Page 48

She picks up her wineglass as soon as it hits the table, taking a long sip while studying me. "And what sport did you do?"

"Swimming." I smile and thank the server for my beer. "It's been part of my life for as long as I can remember, basically."

She hums under her breath. "Well, like I said, not what I was expecting."

I want to ask more questions, push the issue, and figure out what she means, but someone at a nearby table catches my attention. Apparently, I wasn’t the only person who thought this was a great place for a first date, because Mia's here with hers. The one the bra was for. My brain short circuits.

She looks beautiful, with her hair styled in dark waves and makeup fairly neutral except for the deep red lipstick. The loose-fitting cropped tee she's wearing showcases her tattoos, but the grimace at whatever her date is saying is the thing I notice most.

"You know, I looked you up."

My attention snaps back to Jasmine, a frown forming on my lips. "I'm sorry, what?"

She rolls her eyes, leaning back against her seat. "I said I looked you up online, but you can't be surprised by that, right? Katrina told me your name, and it’s a pretty common thing for women to do these days. Plus, you're a professional athlete—"

"Was," I correct, but she doesn't seem to care. It makes sense I have to correct her, she looked me up and still can’t get my name right.

"So I knew it'd be easy to get some information on you. Which is part of the reason I'm shocked we're here for our date. Everything Isaw tells me you're a party boy who only wants to have a good time. Definitely not the ‘sit in a cozy restaurant and talk about our days’ kind of guy."

"And I'm guessing that's a problem for you?" I hear the irritation in my voice, but I can't help it. "You knew where we were going. Why did you say yes?"

Jasmine shrugs, running a long red nail around the rim of her wineglass. "I was bored and have never dated an Olympian. I thought it could be fun."

I know what those words mean. I've been the one to say them more times than I care to admit, in some variation. I wanted to hang out, to get drunk, maybe hookup, but at the end of the day, this isn't going anywhere. Jasmine isn't looking for a serious relationship; I'm not sure she's even looking for a real date.

Still, Kat set this up, and I owe it to her to see if I can salvage it.

"Well, that's not who I am anymore." I want to set those expectations right away. "I've grown up a lot over the last few years. Hopefully, this night isn't a big disappointment to you."

She gives me a flirty smile over her wineglass. "Well, that depends on where we end it."

I bite back the grimace at the forward comment as she sips her wine. I didn't come here with any intention to hookup, but it's clear she did. And while I am not opposed to hookups on the first date, I've done it more than enough times, I can't shake the feeling she came to this conclusion based on articles she read about a man who hasn't existed in a long time.

"Look, I would prefer we lay this all out on the table before we waste our time. I am not sleeping with you tonight."

Her brow climbs up her forehead in surprise. "And you know that after only fifteen minutes?"

"I knew it before I even met you. It's not personal—you are a very beautiful woman, but I am looking for something real. Something more serious and I don't do hookups anymore."

Her eyes flit across my face like she's looking for some kind of tell—a sign that what I said isn't true. Maybe she thinks I'm pulling some kind of test on her, but it doesn't matter. I'm not wavering on this. I don't want to hookup with anyone.

"Are you using me as a rebound?"

Her question catches me off guard, but I'm quickly distracted by the sound of someone coughing loudly across the patio. My gaze snaps to Mia in time to see her take a gulp from her water, cheeks flushed. Jasmine must notice when my attention is lost because she follows my eyes over her own shoulder.

"Is that your ex?" Her gaze lingers on Mia for a minute. "Her tattoos are cool as hell."

I don't know, but the compliment makes a smile tug across my lips. I don't know why, but Jasmine didn't strike me as the type to be jealous of someone else's tattoos, especially when it comes to as many as Mia. Though, personally, I can’t agree with her more.

"Not my ex. Just a friend I've known for a while," I tell her.

Jasmine turns back to me with a shrug. "If you say so, but I still think you're looking at this like a rebound."

I have no interest in pouring my heart out to this woman I barely know, and don’t particularly like. Especially about a woman I barely had before I fucked it up and spent years in a miscommunication-based hell just to get a sliver of her back in my life. And now I'm too terrified to even let myself consider something happening between the two of us.

"I have no intention of treating you like a rebound," I assure her, my gaze flicking back over to Mia, who is looking increasinglyuncomfortable, before focusing back on my date. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression."

"It wouldn't be the first time things ended that way." A flirty smirk crosses her features. "We could still have fun."