48 First Dates (Seeking Romance #1)

The Prince of Distraction

12

A volleyball match,

my voice gets me a first date,

just a distraction...

I barely survived lucky date number thirteen. We literally ran into each other—that should have set off warning bells. But it didn’t, and we ended up on a first date from mountain bike hell. My bruises and cuts eventually healed. Andrew, a nice guy, was nothing more than the one-hit wonder Prince of Bikes.

When the fall semester was over, I spent some quality time with my family over Christmas break. I came back for the spring semester, ready to get back out there. It took a month or two before I got the chance.

It was a warm day in early March. I sat watching the boys playing volleyball and enjoying the weather. I almost didn’t go that afternoon. I had just gotten over a bad sinus infection, and I still felt weak. But I figured the sunshine would be healing. Plus, the view from the grass next to the volleyball court was well worth the effort it had taken to go outside.

Brenn was wearing only a pair of gym shorts to hide his sweat-soaked, glistening muscles. On his back was a tattoo that I hadn’t seen before. The ruby-throated hummingbird hovered on his shoulder, moving in intoxicating ways as he and Stretch dominated the volleyball court.

It was like watching that well-known volleyball scene play out in real life in front of me. You know that one from Top Gun—the original one, not the new one—that was football, and it wasn’t nearly as satisfying.

I sat there watching the volleyball game, my imagination turning Brenn into Maverick and Tom into Goose. Sweat rolled, sand sprayed, and men roared as they thwacked the ball back and forth over the net.

I want a piece of that dark-haired flyboy.

The thought popped into my head and caused me to gasp.

Stop it!

The left side of my brain spoke up. It was trying to convince the imagination-flowing right side of my brain not to misbehave. But I could practically taste the sweat dripping down Brenn’s neck as my imagination planted a kiss there. His warm, earthy musk enveloped my mind as his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me in to celebrate their win.

That’s enough! Focus elsewhere! Lefty commanded.

A new player entered my field of vision. He was cute—blond wavy hair, a tanned, decent body. He had spent some time outside. Since I couldn’t think about a certain sweaty, volleyball-playing, friendly Irishman, this was a nice distraction.

The distraction was staring at me with chestnut eyes. A flush-it-down shade that matched mine—a good sign. He walked over and introduced himself. “Hey, I’m Ethan. Ethan Hawks, with an ‘s.’ The college kid, not to be confused with the movie star.”

“I’m Adelaide,” I responded with a grin, my voice still sounding all low and gravelly from being sick.

“That seat taken?” Ethan asked as he gestured to the patch of grass next to me.

“Nope,” I said.

“Great,” he said as he sat down.

We both watched as the boys set up for a serve. Brenn grunted as he jumped to hit the ball, drawing my eyes to his sculpted abs. My insides melted as he stretched. This is not helping! I sucked in a breath, barely registering the fact that he served an ace.

“Nice serve,” Ethan said. “So, who are you rooting for?”

“My friends.” I pointed to Brenn’s and Tom’s side of the court.

“I’m here for my friends, too. Looks like your friends are winning, though. At least your one friend serves a way better game.”

I grinned. “Yeah, he does.” Brenn waved at me before he squatted in a ready stance. When the ball reached their side, Tom set it up. Brenn jumped up and spiked it for another point. I whooped, and Ethan golf-clapped.

“So, what do you do when you’re not watching volleyball?” he asked.

“You know, the usual college stuff—go to class, study, and hang out with friends.” I leaned back and placed my hands on the cushiony grass.

“Sounds amazing.” Ethan closed his eyes. He smiled as if he had a whole chocolate cream pie to himself.

I laughed.

He opened his eyes and gave me a look. One that was supposed to smolder. But with Brenn’s abs in the background, the look barely puffed.

“What are you studying?” Ethan asked.

“I’m in Wildlife and Ecology Management.”

He leaned in and lowered his voice. “Hmm, that sounds interesting. What’s your favorite animal? And why is it your favorite?”

“Indoors, my favorite animal is a cat. I know it’s cliché, but cats are awesome, and they aren’t very needy.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“How about the outdoors?” He prompted with a wave of his hand, scootching to close the distance between us.

The ruby-throated hummingbird.

I couldn’t say that. It would be too obvious. One glance at Brenn’s back and I would be busted.

I went with a safer choice. “Outdoors, the spotted owl. They are bio-indicators—animals that we can use to help us to assess the health of the surrounding environment. They don’t build their nests. Instead, they use tree cavities and broken treetops. Those can only be found in a healthy old-growth forest. So, if a forest has been over-logged, overused, or diseased, the population of the owl will decrease. But if we do the work to restore the forest, the number of spotted owl will increase. Pretty cool, huh?”

He nodded. “Wow, tell me more.” His lips parted, and his hand inched closer to mine.

