Feels Like the First Time. Tawny Weber

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СКАЧАТЬ of the tires of the entire track team’s vehicles and rigging the microphones so everybody on the debate team had sounded like Donald Duck.

      “I hear it was the stock market. He pulled out just before Wall Street tanked last year,” one of the redheads said.

      “Are you sure?” the one who looked just like her asked. “I heard he’s doing something creative with his degree in computer science. Writing or something like that.”

      “No, no, no,” interrupted the third woman. “He inherited a pile of money from his great-granddad.”

      The three women compared gossip sources while Zoe watched, transfixed, as if the answer to Brad’s success meant world peace and calorie-free chocolate.

      Dex shoved his fists in his pockets and kicked at the pillar. After all these years, all the crap the guy had done to her, she still wanted to see Brad? Didn’t she ever learn?

      Hell, didn’t he? When his mom had told him Zoe’s class was holding its reunion at the hotel, he’d been intrigued. When she’d mentioned Zoe had booked a room, he hadn’t been able to resist a trip home. Even if it meant facing his dad’s nagging that, instead of starting his own business, he invest all his savings in the Drake, and his mom’s lamenting that he was ruining his life by quitting his well-paying job as a video-game designer and going out on his own. Using one of his hard-learned lessons from high school, he’d dealt with their negativity by throwing money toward a fancy vacation for them and sending them packing with the assurance that he’d take care of the hotel while they were away.

      Anything for a chance to hang out with his best friend again. And yeah, he admitted to himself, a chance to nurture that tiny hope that he and Zoe might be a little more than friends this time. He imagined the two of them, cuddled up in the tree house back behind the inn property where they’d planned so many teenage escapades. In his imagination, Zoe’s sweet body was naked as she poised over him calling him big boy and urging him to new heights of pleasure.

      Who said you couldn’t go back in time? Dex grinned. Five minutes in her presence and he was already fantasizing like a seventeen-year-old again.

      “I was surprised that careers and bios weren’t listed in the reunion program,” Zoe said, pulling his attention back to the giggling group. “I mean, isn’t everyone here to catch up on what everyone else has done? I’d think Brad’s success would be the talk of the reunion.”

      His hope—among other things—shriveled at her words.

      “I’m on the reunion committee,” the blond lady said importantly. “We wanted to make this fun, involve everyone in a game or two. You know, like ‘guess the careers.’ That’s why we decided to kick things off tonight with the costume party. It’s all a part of the theme. Didn’t you read your welcome package? You’re supposed to give hints, but keep your actual career a secret. On Wednesday, we’ll play the match game and everyone can share then.”

      “Lovely,” Zoe said tonelessly, her smile strained. “Was that supposed to tie in somehow to our costume? The whole career angle?”

      “Well, yeah,” blondie said with a roll of her eyes. “But it’s supposed to be, you know, like a riddle. Not a giveaway.”

      From Zoe’s infinitesimal grimace, her riddle was going to be figuring out how to turn whatever costume she had into a tie-in to her job. Dex couldn’t wait to find out what she’d ended up doing. He’d tried checking up on her a few times over the years, but he’d never had much luck. She didn’t even have a Facebook page. It baffled the mind.

      “I’ll bet Candy Love is coming as some kind of super-woman. She’s just so perfect, isn’t she? I can’t wait to hear what she’s been up to,” said one of the redheads.

      The look on Zoe’s face was priceless. If he remembered correctly, and when it came to Zoe he usually did, she’d hated Candice. With good reason. Like Brad and him, the two girls had gone head to head in all things academic, with Zoe walking away with the lion’s share of the winnings.

      “I guess I’ll see you all later,” was all she said though. “It was a long flight and I’m a little tired. I might just skip the costume party and catch up with everyone tomorrow.”

      “Oh, no,” chorused the ex-cheerleaders in perfect harmony. They all giggled, then one of the redheads said, “You have to come to the welcome bash. After all, Brad will be there.”

      Zoe’s drooping shoulders straightened at that and she tapped her hip as though she was weighing her choices. Then she shrugged and said, “Sure. I’ll see you all there.” She shifted her purse and prepared to leave, then hesitated and said, “If you see Brad, tell him I’d like to talk to him, okay?”

      She headed across the lobby away from the pillar Dex was hiding behind. Frowning, he watched the sway of her hips as she departed, not bothering to follow her.

      Brad Young. Again.

      Dex shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans with a silent growl. He’d be damned if he’d waste his last week of vacation watching the woman he’d come across the country to see fall all over some other guy. Especially not his old nemesis. Damned if he was going to spend the week taking a backseat in Zoe’s attention to that jerk the way he had all through school.

      Not that he figured he had a claim on Zoe. Hell, it’d been ten years and he knew she’d never seen him as anything but a buddy. Sure, he’d had a few fantasies of changing her viewpoint, but they didn’t even know each other anymore. And the last thing he needed at this juncture of his life was to hook himself into a relationship. So no, no matter what his analytical brain tried to label it, this was not jealousy.

      Brad Young was a dick. A class-A jerk who’d always been out for himself. Oh, sure, he’d always made it look like he was Mr. Friendly. Despite their scholastic competitions, he’d gone out of his way to make friends with Dex, had invited him to hang out. Only the hanging out was always at the Drake’s rec room and Dex was always the one footing the bill. When Dex had wised up and called him on it, Brad had denied that was why he’d kept him around. But when Dex’s wallet had closed, the invites had ended.

      What really pissed Dex off, though, was that Brad had used Zoe. Things like getting her to write his papers, pretending to be her friend while mocking her behind her back. He’d even tagged her with the lousy moniker of longest-living virgin or something like that. All because he’d lost a bet with his football pals about getting down her pants at the drive-in.

      Dex didn’t figure an asshole like that changed much over time. So it was up to him to protect his old friend. For all her tough shell, Zoe was sensitive. He’d have to make sure she wasn’t used or hurt this week.

      Yeah. That was it. It was for her own good that he’d be doing his damndest to monopolize her time and keep her away from Brad. Definitely nothing to do with jealousy.

      As he settled that lie in his head, the twins sauntered past, hips swaying as they whispered together. One of them caught sight of him and stopped, lifted a brow and gave him a long, slow once-over.

      “Well, hello. Are you here for the reunion?” she asked in a throaty purr.

      “Nah,” Dex said, a little unnerved to realize what the phrase eat him up with her eyes actually felt like. It made him want to put protective hands over his privates. “Wrong year.”

      “Too bad. Maybe we can talk СКАЧАТЬ