Coming to a stop on the driver's side of her car, she dug her keys from her purse, then met his gaze and allowed a derisive smile to curve her lips. "Another personal question?" She unlocked the door and opened it, just in case she needed a quick escape from him and what was beginning to feel like a relentless interrogation.
He thought for a moment, then replied. "Yeah, I guess it would be."
After tossing her purse into the passenger seat, she folded her arms across her chest and braced herself for another curious inquiry about her life, her past, or some other quest for private answers. "What would you like to know?"
His gaze drifted briefly to the cleavage she'd unintentionally created, then came back to her face. "Would you like to go out sometime?"
His question caught her completely off guard. That was the last thing she'd expected him to ask, and she wasn't even sure she'd heard him right. After all, checking out her breasts and flirting with her were one thing, but it just didn't make sense that someone so conservative would want to interact socially with her. "Excuse me?"
He casually braced a hand on the top of her car, subtly caging her in between the vehicle door and his body. "I asked you if you would you like to go out on a date."
Okay, so she had heard him correctly, and somehow she found the fortitude to laugh off his absurd question. "You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm not joking." In fact, he appeared downright serious.
She shook her head, causing her hair to swirl wildly over her shoulders. "I don't think so."
His gaze remained persistent. "Why not?"
Wanting to let him down easy, she came up with the most logical excuse without stating the obvious-that their worlds just didn't mesh. "Well, for one thing, I'm sure my daughter wouldn't appreciate my dating her math teacher."
"Actually, it's not Cassie's choice to make."
He was right. But here was the best reason of all why going out with Daniel Barnett just wasn't a good idea: "You're so not my type."
He shifted on his feet, the movement bringing him closer somehow. Certainly within touching distance. "Now how would you know that?" he asked in a soft, sexy drawl that was equivalent to a sensual caress along her spine.
She ignored the tingling sensation making her nipples tighten and pucker. "A woman just knows these things."
"What if you're wrong?" he countered, all charm and temptation rolled into an irresistible package she was certain many woman found hard to ignore.
Herself included, it seemed.
"I'm not wrong," she insisted, then inhaled a deep breath. But instead of the cool, fresh air she'd expected to fill her senses, she drew in the scent of him, A heady combination of heat and sandalwood, and something else that made her stomach clench with shameless desire for a man who never should have affected her so physically.
"Look," she tried, this time more firmly, "I'm flattered you asked, but it just wouldn't work between us."
Amusement tipped up the corner of his mouth. "It's just a date, Sydney. I'm not asking you to marry me."
The wry note to his voice and the mirth dancing in his gaze prompted an indulgent smile from her. "That's a good thing, because then I'd have to turn you down twice."
He paused for a long moment, and just when Sydney thought she'd finally convinced him she wasn't interested, he managed to throw her another curveball. Reaching out, he caught a long strand of her hair and slowly, gently wound it around his long index finger, ensnaring her in more ways than one. The gesture struck her as oddly tender, if not a little possessive, especially when his fingers grazed the side of her neck. She shivered and damned her lack of willpower, and that gnawing need making itself known deep inside her soul.
"Are you always so tough with men?" he asked, his tone low and caring.
She tried to pull back, but he still had her hair between his fingers. "No, not all men." With some of them she played easy to get, usually to satisfy her own purposes. But her reasons for being tough with Daniel had more to do with him being a genuinely nice guy-and her being a very bad girl.
"Then why me, Sydney?"
God, even the way he said her name, so soft and reverent, made her want to hear it on his lips in the throes of passion. And that thought was enough to force her to take drastic actions with him.
"Why you?" Deliberately, she stepped closer to him and ran her finger down the front of his dress tie while giving him an upswept glance infused with a whole lot of unabashed confidence and reckless aggression. The kind that considerate, conservative guys found too bold and brazen for their tastes. "Because I eat stuffed shirts like you for breakfast."
He raised a brow, then burst out laughing. Once he got all those deep, good-natured chuckles out of his system, he regarded her with a lopsided grin. "I don't know what amuses me more, the fact that you think I'm a stuffed shirt, or that you'd eat me for breakfast." His eyes darkened with something wicked and playful. "I have to admit that would definitely be a first for me, but I'm willing to let you try your best."
Did nothing dissuade this man? She dropped her arms to her sides and sighed. "Daniel… you're a really nice guy, and-"
"Ahhh," he interrupted, the word laced with a wealth of understanding. "Too nice for you!"
Now he was getting it. Finally. "Trust me. I'm doing you a huge favor by telling you no."
"I'm a big boy, Syd," he replied confidently. "I think I can handle a night out with you."
She stared into his compelling caramel-colored eyes and realized that Daniel was no different from any other guy and it was all about getting laid. It had to be, because there just was no other explanation for his determination, despite her rejection.
Well, two could play that game. It had been months since she'd gotten laid, and there was something about Daniel Barnett that made her wonder what he was like in bed. There was a definite attraction between them, so it wasn't as though she were settling, or even taking advantage of him.
What the hell, she decided. He thought he knew what he was getting into, that he could handle her. It would be interesting to see if that was true.
"Fine," she said, giving in for the sake of enjoying a night of mutual pleasure with him. "I'll go out with you, but it will have to be next weekend so I can get someone at the bar to cover one of my late night shifts."
"That works for me." The grin that appeared was pure male satisfaction. "Next weekend it is."
Having gotten what he wanted, he slipped on a pair of sunglasses and walked away toward his sporty Volvo, his stride self-assured and cocky, even. She watched him go, appreciating the width of his shoulders and his firm backside before she slid into her car. She closed the door and started the engine, unable to remember the last time, if ever, that a man had been able to wrap her around his finger, as Daniel just had.
The feeling was disturbing… and very exciting.
Chapter Six
IT wasn't often that Lora bought new clothes for herself, but she hadn't been able to resist buying a new top for her first real date with Joel. Besides, the shirt had been on sale for half price, so it had been much easier to justify the purchase, because she'd gotten such a great deal.
The long-sleeved, plum-colored, thermal ribbed top was perfect to ward off the chill of the late October weather, and the low, rounded neckline and row of small silver snaps securing the front would no doubt stir Joel's imagination, and hopefully a good amount of lust. She'd paired the top with her favorite low-rise jeans, which did great things for her butt, and a comfortable pair of heeled boots, since they'd be taking Joel's motorcycle. The overall look was simple, but sexy and alluring at the same time-which was exactly the result she'd wanted to achieve.