to events like this, and everyone was staring at him curiously. And how would he explain when a week or two from now Tuesday was no longer interested in him?
“How dare you,” she told him, her nose lifting. “That’s an outrageous accusation. And even if I did happen to see it, it doesn’t diminish my confidence in Jolly Ranger’s talents, nor my enthusiasm for the race. Besides, this is for charity.”
Diesel grinned. “So you did see it?”
“Totally,” she admitted. She put her finger to his lips. “Don’t tell anyone.”
Did she have any idea how much she turned him on? How inherently sexual she was? The way she moved when she walked, the way she shook her hair back, the tilt of her head, and the saucy lift of the corner of her mouth all drove him insane. She was on his lap, her finger touching his lip, her other arm on his shoulder for balance, and her ease in the position both intrigued and excited him. He liked that she was honest, that she always said what she was thinking.
“Never,” he reassured her. “Because it’s for charity.”
“Exactly.” She dropped her finger. “Tell me three things about you I don’t already know.”
There she went again, catching him completely off guard. “Seriously?”
“No, I just said it because I don’t want you to do it.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m serious.”
“Well.” He wasn’t sure anyone had ever posed a question to him like that. He wasn’t sure what she was looking for exactly. But if she could be random, he could be random. “I’m allergic to cats. The only state I haven’t been to is North Dakota. And I was born on the fourth of July.”
“Ooh. Fireworks for your birthday. That’s pretty cool.”
“Actually, it’s kind of a rip-off sharing your birthday with any holiday. It could be worse, I could have been born on Christmas, but a kid wants his birthday to be all about him.”
“Yeah, I can see that. So why haven’t you been to North Dakota? Are you avoiding it?”
Diesel chuckled. “No. Just haven’t had the chance yet. Seems like I should before I die. So tell me, where did you get the name Tuesday?”
She wiggled again. “My butt’s going numb.”
Nothing on him was numb. Diesel was forced to put his hand on the small of her back, concerned she might fall off the chair with all that moving around. He didn’t want to touch her any more than was necessary given their location, and the fact that he was well aware that riding crop was propped next to the chair.
“It’s not a good story,” she told him. “My parents couldn’t agree on a name for me. They were fighting about it, both of them being somewhat opinionated. Good thing that passed me over.” She gave him a grin. “Anyway, I was born on a Tuesday. The nurse was insisting they fill out the birth certificate, my mom was getting annoyed that my dad wouldn’t cave, and vice versa. So he just said ‘Christ, we should just name her Tuesday.’ And that was the end of that. Lamest, most unloving naming story ever. But like you said . . . it could be worse. I could have wound up Female.”
“That is true. And hey, it’s a very cool name. It makes you unique, unlike having the name Daniel like I do.”
“But no one calls you Daniel.” She made a mock quizzical face, stroking her chin. “Or do they?”
No one but his mother ever had. “It might be nice to have someone call me Daniel once in a while.” He almost added it would mean they were special, or more important, that he was special to them, but he stopped himself before he really came off like a raging dork. “So what are your three things?”
“Well, Daniel, let’s see. My nickname when I was little was Toot. Don’t ask me why, I won’t tell you. I have never been to Europe, which is just wrong. And I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like.”
He liked the sound of his given name on her lips. Struggling not to laugh, Diesel just said, “If you don’t want me to ask, why did
Rebecca Brooke
Samantha Whiskey
Erin Nicholas
David Lee
Cecily Anne Paterson
Margo Maguire
Amber Morgan
Irish Winters
Lizzie Lynn Lee
Welcome Cole