Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
It’s not anyone, but neither of these men needs to know I’m single and plan to stay that way.
The pickup line guy pats Daniel’s bicep. “Our loss, dude.”
“Apparently.” Daniel shoots him a look meant to tell him to get his hand off of him.
It works.
“I’ll go tweak my approach,” the guy announces. “Thanks for the feedback, sweetheart.”
“Never call a stranger that again.” I point at him. “Promise me you won’t.”
He raises his left hand as if he’s about to take an oath. “You have my word, and that’s as good as gold.”
As he wanders away, Daniel takes the liberty of sitting on the barstool next to me. “Gina Calvetti. You haven’t changed a bit.”
“I have,” I snap. “I’m always changing.”
His gaze rakes me from head to toe for the third time tonight. “Your brother sent me here to watch over you, but…”
“I’m fine on my own,” I interrupt as I look to the left so I don’t stare too long at his gorgeous face.
“I’m well aware,” he says, the husky gruffness of his voice luring the gaze of a woman standing near him. “But since we’re here together, let’s have a shot or two.”
“Of?” I ask expectantly.
“Your brother would suggest tequila. He claims it’s one of your favorites.”
I laugh. “He’s wrong.”
Daniel leans closer to me. “I know. Red wine is your weakness.”
He’s right, but I won’t admit that. I can’t give him that satisfaction. Daniel always remembers the small things about everyone. If he wasn’t annoying as hell, I might find that charming.
“I don’t have any weaknesses,” I lie. “I’m game for a shot.”
“Let’s start with a mind eraser and see where that takes us,” he suggests.
I can handle coffee liqueur, vodka, and soda water in shot form, so I nod. “The next one is my choice.”
Daniel orders our shots from the bartender before he glances at me. “The next one? You’re granting me more than two minutes of your time tonight? Is it a full moon? Do you hate me less than the last time you saw me? What the hell is going on?”
Trying desperately to keep a straight face, I take a deep breath. “It’s a couple of shots, Lawton. Calm down.”
The corners of his lips curve up into a sexy smile. “You do hate me less.”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “I never said that.”
He leans so close to me that I can feel his breath skirt over the skin of my neck. “Your body is telling me that you might actually like me a little bit.”
My gaze drops to my hardened nipples. There’s no masking them through the thin fabric. I didn’t wear a bra because the dress is backless, and I’m barely a B-cup. “You’re so full of yourself. It’s cold in here, Daniel.”
He glances at two women standing near us. Both are dressed in thin silk mini-dresses. From this angle, it’s obvious neither is wearing a bra, yet there’s not a stiff nipple in sight. “Not according to them.”
“I need to use the ladies’ room.”
As I slide off the stool, he moves to stand, too. “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
He’s gorgeous, has a smile that could knock any woman’s panties off, and he knows me better than almost anyone.
All I need to do is keep my wits about me until I’ve had two shots. Then I can race to my room and dream dirty dreams about him.
CHAPTER FIVE
Daniel
Gina downs her second shot as soon as the bartender places it in front of her.
I haven’t touched either of mine yet.
“Done,” she declares with a swipe of her tongue over her bottom lip. “I’m going to call it a night.”
What the fuck is the goddamn rush?
I’d take it personally, but who am I kidding? This is personal. Gina can’t stand me. That started somewhere between when she showed up at my door in the middle of a sleepover I hosted a decade ago with a woman whose name I can’t recall and the day I ordered her to dump that loser, Brogan McCabe.
Looking back, I realize ordering her to do anything is a cardinal sin. The woman is fiercely independent, has a brilliant business mind, and is worth at least a few million dollars she earned by strategically using social media to her advantage.
“It’s still early, Gina. What’s the hurry?”
She glances at my wrist and the silver watch that is almost always there. She hums the chorus of a familiar tune as she tilts her head to the side. “I remember that watch.”
“I remember that song,” I say. “You used to sing that when you were a kid.”
She tries to shield the grin on her face by swiping a hand over her mouth. “Everyone sang it when I was a kid.”
I hum a few bars before I launch into her favorite line from the song written by a pop star that topped the charts more than fifteen years ago. “When our hearts are aligned, magic happens.”