Unexpected Romance Read Free Page A

thought.
    Chris
laughed. "She's good people," was all he'd say.
    "We
need to go," Tony said. She pushed past Jessa to pull open the
door and exit the house.
    Jessa
and Chris chatted the whole way to gymnastics, about a sixteen-minute
drive. Tony stopped in front of the front doors and Jessa got out.
    "So
now what? You leave? You don't go watch her?"
    "Sometimes
I go watch. I didn't think you'd want to watch." She looked at
him. "Are you some sort of creep I need to warn my brother
about?"
    "No,
I never thought that I might be messing up your routine. How long is
class?”
    "An
hour and a half."
    "I
have an idea."
    "Do
you?" She put her foot on the brake and car into gear. "Let's
hear it."
    "I'll
buy you a cup of coffee."
    "Why?"
    "I'm
bored. I just got into town. I haven't even met the team I'm playing
with, and we play in twenty-four hours. I'm a little nervous about
playing tomorrow night."
    "You've
played before with the team. Corey said as much at supper."
    "Yes,
a few games for the last few seasons. It's always nerve-racking
before a game, I get nervous at home too."
    "What
do you usually do?"
    "Go
out and get drunk. Dance with a pretty girl."
    Fuck
her in the bathroom take her number and never call her again? He
didn't seem like that type of asshole. But she wasn't ignorant of
what some guys did. Her brother was included in the jackasses of the
world before he met Nicole.
    "Fine,
you can buy me a beverage and tell me about your difficulties."
    "Okay,
that makes me sound like I'm a whiner."
    She
looked at him with raised eyebrows. "If the shoe fits." She
pulled onto the street.
    "What
about being friends?" He leaned forward to play with the radio.
"I know. Instead, we can talk more about you and your problems."
    "Maybe
we should forget coffee and go home."
    "Come
on, coffee. Maybe we'll get a little wild and crazy with a muffin."
    She
stopped at a light. Their eyes met, the streetlight glittering in
them. He smiled at her and she felt her heart flip in her chest.
    He
was male. He was charming. He was sexy. He made her feel tingly
inside. When he smiled at her, she felt wanted.
    A
million warning bells went off. She smiled back at him.
    "The
light is green."
    She
made a face and stepped on the gas. They shot forward.
    She
had a heavy feeling in her chest. She shouldn’t spend more time
with him than necessary. She shouldn’t become friendly with
him.
    She
smiled at him again, feeling warmth spread in her stomach. "A
quick cup of coffee."

CHAPTER 2

    There
was a line in the coffee shop. Chris looked down at Tonya. She was so
compact, everywhere. And she never stopped moving. As they waited,
her foot tapped on the floor. Every few minutes, she'd shift her
weight and tap the other foot.
    He
fought his desire to pull her body against his and hold her close.
That was a weird urge.
    "So
you getting wild with the muffin? You have a muffin fetish?"
    It
was the second time she assumed something about his sex life. And not
in a good way. Was she like that with everyone? "I'm Paleo."
    She
blinked at him. And then she started laughing. "You're what?"
    All
right, world's apart. "My diet. I eat Paleo. No grain, no
dairy."
    "Oh,
I think I've heard of that. How's that working for you?"
    "I
made it here. I feel a lot better than when I was chowing down on
carbs and junk all the time."
    “ Now
I understand the lack of spaghetti with supper.”
    “ Sorry,
I should have said something. Know what you're getting?” He
nodded at the cashier waiting for their order.
    "You
totally pussed out and didn't order a muffin." She ribbed him as
she slid into an empty seat.
    "It
took me a long time to break my addiction to sugar and grains. I
can’t go back." He slid into a chair across the table from
Tonya.
    "So
where did you grow up?"
    "Kelowna."
    He
watched her drink her coffee, wondering what she looked like without
her makeup on. Maybe her hair mussed. Bed-head, getting out of bed.
Or better yet, getting out of bed the morning after a night of