“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.