“There are other bio-indicator animals, like mayflies, salamanders, bats, and monarch butterflies. Plus, plants, like marsh periwinkles and even lichens, can be used to assess the health of an ecosystem. Nature is amazing and can tell us so much if we learn to read the signs.” I paused, looking over at Ethan to see if I was boring him. I wondered if I had shared too much information in my harsh, throaty tones.

His eyes were closed, and a look of pleasure graced his face. I looked away, focusing on the game in front of us. Brenn served another ace and I let out a cheer.

Next to me, Ethan opened his eyes and stared into mine before saying, “Can you just keep talking? Your voice is so... mmm... delicious.”

“This gravelly voice? This is my I-just-got-over-a-sinus- infection voice? I’m not sure there’s anything yummy about that.” I shook my head as I absently reached up to scratch a non-existent mosquito bite on my arm.

“Trust me, there is.” A relaxed smile crossed his face.

I looked away, focusing once more on the game. The first match was over and the boys were taking a quick rest.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Either way, let me take you to dinner tonight.” Ethan said as he scooted over to close the gap between us.

My first thought was an immediate no. But across the court, the sight of Brenn wiping the sweat off his torso garbled my thoughts.

Oh. My. Abs!

Brenn was looking down, but I saw a blonde approaching him. The I-don’t-know-where-my-pencil-is blonde from our class last semester. This time, her silhouette was highlighted by a red pencil dress. She licked her lips and said something to Brenn.

Bet her lip gloss is strawberry- or apple-flavored this time.

He looked up and grinned. She grabbed his arm, and my heart dropped into my shoes.

“Sure, what time were you thinking?” came out of my mouth.

“How about when the game is over?” he asked. “We can go grab a bite to eat at the food court close by.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I responded.

We continued to chat about school and our friends, but my mind was only half on the conversation. The pencil-needing blonde had stayed on the other side of the court, watching the second match. At the end of the game, she monopolized his attention. Only Tom returned my goodbye.

Ethan helped me up. He held onto my hand as we walked to the food court. When we got there, we decided on subs. I got my standard cold-cut combo. He got a sub with salami, lots of cucumbers, and no cheese.

I should have known then we weren’t compatible. A life without the creamy, salty taste of cheese isn’t worth living.

But we talked between bites, and the conversation flowed throughout our dinner. Ethan listened to what I had to say and asked lots of questions.

I’m not sure I was as attentive as he was, but I was enjoying our time together. And even though I found his sub-combination outrageous, I didn’t hold it against him. At least we chose the same chips.

After we cleared up the table, we walked out of the dining hall. Ethan said, “I really enjoyed this. When can I see you again?”

I hesitated with my answer.

Ethan was nice, but I wasn’t sure. Yes, I was having fun. But my heart didn’t flutter with a spark of potential.

That’s when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brenn, freshly showered and fully dressed, walking into the food court. A bit of water dripped from his hair onto his collar, and my stomach tightened. The missing pencil blonde draped herself over his left arm. His face was tilted away from me. I couldn’t tell if he was pleased or not.

“Tomorrow at three PM. I go to spin class—join me there. It will be fun,” came out of my mouth.

A smile spread across Ethan’s face. “That sounds fantastic. See you then!” He turned and walked toward his dorm as my gaze followed him.

Tomorrow, I will stare at Ethan.

No gawking at Brenn.

Just Ethan, my private distraction.

In my head, it was all going to work out great.

Spin class was as brutal and heart-pumping as usual. The instructor worked us through the paces, saddle-in and saddle-out. The view from behind Ethan was a good one. He provided quite the distraction, and it was clear that this wasn’t his first workout.

Even so, my gaze wandered to the free weights, where I knew Brenn would be working out with the rest of the soccer team. I told myself I was simply checking out the team, the whole soccer team. Not just Brenn. Because I couldn’t find Brenn in my view.

I had seen him come in. He waved at me like usual, giving me his winning smile. I waved back from where I was standing at the door, waiting for the spin instructor. Ethan put his arm around me. The weight of it caused me to jerk my head back and stare at him.

At that moment, the instructor opened the door. Ethan dropped his arm and turned to walk into the class.

Before I followed into the class, I glanced back. But Brenn was gone. I sighed and walked in, finding a bike behind Ethan.

An hour later, we were walking out with Jell-O legs. “That was a great class! Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course,” I mumbled as I searched the faces in the hallway.

“Listen, I stink like a skunk mixed up with a rotten egg. I’m going to get a quick shower. How about we meet back here in fifteen minutes?” Ethan asked.

“Sure,” I said, still looking into the crowd.

“Hey,” Ethan said. I swiveled my head back in his direction. “If you have somewhere to be, don’t let me hold you back.”

I sighed. “No, it’s good. Sorry. Let’s shower and meet here in fifteen minutes.” I gave him a half-smile and turned quickly, ignoring the way he stepped in. He looked like he was going to kiss me, and I wasn’t ready for that.

