Page 13 of Decidedly Off Limits

“Statistics show,” Trent said, “that owners of sport cars tend to be reckless.”

Oh, God, someone find me a brick wall to bang my head against.

6

Trent

IknewI was being an asshole to Kelsey’s date. I couldn’t help it. Just look at him. It couldn’t have been more obvious from the way he was scoping her that he had only one thing in mind—and it wasn’t to discuss the latest in physical therapy news.

It was official: I was going to kill my sister.

And it had nothing to do with my promise to Liam. Kelsey deserved more than this jerk-off. He was only interested in fucking her. He didn’t care about the amazing woman in front of him.

I shifted in my seat, letting my leg brush against hers again. The jolt that I had experienced the first time, when I’d sat down, hummed up my thigh and through my body.

Kelsey inhaled a sharp breath, too soft to be heard by anyone but me. For a second I let myself believe that my touch affected her the same way her touch affected me. For a second I let myself believe that Liam and Erin wouldn’t have an issue with me being with Kelsey. For a second I let myself believe that I was the right man for her.

But then the logical voice in my head reminded me that I was a workaholic who didn’t do commitments—for good reason.

Kelsey did commitments.

I moved my leg away from hers, doing my best to ignore the loss of contact between us.

“Does that mean you aren’t a careful driver?” she asked me, a smirk in her tone. “You have a sports car.”

You heard theding-ding-ding, right? That was Kelsey scoring a point.

“That doesn’t count,” I said.

“Why doesn’t it count?” The smirk was still there.

“Because I happen to like my life, and I’m not going to risk it by driving like an idiot.”

“I feel the same way,” the jerk told me. Then to Kelsey he said, “There are other ways, more fun ways, to get an adrenaline rush.” Though from the way he was looking at her, it was clear what he meant.

I clenched my hands under the table to keep from introducing them to his face. There might’ve also been the need to keep them off Kelsey, since I itched to place my hand on her thigh and soak in her warmth, to re-experience the jolt. A few other ideas as to what I wanted to do, involving my fingers and the heat between her legs, also came to mind.

My cock hardened in agreement, hoping to get a piece of that action. It took everything inside me not to groan out loud.Focus.

“You still haven’t mentioned what you do for a living,” I said, my tone five steps from being cordial. This resulted in a sharp kick to my lower leg.Ouch!

Both women gaped at me like I was crazy, so I had no idea who was responsible for the bruise now forming on my leg. Although based on Kelsey’s expression, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she tried to lure me down a dark alley and murder me.

Holly widened her eyes at me, her message clear:Why are you trying to sabotage your friend’s date?But it wasn’t as if I could tell her—although I was sure her brothers would understand why I was doing this on Liam’s behalf. The last person I would admit my feelings to when it came to Kelsey was another woman. While Holly wasn’t the type to date much, she was still a woman. She would tell me to get my head out of my ass and ask Kelsey out instead of being an asshole.

Right. She wouldn’t have put it quite as crassly, but the sentiment was the same. And if Kelsey was anyone but my best friend’s sister, I would’ve done just that. It didn’t bother me that she wasmy sister’sbest friend. Much.

Erin was a different situation. She would’ve crushed my balls with a baseball bat if she even suspected I got hard over her best friend. She’d worry about what would happen if things between Kelsey and me didn’t work out.

And she had a good point. History was a bitch.

So that brought me back to my original dilemma: Kelsey’s douchebag date.

“I’m the owner and CEO of Dinemar,” he said. “My company creates software for various companies, including hospitals and medical offices.”

A twinge of admiration settled on my shoulders. The company wasn’t part of my mutual fund portfolio, but I’d heard one of the other guys in the office talk about it. The company was doing great things for his portfolio.

But hell if I’d admit that to this loser.