She couldn’t wait to call. She had no experience with being calm and cool and collected. She had even less experience being coy or flirty or making it look like she wasn’t desperate. She wasn’t into games. He’d read her message. He already knew what she wanted. He’d given her the number…
She didn’t know how to be anything other than who she was. A small-town girl with a big heart.
“A girl who loves cats.” Slappy still didn’t move. She turned to her cactus on the windowsill. It was growing in one of those terrarium things. It had been crazy expensive, but she was a sucker for a plant with a pretty face and that pink flower blossoming out of the little spiky stalk definitely counted. “And plants.” The rest went without saying. “And I’m going to rock this call. I’m going to take those sexy blue eyes back home to Twin Falls. And back to my mother. And I’m going to do it now!”
Slappy raised his head and stared at her out of narrowed green yellow eyes.
“Sorry.” Ash blushed. “I didn’t mean to get so excited. Just needed a little early morning pep-talk. That’s all.”
He glared at her for daring to disturb his nap, then settled his head back on marmalade colored paws and went back to sleep.
Ash’s shaking hands flew over her phone, typing out a text to her mother. Telling her she was indeed on a date and was sorry she hadn’t been near her phone.
It went without saying that she obviously had better, sexier things to do.
She typed in Mr. Nightshadow’s number with shaking fingers. She didn’t have to look it up. It was burned into her memory. Just like his eyes. And his abs.
Just like his voice would forever be, because she’d never, ever, be able to get that deep, sexy, smoky, mystic, panty dropping hello out of her mind.
CHAPTER 5
Trace
“So, you like the villains? Is that because they’re tall dark and handsome?” Yup. He’d really started off their date that wasn’t a date, with the world’s worst one-liner.
The little café on the east side of the city was inconspicuous. It was the same as the last thirty he’d passed on his forty-minute drive there. He wasn’t complaining.
The place was packed and when he walked in, no one recognized him.
No one but the one girl he wanted to.
She was wearing a red plaid button up shirt and jeans, like she’d told him on the phone she’d be, since she wasn’t easily recognizable from that side profile picture on the dating site.
He’d slid in seamlessly across from her since she was there waiting when he arrived. She’d picked a table near the front, though he wasn’t sure if it was because she liked to look out the window or because there was nowhere else to sit given the Sunday afternoon crowds were in full swing, laptops, novels, tablets, whiny kids, and all. The roar of conversation swirled around the small shop, competing with the hiss of the machinery, the frantic steps of the baristas trying to keep up, and some acoustic version of a rock song playing overhead from crackly speakers.
“Ahhhh….” Ash fumbled around, at a loss for words. A bright pink blush flooded her cheeks.
She’d ordered for him, which Trace found… well, he found that he felt a lot of things about that. He eyed his drink, mortified that he’d ruined the date before it even started. He cleared his throat.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean that. I- sorry. That was incredibly rude and I’m an idiot. The truth is, you’re beautiful and I’m a mess and a dork and I said the first dumb thing that came to mind. It was a terrible ice breaker.”
He’d expected this shy, geeky, sandy blonde-haired girl with no confidence, pretty but unaware of it, straight teeth since she’d mentioned braces, possible thick glasses, maybe a few lingering pimples she tried to cover up with makeup…
The bombshell sitting across from him wasn’t any of those things. She was beautiful with shining green eyes, long naturally curly blonde hair, a killer body with great boobs and probably a great ass, if she’d stand up and show him. She sat tall and straight and without a stitch of makeup, she was flawless. Nice, creamy skin, high cheekbones, a dainty jawline, a straight little nose, long lashes, full peach hued lips. God, she was so beautiful she was intimidating.
How the hell did this girl think she was geeky? And more importantly, how the hell did this girl not have a real boyfriend to take her to that reunion she was so afraid of?
Ash, because she was graceful as hell and even more gracious, inclined her head and her gorgeous lips curled up in a smile that hit him right below the belt. His cock turned his jeans into a damn camp ground. As in, filled with tents. Haha. I suck at jokes. And humor. And wit.