LITMIR.BIZ

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the way she had in him?

      “You were the only person in the place using dryer sheets. Everyone else had the liquid stuff.”

      She glanced up quickly, her gaze meeting his. Humor danced along the brown of his eyes.

      “I was the only person in the place, period. You’re messing with me,” she said.

      “A little. Besides, you clearly picked me up.”

      Surprisingly, she liked him teasing her. Previous guys either took themselves way too seriously—rebels searching for clues—or they, like her father, took nothing seriously. Life was one big day at an amusement park. No waiting in line, only fun. Nothing subtle like bantering.

      “Technically, you made the first move, so I’ll have to award the pickup to you.” Who knew what the ultimate prize would be for the winner.

      He inclined his head as if to accept. Her heartbeat quickened. He wasn’t denying his making a move. Just a man meeting a woman. It could happen. It could work.

      The waitress brought Eric his coffee and her a soft drink. “We have fresh chocolate cheesecake.”

      Danni sucked in a breath. Cheesecake was one thing she could barely resist. But to enrich it with chocolate…that was almost too low a blow. Could anything be more decadent? Maybe Eric feeding it to her off his fork…

      Her mouth began to water.

      “Unfortunately, I’m flush out of cash. Just spent my last five dollars,” he said.

      She glanced his way. His lips were twisting in a smile. “Bring us a slice,” she told the waitress. “Put it on my bill. Do you like cheesecake, Eric?” she asked when the waitress hurried away. His name tasted delectable in her mouth.

      “I’m not one for sweet things.”

      That was a point in her favor because she was a lot of things, but sweet wasn’t one of them.

      “You’re a student?” he asked. “I noticed your book.”

      “I’m going to court reporting school at night. I wait tables during the day. Wednesday is my free day.”

      “You work at one of the casinos?”

      Danni almost coughed. As if she wouldn’t immediately be “escorted” out of any casino. “No, a diner. What about you? You mentioned a hotel?”

      “I only recently moved to Reno. The company’s putting me up in a hotel until I can find my own place.”

      That explained the corporate haircut. That explained a lot of things.

      “What is it that you—” The waitress interrupted her question when she placed the cheesecake on the table.

      How could anyone talk with this tasty bit of heaven between them? Chocolate cookie crust, a scrumptious white chocolate ganache with a dark chocolate spiderweb design. With eager anticipation, Danni took a bite. She immediately closed her eyes and moaned. Ahhh, those spiders were always offering something bad for you. It was the ultimate in chocolate indulgence. The creaminess of the cheesecake melted in her mouth.

      “That good, huh?” he asked, his voice tight.

      Danni opened her eyes and met his gaze. Oh, yeah, there was fire and heat in his eyes. The only thing that could take her mind off the best tasting thing on the planet was sitting right in front of her. Had she ever been this attracted to a guy this quickly?

      “Want a bite?” she asked, her voice turning low and husky.

      “Sure.”

      “I thought you weren’t one for sweet things.”

      “I’ve changed my mind.”

      She cut off a portion of her cheesecake and reached across the table. His brown eyes never left hers as his mouth took the chocolate from her fork, his lips touching where hers had been. His gaze became intense as he savored the mouthful. “I could really get used to that,” he said.

      A shiver ran down her spine. They weren’t talking about dessert.

      “How is it?” their waitress asked, returning to slide the check facedown on the table toward Danni.

      “It’s excellent,” Danni replied. “Why don’t you bring us another piece?”

      Eric shook his head, glancing down at his watch. “Actually, I have to go.”

      Disappointment made the cheesecake lose its flavor. She looked at the waitress. “Bring it to go.”

      Eric shook his head as if to clear it. An odd tenseness seemed to enter his body. His back seemed more rigid, his hands falling to his sides. “You don’t have to do that,” he told her. This was no polite I-really-want-you-to kind of refusal.

      “No, I want to.”

      “Thanks,” he said, reclining in his seat, the warmth and humor is his eyes gone. What had she done?

      So here it was. The brush-off. His body language couldn’t be more evident if he’d crossed his arms in front of his chest.

      Eric shifted in his chair. And yes, there was the arm cross. Maybe that hot chemistry she felt wasn’t mutual at all.

      “How about you give me your phone number. I’ll call you,” Eric said.

      His lips were moving, but his actions didn’t fit with the words. He made no move to whip out a pen or a piece of paper. She was putting an end to this here and now. In fact, she would take the to-go cheesecake, too.

      “Listen, I know ‘I’ll call you’ is the male equivalent of ‘let’s be friends.’ We don’t have to go through that scenario.”

      Eric uncrossed his arms and leaned into the table. There it was again. That sense of danger. That zip of attraction she felt between them. His eyes grew hooded. “I want your number, Danni.”

      If he’d said I want you naked, on this table, it couldn’t have been any less heated than how he’d said he wanted her number. She could feel goose bumps along her arms. And her legs. And even on her ears. He was better than cheesecake.

      Against her instinct, she opened her purse and took out a pen and a piece of paper. She also slid Eric’s five dollars and enough extra cash to cover the bill, plus tip, onto the table.

      “You know what?” he began. “In any other circumstance, I’d hand back a woman’s money and use my card. But I’m willing to bet you’d instantly consider me just like every other guy you’ve met, wouldn’t you? Traditional. Boring. So, all right. I’ll let you pay for my coffee, and I’m gonna enjoy it.”

      This man so did it for her. After scribbling her name and number onto the paper, she handed it to Eric.

      His fingers brushed against hers. She ignored the tingles he gave her with such a simple touch. “That telephone number expires after two days. No waiting to call me to whet my appetite. No game playing. If you want to see me again, you just say so.”

      Eric took the paper from her and pocketed the number in his shirt. Not a hint of his thoughts registered on his face. How frustrating. With a nod, she got up and left, walking quickly to her car.

      As she slammed the key into the ignition, she realized she’d left the cheesecake behind.

      

      WITH HER LAUNDRY DONE, Danni steered her car toward the highway ready to take the forty-minute drive to Carson City. Wednesday afternoons were reserved for her dad. She owed him that much. Or so he kept reminding her.

      The halfway house was a lot better than the visiting rooms courtesy of Nevada’s prison system, but since most of her teachers predicted she’d wind up as one of Nevada’s “guests” herself, it was no wonder she felt uncomfortable there. That and the fact that any lawenforcement official automatically made her uneasy. Dad said it was in the genes. And some days she believed

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