imagined the free-throw line was, shot and missed. That wasn’t a big surprise. He hadn’t played in a long time.
In Bali, where he stayed between jobs, he did a lot of kayaking and swimming, and the gym he belonged to didn’t have a court. He got more practice shooting pool than hoops, which was a shame. He loved the game even though he wasn’t that great at it.
With hardly any backboard left, he had to run after every other shot, and even though the temperature was cool he worked up a sweat pretty quickly. But as time passed he began to hit a little more often than he missed.
Although he couldn’t afford not to pay attention to where he was running, he still had enough concentration left over to think about Shannon.
Damn, he hoped things didn’t get weird between them.
He had no idea what he’d expected. To take her right there on her big old desk? That they would rush back to her parents’ home and go at it in her bedroom with Mr. and Mrs. Fitz downstairs and the TV blaring from the family room?
None of the reasons that being with Shannon was a bad idea had disappeared. He was a guest in the family home. He supposed he could move back to the hotel, but he hated that idea.
He had to really think this through. Yeah, he wanted her something fierce, but he wasn’t going to be in New York for long. Shannon didn’t strike him as a casual sex kind of woman. Besides, he wasn’t feeling particularly casual about her. Casual meant that each of them were mostly out for themselves. Not a bad thing when it was mutual, but Nate cared about the possible fallout.
Danny had mentioned that Shannon was looking for something real, for something that would last. She wasn’t sitting in an ivory tower waiting, but she was particular about her choices.
He wouldn’t be anyone’s choice, especially someone like Shannon. She’d never want his kind of life. He couldn’t picture her in Bali, not the Bali he knew. He wasn’t living with the expats or hanging out with the spa retreat crowd. He lived on the cheap, in a shack near the beach. The electricity was spotty at best, the plumbing wasn’t much better, and he slept in the raw under a mosquito net.
A friend of his, an expat from England into real estate, kept a room for him in his South Bali cliffside villa, which was where Nate stored his clothing and anything of value, but as he spent so much time in inhospitable areas where the only shoes he needed were flip-flops or his heavy work boots, he didn’t visit it often.
Shannon was a villa woman all the way.
She was also someone he liked a great deal, and sex complicated things. He might not want to live in Manhattan, but when he did come to visit, there was no place he’d rather be welcomed than the Fitzgeralds’. He’d hate it if he messed things up with her, with them.
Weirdly, though, he wasn’t interested in anyone else. It didn’t seem to matter that sleeping with Shannon was off the table, he’d rather spend his evenings with her than any other woman in New York.
Good thing he was well versed in the single palm arts.
He threw the basketball entirely too hard. It flew back to the shadowy section of the court. He hadn’t noticed it was getting so late. Time flew when a guy was realizing he wasn’t going to get laid for at least a month.
Wiping his face with his T-shirt, he headed for the ball, and when he bent to get it, he heard a very distinctive voice.
“My ma says you better get home right this minute, Nate Brenner. She didn’t slave all day over corned beef and cabbage so that you could be out here playing with yourself.”
He grinned through his wince. The speech had been almost verbatim from back in the day. Only he’d been out here with Danny, and Shannon had never said that last bit. He was glad she had now. Guess things wouldn’t be weird between them.
“Tell her to keep her shirt on,” he said, which was something Danny had shouted more often than not. “I’m coming.” Nate stood,
In Bali, where he stayed between jobs, he did a lot of kayaking and swimming, and the gym he belonged to didn’t have a court. He got more practice shooting pool than hoops, which was a shame. He loved the game even though he wasn’t that great at it.
With hardly any backboard left, he had to run after every other shot, and even though the temperature was cool he worked up a sweat pretty quickly. But as time passed he began to hit a little more often than he missed.
Although he couldn’t afford not to pay attention to where he was running, he still had enough concentration left over to think about Shannon.
Damn, he hoped things didn’t get weird between them.
He had no idea what he’d expected. To take her right there on her big old desk? That they would rush back to her parents’ home and go at it in her bedroom with Mr. and Mrs. Fitz downstairs and the TV blaring from the family room?
None of the reasons that being with Shannon was a bad idea had disappeared. He was a guest in the family home. He supposed he could move back to the hotel, but he hated that idea.
He had to really think this through. Yeah, he wanted her something fierce, but he wasn’t going to be in New York for long. Shannon didn’t strike him as a casual sex kind of woman. Besides, he wasn’t feeling particularly casual about her. Casual meant that each of them were mostly out for themselves. Not a bad thing when it was mutual, but Nate cared about the possible fallout.
Danny had mentioned that Shannon was looking for something real, for something that would last. She wasn’t sitting in an ivory tower waiting, but she was particular about her choices.
He wouldn’t be anyone’s choice, especially someone like Shannon. She’d never want his kind of life. He couldn’t picture her in Bali, not the Bali he knew. He wasn’t living with the expats or hanging out with the spa retreat crowd. He lived on the cheap, in a shack near the beach. The electricity was spotty at best, the plumbing wasn’t much better, and he slept in the raw under a mosquito net.
A friend of his, an expat from England into real estate, kept a room for him in his South Bali cliffside villa, which was where Nate stored his clothing and anything of value, but as he spent so much time in inhospitable areas where the only shoes he needed were flip-flops or his heavy work boots, he didn’t visit it often.
Shannon was a villa woman all the way.
She was also someone he liked a great deal, and sex complicated things. He might not want to live in Manhattan, but when he did come to visit, there was no place he’d rather be welcomed than the Fitzgeralds’. He’d hate it if he messed things up with her, with them.
Weirdly, though, he wasn’t interested in anyone else. It didn’t seem to matter that sleeping with Shannon was off the table, he’d rather spend his evenings with her than any other woman in New York.
Good thing he was well versed in the single palm arts.
He threw the basketball entirely too hard. It flew back to the shadowy section of the court. He hadn’t noticed it was getting so late. Time flew when a guy was realizing he wasn’t going to get laid for at least a month.
Wiping his face with his T-shirt, he headed for the ball, and when he bent to get it, he heard a very distinctive voice.
“My ma says you better get home right this minute, Nate Brenner. She didn’t slave all day over corned beef and cabbage so that you could be out here playing with yourself.”
He grinned through his wince. The speech had been almost verbatim from back in the day. Only he’d been out here with Danny, and Shannon had never said that last bit. He was glad she had now. Guess things wouldn’t be weird between them.
“Tell her to keep her shirt on,” he said, which was something Danny had shouted more often than not. “I’m coming.” Nate stood,
Similar Books