As the water washed over me, I realized I was using Ethan to distract me from a particular boy. One that my brain knew my heart couldn’t want. It wasn’t fair to ask him to be a substitute or a distraction from a crush that I needed to let go of.

Or was it?

Ethan could end up being the prince. Maybe I hadn’t given him a fair chance because I had been distracted. As I dressed, I weighed the pros and cons. When I walked out of the bathroom, I still had no idea what to do.

I found a clean-smelling Brenn waiting for me. The scent of bergamot, oranges, and wood reached my nose. Leprechaun soap.

“So, who’s the guy?” Brenn asked as he bumped my shoulder.

“Ethan. I met him the day you all played volleyball.”

He grunted. I turned to him, searching his face.

What did that grunt mean? Was he jealous? Was he just making conversation? His own lips told me he thought of me as his best friend months ago. Has that changed?

I stared at him and found no answers. His emotions were locked in the vault behind his green eyes.

“So, pencil-needing girl?” I poked with a verbal jab, hoping to open the safe.

“What?” Brenn’s eyes crinkled as his head tilted. “Oh, you mean Lindsey. Nah, she’s just a friend.”

Not if she has anything to say about it.

“So you don’t have any idea what her lip gloss tastes like? I’ve always wondered.”

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Definite no on that one. But she probably knows. She licks her lips a lot.”

I snickered at how her attention-grabbing endeavor had failed. My shoulders relaxed. “I noticed you have a new tattoo.”

“Yeah, it’s a good luck charm.”

“What?” I asked with raised eyebrows. How was a hummingbird a good luck charm?

“It’s helped me meet the best people.” My face fell as his words delivered a punch to my guy. He probably meant that stupid pencil-needing girl, Lindsey, or some other one I hadn’t met yet.

Brenn reached out, his fingers grazing my hand. The electricity of his touch jolted my head up. Our eyes locked, and the memory of what he told me months ago resurfaced. He, Pete, and Tom stopped on the trail the day they ran into us to watch a ruby-throated hummingbird. They had sat there for about thirty minutes, watching the tiny bird flit from flower to flower. If they hadn’t, they would have passed by the spot where I fell way before I got there.

Suddenly, my fingers twitched with the desire to touch that new tattoo. Brenn meant me. I was the best people. Right?

I never got the answer because the men’s bathroom door swung open. Ethan walked out, looking ready for class with a backpack slung over his shoulder. “Wow, you look great!” Ethan walked over and put his arms around me, bringing along the scent of sandalwood. “And you smell like the honeysuckles.” He took a big sniff of my hair before releasing me.

“Ethan, this is Brenn,” I said.

“Ahh, the volleyball friend. You guys played well.” Ethan stuck out his hand to shake Brenn’s.

Brenn nodded as he shook Ethan’s hand. “Later, Adelaide,” he said as he turned to walk away.

I stared after him. Ethan ignored his retreat and stepped into my field of vision. “So, what’s next? We had dinner. We have worked out together. How about a study break snack in the middle of the week?”

“Umm...” I bit my lip and looked up at the ceiling for a reply.

Brenn.

I glanced back down the hallway lined with concrete blocks, but I couldn’t spot him in the sea of people. My eyes met Ethan’s. He was waiting expectantly for my reply. “Yeah, a study date sounds like a good idea.”

His stance relaxed, and a broad smile overtook his lips. “Great. How about we meet at the library tomorrow at four PM?”

I nodded.

He leaned in and pecked me on the cheek, jogging away before I could say a word. My hand flew to my cheek as I turned around. That’s when I saw Brenn leaning against the wall by the doorway. He was looking back at me, and our eyes met. I knew he had seen what had occurred.

He nodded and walked out the door.

What did that mean?

The next day, I was sure of what I had to do. It wasn’t fair for me to ask Ethan to be a substitute or a distraction. And I knew deep down that it was all he would be to me.

I arrived at the library first and got a table that required him to sit across from me. I didn’t stand to meet him, which resulted in an awkward shoulder tap instead of a hug.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and his brows lowered as he sat down. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I said, with a glance down at the table. I rubbed my palms on my thighs.

Better to get it over with.

I took a deep breath and looked up to see Ethan staring at me with his head cocked to one side. “Ethan, I like you. You’re such a nice guy, but—”

“Just stop there. I know what comes next.” His nostrils flared as he stood up.

I thought he was going to turn and walk away. But he stared at me as I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. His mouth opened and closed as if he was thinking of what to say. He let out a heavy sigh.

“See ya later, Adelaide.” Ethan turned and walked away without saying another word.

As I stared at Ethan’s retreating form framed by library stacks, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I pressed my palms to my eyes.

That went so much easier than I thought it would.

I didn’t want to tell Ethan that he was a distraction. That I had only agreed to our dates because I couldn’t agree to one with Brenn. I sighed as I picked up my pencil to get back to work.

School I could do. But searching for a fairytale life?

That I was doing a pretty awful job of finding.