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This time, Keegan stepped up and said, “My turn to toast.” We raised our glasses. “To good friends, lasting relationships, hot future husbands, and a lifetime of love.” Clinking glasses, I was just about to tip my head back when something . . . or should I say,
someone
caught my eye. The other girls had yet to notice me staring, but it didn’t take long for Macie to catch my line of vision.

“Well, what are the odds? Looks like a Brooks brother can be found in every little corner of this God forsaken town,” she said with clear disdain.

Jordan, Erin, and Keegan all turned their heads to see what she was glowering at. About twenty feet away stood a very tall, and exceptionally well dressed, Turner. He was wearing black slacks and a slate gray button down shirt. His eyes were looking down at the woman in front of him that was all but dry humping his leg as she danced. Personally, I wouldn’t call it dancing, it looked more like she was convulsing while standing upright
. His features were smooth as I took in the square line of his jaw, and the way he absently nodded at her. He wasn’t listening to a word she was saying. Couldn’t she see his blank expression? Despite my disinterest, I felt a pull, preventing me from taking my eyes off of him. Like an invisible tether that drew me closer even though my feet never left the spot they were standing in.

“Oh look . . . another one.” Macie’s disgust was palpable. For whatever reason, she wasn’t a fan of the four brothers that everyone in this town seemed to know, or want to have some part of. We all stood and watched as two more barely dressed women approached. “It’s like flies on shit. They just can’t get enough of it.”

Erin busted out laughing. “Girl, I
know
you didn’t just refer to that man as shit. He is anything but. I’ve seen him around the hospital and I’ll tell ya right now, if I ever had a chance with that man, I sure as hell wouldn’t say no.”

I glanced at her, as a pang of jealously shot through me.
Oh, I just bet you would.
I silently thought. I bet every woman in this bar would take a ride on the “Dr. Turner Brooks train.” Everybody but me, that is. Just as the thought came and went, he lifted his head. Ice blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the flashing strobe lights zeroed in on mine and everything around me stopped. I heard no music, I saw no woman grinding on him. In fact, I didn’t even see people. In those short seconds before Keegan stole my attention, it seemed as if I were standing alone in a room with Turner and I was seeing him for the first time after seven and a half months. But who’s counting? He held me there, unmoving and unable to turn away. What happened to my indifference? There certainly
was
something about him, wasn’t there. Tilting my head to the side, I watched him
as his eyes stayed glued to mine. I wish I understood men more.
I wonder what he’s thinking,
I thought curiously.

“Earth to Annabelle.” Keegan spoke loudly into my ear. I cut the invisible line that entranced me and looked over to her. “I’m going to go say hi. Do you want to come with?”

Of course she would want to say hi. It was her future brother in law. I thought about it but decided to remain where I was. “No, I’m good. I think I’ll keep an eye on Macie.” It may have been an excuse, but at least it was a believable one.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She pushed her way through the crowd and approached Turner.

I watched their interaction from where I stood. She hugged him lovingly, and he responded back with a smile that was actually real. Not like the ones I saw him give the people around him that vied for his attention. He kept his hand on her lower back as he spoke closely to her ear. Their conversation seemed easy and not forced. I wondered how well Keegan actually knew Turner.
Did they hang out on the weekends? Did they chat outside of family gatherings?
I’d grown curious about him as the months passed. Not enough to go talk to him, obviously. But I did find myself occasionally thinking about him. What was it that drew so many to him? Money could certainly be one reason, but I knew in his case it was more than that. The Brooks brothers were a force to be reckoned with. I suppose I never really paid enough attention, but now when I heard their names, I perked up and listened. Women were dying to get their hands on them, and others mourned the loss of Camden to the single world as if he had died. It really did make me want to roll my eyes. But it also plagued me with intrigue.

Just as I was about to pry my inquisitive eyes away from Turner, Keegan pointed in the direction I was standing. Oh for the love of God, I wanted to hide. What was she doing? I started to twist around to look at the other three girls. Maybe she was pointing at them. But then I saw a small tilt of Turner’s mouth rise. There was no denying that he was looking directly at me. He gave me one sharp nod and then looked down at Keegan without waiting for me to nod back. That small acknowledgement was enough to cause a case of butterflies to rise up in my tummy.

Feeling frustrated by my reaction, I decided to make my way over to the others to see if they could distract me. Macie was hanging all over some guy that looked like he just came from the beach and . . .
oh my God is he really wearing a Hawaiian shirt?
Ugh, she must be really trashed if she thought this one was a winner. As I approached Erin and Jordan they grinned at me and asked if I was having a good time. I gave them an overly enthusiastic thumbs up. They must have either believed me or didn’t know me well enough to realize I was feeling out of place. I awkwardly stood with the three of them and the beach bum for about ten minutes when I felt a light tapping on my shoulder. I twisted around and saw a cute waitress with a tray in her hand a vibrant blue drink sitting in the middle of it.

She picked the glass up and handed it to me. “Compliments of the gentleman.” She pointed in the direction of Turner.

Keegan was nowhere around him. I didn’t give any thought to where she could have run off too. Instead I found myself watching him as he eyed me from across the room. I tentatively took the glass from her hand and didn’t bother saying thank you before she walked away. I watched with a raised brow as Turner lifted his own drink in the air as if to toast to me, then sipped it with a smile. I felt irritated that he was presumptuous enough to have a drink sent over to me. Only overly cocky men did this kind of crap. When he brought his glass away from his mouth, he regarded me, waiting for me to take a drink of my own. I had two choices. I could down the drink and try to act smooth and unfazed. Or I could hand it over to one of the girls, giving him the brush off, and try to ignore him for the rest of the night. Option two seemed appealing, however the shot I’d taken from earlier mixed with the Xanax was making me feel a little braver than normal. Option one it was. The ice clinked in the glass as I brought it up to my lips. Taking a small sip, a cold citrus flavor washed down my throat, bathing my tongue in a delicious tropical mix.
Mmm, it was good. Damn it!
Maybe if I drank it slowly enough, the ice would melt and dilute it. I already had that warm sensation your legs get when you know the alcohol is doing its job. I took another sip of the little blue cocktail and decided I liked it.

