Taking Shots (Assassins) Read online

  “For sure, if I ever figure out how to use my email.” She laughed as he picked up his blanket and their trash. “Maybe you could teach me,” he said as she stood straighter, he had that sexy smirk on his face, the one that made her girlie parts scream.

  Bad girlie parts!

  “Sure,” she said breathlessly.

  “Cool, where did you park?”

  “Over by the Sportsplex.”

  “Awesome, me too. We can walk together.”

  She smiled and they started walking in silence. Not weird silence but comfortable silence. How she had became so comfortable with him so quickly was beyond her, but she would never let him know. He probably thought they were becoming friends. She was someone to teach him things, since he obviously was an idiot with technology.

  She was not girlfriend material.

  Duh.

  When Elli saw her truck, her heart dropped to her stomach. This was the end. No telling if he would ever have contact with her. He would be nice, of course. The occasional hello if they ever ran into each other. But this was the end of probably one of the best afternoons of her life.

  “Where’s your car?” he asked as she started towards her truck.

  “My truck is right here,” Elli said, pointing to her truck. Like always when guys saw her truck, their eyes got big, their mouth dropped open some, and they gave her the ‘you gotta be kidding me’ look. She expected it, liked it even.

  “That’s your truck?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I expected you to drive something small, like a Beetle.”

  “Why, cause I’m a girl?!”

  “No, well, maybe…that’s a big damn truck!” Elli ran her hand lovingly down the side of her baby. Along with her house, it was one of her favorite things.

  “It is big, but I like big things if you haven’t noticed: my dog, my truck-“

  “Maybe you’re man?” Elli choked on the words that were trying to leave her mouth as her face went deep red in a matter of seconds, he laughed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “I’m not embarrassed,” she lied, not looking in his eyes.

  “Actually, you are. You’re bright red!”

  “Oh, hush,” she said, smacking him on the arm. Was she flirting? Jesus, what the hell is wrong with her? She glanced up at him and he was grinning at her, making her feel even more stupid, so she looked away to unlock her doors.

  “So, can I get your number?” She looked over her shoulder at him as she laid her bag down.

  “Oh, of course,” she muttered as she rambled the numbers off when he had his phone out. He pushed a button, and then her phone started ringing.

  “For when you want to call me,” he said with a grin as he did some more stuff with his phone.

  “Oh, okay,” she said with a nervous giggle as she saved his number, when she looked up from her phone, he was closer to her, his blue eyes piercing into hers. His jaw ticked at the side, and, her eyes were drawn to his mouth.

  Good golly, it was a pretty mouth. Such strong jaw bones, a little scar at the end of his chin. His lips looked so soft, so inviting.

  “I had a great afternoon with you, Elli,” he said. Was he whispering? Was his voice husky? Oh, God.

  “Me, too, one of the best ever,” she cringed at her nervous babble. God, she was an idiot. Shea gave her a sexy grin that she was starting to think he was born doing, and leaned closer to her. Her breath caught, and he smiled again.

  “Can I kiss you?” he whispered in a husky manly, yummy voice. Elli could do nothing but nod and his lips were over hers within seconds. His lips were so warm, so strong, as his hand came up to her cheek, caressing her softly. She had never been kissed like this. When Justin would kiss her, it was quick and rushed, but Shea took his time, tasting her mouth as she did the same to him. When he pulled back, he smiled down at her. “I’ll call you later?”

  Elli’s head bounced up and down like a freaking bobble head.

  “Bye, Elli.”

  “Bye,” she said after he was already to his car.

  Okay, what the hell just happened?

  “He kissed you!” Harper bellowed through the house when Elli had relayed the afternoon to her. “Oh, my God! Was it good?” Harper had come over for dinner and a movie. Something they did a lot. Sometimes their other friends came, too, and they made a night of it, but tonight it was just her and Harper. Sometimes she liked it better that way.

  “It was amazing,” Elli gushed out. “I don’t know why he did it though.”

  “Because he likes you!”

  “Oh, come on, Shea Adler? Like me, Elli Fisher, please. I am nowhere near his type; he likes the leggy blondes with big boobs, small waist, and fake faces. I am not that.”

  “You don’t know his type, Elli, plus you can give them blondes a run for their money! You’re beautiful.”

  “I’m fat, and I guess okay looking.”

  “Oh, shut up!” Harper said throwing a piece of popcorn at her, Elli giggled as she picked it up, throwing it in her mouth. “I slept with Jakob again.”

  “Well, that came out of nowhere,” Elli giggled as Harper just grinned widely at her, “Again? I thought that was a one time deal.”

  “Me, too, but he kept like calling me and then he showed up at my condo last night and I’m, like, well, since you’re here come on in and fuck my brains out. You know?”

  “No, actually, I don’t.”

  Harper giggled. “That’s what you should do with Shea, just have him knock your boots off, then be done. How long has it been since you’ve gotten any?”

  “Wow, Harper. Um, no, I will not be knocking my boots off with Shea Adler. That would be a horror. A big sexy man like him with my dumpy body? Please!” Elli purposely didn’t answer the other question. That was an embarrassment in itself. Something Elli didn’t even want to venture too.

  “Your body is beautiful, Elli; you’ve got sexy curves, something I wish I had. I’m just bones and skin.”

  Elli gave her a pointed look. “Please, don’t give me that I wish I was curvy speech, no skinny girl wants to be fat.”

  “You’re not fat!”

  “I’m not skinny.”

  “Whatever, Elli, and don’t think I forgot about my question. How long has it been?”

  “Why does it matter?” Elli asked, picking a piece of popcorn apart. When she was nervous she always had to keep her fingers moving.

  “I want to know.”

  Nothing was said for a moment and when Elli realized Harper wasn’t going to let it go, she let out a breath before saying, “Six years.”

  “What! Since Justin?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Oh, my God, you need to get laid. No wonder you’re such a bitch sometimes.”

  “For the love of God, shut up! I am fine.”

  “You most certainly are not!”

  Elli was about to yell some more when her phone rang. She picked it up and looked at the display.

  “It’s him,” she whispered, looking up at Harper in horror. What the hell was he doing calling her?

  “What? Shea? Answer it!”

  “No! What would I say?”

  “Umm…hello?”

  “Shut up!” Elli stood off the bar stool and walked to the living pushing, talk. “Hello?”

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  “It’s Shea.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh, okay, you sound weird.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “Don’t be, what’s up?”

  “Um, nothing, what’s up with you?”

  “This is Elli right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s wrong? You sound really weird.”

  Elli slapped herself in the forehead, trying to get it together, but how could she! Shea Adler was calling her! “Oh, well, I’m just surprised you called.”

  “Am I not supposed to?”

  “Oh, no, it’s not that. I just didn’t think you would.