Page 8 of Kayla's List

I furrow my brows in confusion. He couldn’t be talking about me. I have never been called “talkative” in my entire life. Not once, by anyone. I had to be more than drunk. Somebody must’ve slipped me a mickey.

“Iwas talkative?” I point to myself and look around the room as if someone else will appear.

“Yeah. Extremely talkative.” He gives me a lazy smile that makes his eyes twinkle. He really is a cutie.

His brown hair has a sort of wave to it that gives him a boyish look. However, that chest of his is all man. The bulk and muscles staring at me unashamed make me want to lick my lips. This man is fine.

“So… uh, what’s your name?” I ask, completely embarrassed. I just woke up with a shirtless man, and even though I’ve racked my brain, his name does not come to mind.

“Anderson. Anderson McNair.” He sticks his hand out, and I shake it.

I probably shouldn’t feel shy after we’ve clearly spent the night together, but when his large hand engulfs mine, I feel an instant connection like never before. I drop my eyes from his intense gaze and slowly pull my hand from his.

“Kayla Jones. But you probably already know that. Right?” I question, finally looking up.

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Kayla Jones.” He smiles wide at me, and I can’t help but return his smile.

The pounding of my heart and the fluttering of the butterflies in my stomach tells me I might be in more trouble than I bargained for. I want to regret taking those shots, but looking at this gorgeous Adonis in front of me…Regret is the last thing on my mind!

* * *

ANDERSON

I hadno idea that Kayla was drunk. Her outgoing personality attracted me from the start. When I initially saw her last night, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was glowing, but I couldn’t help but notice her apprehension. I thought maybe being at the club wasn’t her thing. I mean it isn’t mine, so it’s not hard to imagine that someone didn’t want to be in a club.

When her friends pulled her out on the dance floor, I could see Kayla relax and let go. I’m not sure what they were celebrating, but they were obviously out for a special occasion. When her friend, Shelby, came over to hit on Jason, I couldn’t help but pull Kayla into a conversation.

Kayla sat down and right away started asking me questions. Her questions weren’t invasive, and she listened intently to all my answers. I loved how her eyes lit up with excitement when I told her that I was the CEO of a start-up company that made social media apps. She told me how she worked in IT, and from that point on, we sat and geeked out over the latest technology. I thought our conversation was genuine, and maybe it was, but now I’m sure I had a heartfelt conversation with her drunk alter ego. I don’t know how I should feel about that.

“So, I’m pretty sure everyone is already awake. I heard voices earlier.” I break the awkward silence. I glance at my clock and notice it’s just after ten in the morning.

“Okay. Ummm…” Kayla looks around nervously, and it makes me cringe. I spent half the night talking to this fascinating woman, and it’s as if it had never happened. Disappointment wouldn’t be a strong enough word to describe the gut-wrenching feeling I have in the pit of my stomach.

I guess the only thing that was left for me to do was to make her remember.

That Was Awkward

ANDERSON

“So, your girl didn’t rememberanythingfrom last night?” Brady asks shortly after the girls left. I knew one of my friends was bound to ask. When we came out of my room, Kayla’s behavior was a one-eighty from how she’d acted a few short hours before.

“Not a thing.” I can hear the regret in my own voice, so I know the guys could hear it, too.

I still can’t believe that Kayla didn’t remember me. If she was that drunk, I’m kind of surprised that after only a few hours of sleep that the alcohol had worn off.

“Damn, dude, that’s tough.” Jason shakes his head with a frown.

I normally would chalk it up as a one-night attraction and leave it at that, but it has been an extremely long time since I felt that kind of a connection with a woman. I was confused as hell, but damn I was willing to do anything to get to know her better.

“That must’ve been awkward as fuck when she woke up,” Brady responds with a grimace.

I nod my head, but I don’t respond. Awkward was definitely a correct descriptor. Here, I thought once we woke up, we’d get food, relax, and talk more. I was even going to ask Kayla out to dinner tonight. I was still going to ask her, but she ran out of here so fast that I thought her ass was on fire.

“Well, I’m glad that sexy Shelby wasn’t drunk. Not that she could forget me anyway.” Jason smiles, showing all his teeth.

“Man, please. Shelby just likes to flirt. She wasn’t really interested in you,” Tobin says with a scowl.

I feel like I missed something, but with those two, who knows? I wouldn’t exactly call Jason and Tobin friends, but they are cordial. At least, they usually are.