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were
knitting. “It’d sure be easy to go over there and chat with her for a bit.
Beats sitting here yapping with you.”
    Discomfort lumbered in Jason. He didn’t like that look of
curiosity on his friend’s face. Or the gauntlet he’d just thrown down. There’d
always been a code between them—hands off the other one’s women. But this was
different and they both knew it. Jeanie was fair game and they’d both known her
for longer than either could remember.
    “How long have we known her?”
    “I can’t remember.” Tyler shrugged and yelled across the
porch, “Hey, Jean, how long have we known you for?”
    Shock kept Jason silent for a moment as the woman he’d spent
most of the morning thinking about in one capacity or another set her knitting
down and headed their direction with a sexy swing in her hips.
    Son of a bitch. He’d been crazy not to pursue something with
her when he’d had the chance. Somehow fate had always intervened—tossed a shitty
boyfriend or a clinging girlfriend into the mix to separate them. Then she’d
gotten married to a hell of a guy and had the life Jason hadn’t realized he
wanted until it was too late.
    That’d been years ago and now all the two of them had left
between them was a hell of a friendship and a lot of what-ifs. She had the same
sassy, but sexy, smile she’d had the day he met her. Blonde hair once worn long
and sultry was now in a short bob. Sky-blue eyes regarded him with warmth he
felt clear to his nuts.
    Man he had it bad.
    “Hi, Jase.”
    Jase. No one else had ever called him that. Then again, he’d
sort of started that little name war years ago. “Hey, Jeans.” Had he ever told
her why he’d called her that?
    Probably not. Huh. Maybe he should.
    “How long have you known us?”
    She smirked as she sat in the chair on the other side of
Jason. “Long enough to know you aren’t up to any good, Goose.”
    “Hah. She’s got you pegged, man.”
    Tyler’s gaze softened with amusement. “Seriously. We can’t
remember.”
    The look she cast Jason was like a punch to the nuts. “You
don’t remember the night we met?”
    “Of course I do.” He glared to his right. “I’ve just never
told him about that night.”
    “Oh.” Her eyes widened and a grin appeared on her face.
“Oh.”
    “Oh?” Tyler leaned forward. “That sounds promising.”
    “It was my amateur competition—the first night I danced and
got the job.”
    “And?”
    Jason remained silent for a moment. “And what? That’s it.”
    “Oh no.” She laughed, the sound echoing into his ears and
making his pulse race. She squeezed his biceps and rested her other hand on top
of his. “You’ve got to tell him, Jase, or I will.”

Chapter Two
     
    Jason stared at the building before him and took a deep
breath. This was it. LaBare. He’d finished the last of his finals for the
semester a few hours ago. Exhaustion plagued him, but bursts of adrenaline
surged within him the moment he stepped into the building.
    A stocky guy stood in the entryway. He looked Jason up and
down with a smug smirk on his face. “You here for amateur night?”
    “Yeah.”
    The guy eyed the university shirt Jason had shrugged on that
morning. “You a student?”
    “Yeah.”
    “You’re a talkative one.” The man folded his arms across his
chest. “Why do you want to be a dancer?”
    He couldn’t help but grin in response. Was there any other
reason besides the ladies? Nah, he had a couple others. Boosting his confidence
was at the top of that list but he wasn’t about to tell the guy staring him
down about that. “What can I say? I love the ladies.”
    “Guess we’ll figure out real quick if they love you back.
I’m Mike, the manager.” The guy motioned toward a side door. “Head to the back.
We’ll call you when it’s time.”
    Jason nodded and wondered how they’d do that since the guy
didn’t bother getting his name. “Head to the back” had seemed like a simple
enough instruction but the