said he might. Scott was talking you up as well.”

“He’s
being polite. He didn’t ask for my number, and only said he
might.”

“Okay,
Miss Smarty Pants, before you get all negative on me here, he did ask
me for your number, so have a little faith!”

“He
did?” I squealed into the phone.

“He
did,” Heather gloated. “I can’t promise he’ll
use it, but it’s something!”

It
took exactly two days for him to finally contact me after that.
Tuesday evening, I was lounging in my pajamas, eating a bowl of ice
cream, and crashed out on the sofa watching reruns.

When
I first saw the text, I didn’t recognize the number, so I wrote
back with a simple question mark. I was pretty sure it was him when I
saw “Heather gave me your number,” but then Heather has
given my number to a couple of guys over time.

“Austin,
from the barbecue,” he responded.

A
smile lit my face and I texted back. At least if I texted, he
couldn’t hear my giddiness I wouldn’t be able to hide on
the phone.

“Mind
if I call you sometime?”

“Call
anytime,” I texted back.

“Now?”

Oh
crap, oh crap, oh crap. I tried to compose myself, but before I had
time, the phone was ringing. I took a deep breath and answered,
“Hello?”

“Hey,
it’s Austin,” he said, his voice thick with deep, smoky,
undertones. I’m in trouble.

“Hi,”
I sighed. It really was him.

“What
are you up to?”

“Me?
Now? I’m just watching old reruns. What about you?”
Smooth. Great, I could barely think straight, I was smitten and
amazed he was even on the phone.

“I’m
a little antsy and was thinking about going for a walk. Would you
care to join me?”

“A
walk, now?”

“I
could meet you somewhere,” he said. “Maybe we could get a
bite to eat, hit a diner after the walk.”

“Umm,
it’s kind of late, but I guess I could.” I quickly put my
bowl of ice cream down on the table.

“Is
now not a good time?”

“Can
you give me fifteen minutes to get ready to go out?”

“Sure,
take as long as you need,” he said. “I could meet you at
the park entrance.”

“It’s
kind of dark there,” I said. “They don’t have
street lights.”

“Does
the dark bother you?”

“No,
no, the park is fine, or you could just come here.” I said it
before I could take it back.

“That
works, where do you live?” I was stunned; he was actually going
to come over. Ah, he was coming over! I look a mess, and my place is
a mess.

I
gave him my address, and he headed over. I scanned the room, tossed
some things into closets and drawers to straighten up, and ran like a
crazed woman into the bathroom to touch up my make-up. A quick change
out of my pajamas into casual lounge wear (read sweats), and I was
ready when he got here, but just by a couple of minutes. Phew, that
was close!

“Hey,”
I said as calmly as possible, opening the door. Dear goodness, he’s
cute. How do I possibly keep forgetting just how cute?

“Hey,
are you sure you don’t mind me coming by? I get a little antsy
at night and company is nice.”

“Not
at all, come in. Can I get you something to drink?”

We
settled into the living room with fresh drinks and slowly started the
awkward dance of getting to know one another. I loved watching him
talk, his facial expression, his voice resonating through me, and I
knew I was going to fall hard if he stuck around long enough.

I
hoped I didn’t bore him, but I kept up my end of the
conversation, and before we knew it, a couple of hours had passed. I
was afraid I wouldn’t know what to say, but everything seemed
to fall into place. One conversation led to the next, and the more we
talked, the more we shared.