He fiddled with the button in question, and Alex’s jaw tightened. Holly smacked his hand away but she didn’t seem very serious about it.
“It’s nice to see you again, Alex,” Rich said, holding out a hand. His other arm was still around Holly’s shoulders. “What have you been doing with yourself since you left the league?”
“Coaching,” Alex said, taking his hand briefly.
“Join us for a drink?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Alex answered, taking a chair next to Holly after she sat down.
“So,” he asked casually. “Are you two…dating?”
Rich was taking a long swig of beer, and it was Holly who answered him. “We met for the first time tonight. Gina fixed us up,” she added, which made him think less kindly of Gina.
“It’s about time Holly went out on a date,” Gina said. “She’s been living like a nun.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Alex asked, glancing at the woman in question. “If Holly wants to live like a nun, you shouldn’t try to talk her out of it. There’s nothing wrong with celibacy.”
She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her hips, and a black cashmere sweater that was, thankfully, buttoned up to her neck. The curve of her breasts beneath the soft material was incredibly enticing, and if she’d been any other woman he would have sympathized with Rich’s urge to undo a few of those buttons. But this wasn’t just any woman, it was Holly. And he’d rather see her in full-body armor than with Rich drooling all over her.
Rich laughed loudly. “I know you’re not speaking from personal experience. You’re a great guy, Alex, but you’re not exactly a shining example of the celibate lifestyle. I bet if we survey the crowd here tonight, we’ll find at least twenty women who’ve been through Alex McKenna’s revolving door.” He rose clumsily to his feet. “Now if you folks will pardon me, I’ve got to visit the little boy’s room.”
It was hard to believe he’d ever liked Rich Brennan.
Holly had picked up an empty beer bottle and was fiddling with the label, peeling it away from the glass. “You were like that in high school, too,” she said. “A different girl every week.”
“Were you ever one of those girls?” Gina asked, leaning back against her fiancé.
Holly looked horrified, and Alex winced.
“Of course not,” she said. “We don’t even get along. It’s his fault,” she added. “He’s very annoying.”
“Hey!” Her comment stung more than it should, even though he knew she’d had a few drinks. “I’m sitting right here. And I’m not the annoying one.”
“Yes, you are,” she said, twisting the label around her fingers. “You said I should be a nun. That’s annoying.”
Gina was no longer paying attention to them, distracted by something Henry was whispering in her ear.
“Okay, I take it back,” Alex said, moving his chair closer to hers. “I don’t think you should be a nun. So…how’s the date with Rich going?”
Holly was tearing the label into pieces now, working methodically, a little crease between her brows. “All right, I guess,” she said.
“Just all right?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t…feel the way I thought I’d feel. The way I want to feel.”
His heart skipped a beat, which probably made him a very bad person. He shouldn’t be happy that Holly’s date was a dud. “How do you want to feel?”
The label was in tiny silver pieces on the table. Holly propped her chin on her hand as she thought about the question. “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping for…magic.”
Magic, he thought, remembering how his body had reacted when Holly had hugged him. “What would that feel like?”
She glanced at him. “Why are we talking like this? Like we’re friends or something? We don’t even like each other.”
“Alcohol,” he explained. “It’s the great equalizer.”
She considered that. “I’ve had three shots of tequila and two beers. When I stand up, the room kind of swoops.” She blinked. “You know, it’s possible that I’m drunk.”
He held back a smile. “So what would magic feel like?”
She looked down at the table. “Well…goose bumps. Shivers. Your heart beating faster, your knees feeling weak. But I think I’m expecting too much.”
She looked so vulnerable as she said that, her expression a little embarrassed, her cheeks turning pink. He wanted to tilt her chin up so she was looking right at him, he wanted to lean in close and—