Body Check by Deirdre Martin Page B

ask the same thing, and now Kevin had beaten him to the punch! Make up your mind, Gallagher. Do you want her to stay and have a beer with you or do you want her to go?
    Janna looked grateful. “A Bud Light would be fine, thanks Kevin.”
    â€œI’ll get it.” Ty jumped to his feet. He could feel the three of them watching him with raised brows as he pushed back from the table and headed toward the bar, but he didn’t care. Ordering Janna a drink would give him time to figure out how he wanted to handle being in a social setting with her. Up until now, he’d been doing a great job of avoiding her, pushing her out of his thoughts. He had to keep a clear head here. He placed his order and surreptitiously glanced back at the table, where she was chatting away with Kevin and Abby. When she was happy, her whole face lit up, the cornflower blue eyes crackling with animation. Those big eyes sometimes had a sense of waif-like vulnerability that made you want to protect her. Which is why he’d jumped on Lubov on the train. Had nothing to do with wanting to ensure Lex kept the hell away from her. It was all about protection. Yeah, right .
    Order filled, he returned to the table and handed her the beer.
    â€œWhat do I owe you?” she asked.
    Ty waved his hand dismissively. “It’s on the house.” He took a sip of his Guinness, the full-bodied taste warming his throat and belly. Nothing better than a nice dark beer after a backbreaking night out on the ice. “So what did I miss?”
    Kevin rose, extending a hand to his wife. “Abby and I are going to dance. Janna can fill you in.”
    You’re gonna pay for this, Ty’s glare told Kevin, whose only response was a huge grin as he gently put his hand in the small of his wife’s back and guided her out onto the tiny, makeshift dance floor.
    â€œSo,” said Ty, edging his chair an inch or two closer to Janna’s so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice to be heard. “How’s your brother?”
    The blue eyes registered surprise, then admiration. “He’s fine. He talks about what you did for him incessantly.”
    Ty shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “He seemed like a nice kid.”
    â€œHe is.”
    Her eyes darted down to the floor, over to the wall, looking anywhere but at him. She was nervous, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why. Jesus Christ, she’d seen him naked. What could be so hard about talking to him? Worse, it was making him nervous. He took a long pull at his beer, then cocked his head in the direction of Theresa.
    â€œYour friend—is she a puck bunny?”
    Janna recoiled, offended. “What? Why? Are you interested?”
    Ty laughed, unsure what to make of the testiness in her voice. “No. She’s not my type.”
    â€œWhat is your type?” she asked, looking directly at him.
    â€œWell,” Ty began slowly, rolling his beer mug between his hands, “I guess that’s for me to know and for you to find out.” Her glance darted away again then, and he used the awkward pause between them to steer the conversation in a different direction.
    â€œLook, I didn’t mean to insult your friend. It’s just that when she walked in here, her eyes glazed over like she’d hit the jackpot.”
    â€œTheresa’s not a puck bunny. She’s a hopeless romantic.”
    â€œMeaning?”
    â€œShe’s imagining every guy in this room standing up at the altar in a tux while she glides down the aisle to the strains of ‘The Wedding March.’ ”
    Ty laughed. “So she’s husband hunting, huh?”
    â€œContinually on the look out for ‘The One.’ ”
    â€œWell, she’s sure as hell barking up the wrong tree with that trio. Except maybe for Dante, who she seems to be trying hard to ignore.”
    â€œPoor Michael Dante,” Janna lamented. “He seems so