Girls Can't Play

Entitled Stranger

Jamie was frying. Midburn at this time of the year felt like a hot oven and she, like a hot bun in one. She’d wondered if that was the reason it had been named as such while she raced into the grocery store after her mother stopped the car. Her skin had still prickled moments into the store after the short run to avoid the scorching sun, making her regret running at all.

"That's mine!" Someone pulled her out of her thoughts on the weather. A hand had landed on top of hers that held the only bottle of water that lay on the almost empty store shelf.

"Like hell it is!" Jamie fiercely held on, unwilling to let go. "I got here first!" That was the honest truth. There had been no one in the aisle when she got here and definitely no one when she caught sight of that bottle. She was not about to give it up to some entitled stranger.

"Let go, shorty. I had it first."

What the hell? Me? Shorty?! The stranger was tall and huge, towering over her by miles, but that did not give him the right to call her ‘shorty’. He pulled, but Jamie wasn't about to let go. She needed to cool her throat or she would die.

She looked up to glare, but found herself staring into very familiar eyes or so she thought. In a weird way, she felt like she'd stared in them for an entire lifetime, except this time they held something else, something…more. They pulled her in so effortlessly, she wanted to get lost in them for an eternity. To drown in them. That ocean blue was exactly what she needed to cool her down, but then, why was she getting hotter instead of cooling down? And why the hell was this jerk seeming closer now than he should be?

She blinked and only then did she notice the the smug smile dominating his handsome features. Wait, handsome? Crap! Did she just think he was handsome?

"Thank you."

"Hey! That's mine!" Jamie cursed for letting herself get distracted and as the jerk made a sharp turn, heading to the register, a mischievous grin formed on her lips. "It's not over yet, kong." She turned the opposite way, legs pumping as she dashed through the next aisle.

"There you are." He hadn’t gotten far, as she had suspected and he was totally oblivious to her approaching self. Probably didn’t think she would follow too or that she was about to tackle him for his stolen prize. She smirked as she sized up her huge muscled opponent. She was at a disadvantage with her height, but this was no playing field with rules. There would be no red card for any sort of tackle so she went in guns blazing and upon impact, the bottle flew upwards as did she, while her subject tumbled to the ground.

"Yes!" She caught her prize effortlessly and landed on her two feet like a pro.

"Are you crazy?!” Her subject bellowed and she stifled a laugh at the exaggeration in his voice.

"Awww, don't be such a baby." She had been careful, so she was sure nothing was broken. Taking a sip of the water before he tried anything else, she held out her hand.

"I don't need your help." He snapped.

"Suit yourself." With a shrug, she stepped away.

"On second thought…" The guy winced and Jamie turned sharply, convinced he was really hurt. "Are you still offering?" He held out one hand, while the other clutched his side.

"Of cours–" She let out a yelp when she lost her balance and tumbled forward. Right into his arms. Jamie gasped on impact. Muscle…all damn muscle! As she'd known and yet getting a feel of it and inhaling his scent caught her off guard and left her feeling very alive. Her body chose that moment to break her vow to never let a boy distract her in such a way. She inhaled, chest filling up with his scent and pressing more into his muscled one, leaving her hotly aware of the male species cushioning her very feminine body. Dear God! She fought the urge to reach out and touch.

“I’ll take that.” He let go of her and she fell with a thump.

“Ouch!” Her bum hurt. How could it when she had been so close to the floor?

“Awww, don’t be such a baby, sweetheart.” The jerk grinned right before taking a long swig of the water. “Mmmm sweet. I wish I could stay to taste the real thing though, but I gotta rush.” He gave her a military salute and disappeared.

The real thing? What the hell was tha– Jamie’s eyes widened with realization, hands reaching for her lips. “He didn’t really mean that, did he?” Her eyes followed the way the jerk had gone feeling hotter by the second and it was by no means because of the weather. “I’m not your sweetheart!" She yelled pointlessly, knowing he would be long gone by now.

Jamie was sure she was still blushing when she got back to her mother's car. Already set to blame the weather for the colour blooming in her cheeks, she downed the contents of the energy drink she'd settled for, before her mother noticed. "They are out of water." She announced as she slipped into her seat and buckled up.

"Here too?" Her mother groaned and with good reason. It turned out small town life meant some basic necessities had the potential of running out, something they would have to get used to real quick.

"You could have what I'm having." Jamie offered her bottle of energy drink and her mother gave her a weird look as if she'd been offered drugs by her teenaged daughter.

"I'm not having that. I'm pretty sure something in there is not healthy."

"Suit yourself." Jamie shrugged, knowing her health obsessed mother would not change her mind.

"So…did you meet anyone interesting?"

Because that was short code for prospective boyfriend, Jamie returned her mother's weird look. "No." She opted for a short and safe answer, but interesting ocean blue eyes flashed in her mind, making her a liar and left her mother giving her a mischievious grin.

"Did you at least get a name?"

"If you don't get moving, I'll miss my try outs." She deflected, refusing to indulge her mother who would hound her for answers she did not have. Answers that were nothing but a distraction. That's what boys were. A distraction. One she definitely did not need. Not that she'd had many of those checking her out. Especially not those perfectly sculpted ones whose imprint of muscles still made the palms of her hands tingle.

I wish I could stay to taste the real thing though. Then there was that… The damn picture he’d painted kept replaying and gave her butterflies. She never got those and yet… “Can we get moving already.” She glared at her mother when the glint of mischief in Kerry Parker’s eyes only made the flapping of butterflies in her stomach more intense. This was so not her and Jamie was just glad that she wouldn’t be meeting that particular jerk ever.

"You are no fun." Her mother pouted, before starting the car.