I didn’t want to down the drink too quickly. Not just because I needed to keep my wits about me, but also because I wanted to savor it. There were a dozen women in this room that would fall over backwards if Turner gave them the slightest bit of attention, and for whatever reason, he was giving it to me. I knew the reality of the situation. I was a challenge. I’d turned him down. I was like Mount Everest and he saw me as something to conquer. Men loved a good game. It didn’t matter though. I wasn’t the hungry, little fish ready to devour the worm. If he thought I was, he was in the wrong damn pond. So I’d take his drink, allow the delectable flavor to wash through me, and I’d go about my business. Meeting his stare, I tipped my head in thanks, then turned away. I refused to give him any other acknowledgement.

Funny how that was my resolve, but over the course of the next half hour, I’d swallowed the last drop and I found myself dancing in a sea of people I didn’t know. GDFR was playing entirely too loud and sweaty bodies were bumping into mine. I didn’t mind though. I was in my own little world. The heat and the alcohol burning in my veins made for a concoction that had me swaying my hips. I felt amazing. And damn it if Macie didn’t do good when she made me change into this dress. I was feeling sexy and confident.

“Keep it up, Annabelle, and I’ll be taking you out of here and somewhere more private where not every male eye is on you,” a deep voice near my ear hissed.

Twisting around to see who it was, I was slightly unbalanced. A strong hand gripped my upper arm and prevented me from falling over. Turner was gazing down at me with heat in his eyes. Those baby blues looked straight down at my exposed chest. Honestly, I’d lost track of where Turner was in the crowd and was only concerned with feeling good in the moment. Seeing him this close, and feeling him touching me startled me.

“Excuse me?” I tried to sound stern but it just came out breathy.

He clenched his jaw and his eyes roamed my barely covered body. “You heard me. You’ve only had two drinks since you’ve been here. Did you drink before you came?”

I jerked my head back and tried to regain my footing so I wasn’t leaning into his hand. “No. And how do you know I’ve had two drinks? You only sent me one.”

“I saw when you came in.”

“Really?” I said with mild irritation.

“Yes.”

Hmmm, what does one say to that? I was slightly overjoyed that he noticed when I came in. With all the attention he’d been getting it’s a wonder he even saw past the swarm of . . . what did Macie call them? Oh yes, flies.

I pulled my arm out of his hand and stood as tall as I could. “Well, thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. Just enjoying the music.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “I can see that.”

“Is that a problem?”

“It is when you’re dre . . .” Turner wasn’t able to finish his sentence before a blonde with long wild curls stepped in front of me as if I wasn’t standing there.

“Hey there, handsome. What’s a guy like you doing all alone?”

He looked at her as if she was a nuisance he would shoo away. “Actually, I wasn’t alone.”

She smiled up him with wonder in her eyes. Turner was apparently the answer to her loneliness for the night. Did she even hear what he just said? By the way she was inching
closer, I’d say no. It didn’t take long before another blonde approached but didn’t say anything. I didn’t understand how these women couldn’t read his expressions. His face was puckered, like he’d just bit into a sour lemon.

Lifting her glass, the presumptuous one said, “I’m running a little low. Mind buying both of us a drink?”

My mouth dropped open. Turner gave her a slight head shake. “Nah, I’m good thanks.”

Well, at least he was being polite.

“Awe, c’mon. Maybe it’ll loosen you up enough to dance.”

“I don’t dance.”

The one who’d remained quiet up until this point piped in, “Everybody dances with enough liquid courage.” Her smile looked like it came straight from a temptress in hell.

He wasn’t backing down. “Not happening.”

Poking my head around the mess of curls from the first woman, their temporary distraction gave me enough time to absorb the sheer beauty of Turner. Standing this close, he had the most perfect shadowing of facial hair I’d ever seen. It was a darker color which complimented the sandy blonde hair he’d styled. Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I swear I could smell him. It was something I’d never smelled before. Definitely some sort of aftershave, which was weird because he clearly hadn’t shaved, but not a cologne my nose was recognizing.

Interesting.

“Run along girls, he’s not interested,” I stated in an overly bold manner, getting them to realize I was there.

One with wild curls turned and sneered at me. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” I was never one to cause a scene, but my annoyance had reached its peak.

The other blonde had the nerve to laugh. “Wow, since when did Warehouse let uptight bitches in?”

I could sense the tension flowing off of Turner and he was about to step in. No sir, this chick was making it personal now. “Probably about the same time they let easy bitches, with bad roots in. Now run along, I’m sure there are a dozen other men who are desperate enough take you ladies home tonight.” I leaned forward, just to push my point. “Make sure they have their beer goggles on. Between you and me, you’re both prettier from far away.”

I was certain that last comment was going to earn me a slap or hair pull. Fortunately for me, Turner chose that moment to step in front of me, momentarily blocking my view.

“I think y’all are done here,” he stated firmly.

If looks could kill, I’m sure both he and I would be a melted puddle on the ground the way their laser eyes were shooting beams at us. Of course, that could have just been the strobe lights that suddenly shifted to all red. Or maybe the alcohol really was getting to me.

When they walked away with their dignity tucked between their legs, Turner had a very amused expression plastered on his face. “A little possessive don’t you think?”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”