Page 20 of A Dream for Daphne

“That’s me,” he said. “You took off before I could find out more about you.”

Her eyes were dashing everywhere as if she was nervous. He didn’t like that and hoped she wasn’t frightened of him.

“That night was a mistake.”

Her head was swiveling more and he wasn’t about to acknowledge the sucker punch he felt in his gut over those words. He’d felt like she wasn’t someone to have a one-night stand before and now he was positive that was the case. At least that was what he was trying to convince himself of.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, taking a step back. He didn’t want her skittish, just wanted to talk.

“What?” she asked. “No. I don’t know if anyone is around.”

He nodded. “Meaning your bosses? You don’t want them to see us talking?”

She took a few deep breaths and let them out. Her eyes closed and opened again. He saw the worry in them.

“I’m sorry. Man, what a small world. I’m so embarrassed over my actions.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “It happened. I don’t regret it, but don’t make a habit of it myself.”

“I’ve never done that,” she said in a rush. She waved her hand. “My reasons are my own and stupid.”

“Maybe we can talk about them over dinner,” he said.

“Huh?” she asked.

“I’m asking if you want to go out to dinner,” he said. “A date. Unless you’ve got someone else in your life, but I’m thinking you don’t.” At least he hoped not.

He’d never been a cheater and sure the hell didn’t want to play a part in someone cheating on a partner either.

“No,” she said. “I’m single. It’s just, my life has kind of been thrown around lately and this is a new job and town for me.”

It was now he was picking up the soft twang to her words. “Where are you from?”

“Are we doing this? Like you’re almost flirting. No, not flirting. But asking me out?”

“I might be a little rusty, but that is what I’m doing,” he said, smiling. “Unless it’s my job that bothers you.”

Her neck shrank back, her face squished in a look that reminded him of someone who just had a nasty stench appear in front of her.

Maybe the wind picked up and she was downdraft of him on a hot day.

“What does that mean?”

“It means unless you don’t like a guy that does what I do for a living,” he said. He’d gotten to the point in his life he put it out there right away.

Burn him once, never again.

He couldn’t take the pain and wasn’t going to even subject himself to it.

She looked him up and down. A nice slow appraisal.

There was no fear in her eyes now. He hoped it was arousal that he saw because he sure the hell felt it with the way she was checking him out.

“There isn’t a damn thing wrong with what you do for a living and I’m not sure why you’d think that.”

He let out a forced laugh. “Long story,” he said. “So embarrassment aside, let’s forget what happened if you want. I mean it about dinner.” He put his hands up. “Friendly and all. Starting over if you’d like.”

She seemed to hesitate. “I’m not sure. I feel like I put up a roadblock with my actions.”

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