Page 11 of Rose's One Night to Forever
Rose shook her head, unwilling to let Tansy beat herself up for being an enthusiastic nuisance. “It’s okay. It’s not really you or the bidding.”
“But I know you don’t enjoy spending time with unknown people. Don’t worry, we won’t flip a coin or anything. You get Cody, and I’ll take Chance, and we’ll go dancing together at Rough Cut. Simple.”
Which was sweet, and caring, and perfectly wrong. “You can’t date Chance.”
Tansy frowned, glancing over to where the guys had barely halved the distance between them. “I can’t? Is there something wrong with him?”
He kissed like a god, had talented fingers, and Rose had enjoyed detailed dirty dreams about cornering him in a dark room and teasing him until he lost control.
Something wrong with the man? Absolutely not.
She opened her mouth to explain, but nothing came out.
Tansy’s eyes narrowed. “What are you hiding? Because that’s your hiding face.”
She had a hiding face? Good grief. Rose managed a glare. “You’re annoying.”
“But smart, and I’m right, aren’t I?” Her sister slipped an arm around Rose’s waist and taunted, “Tell Tansy your every sordid secret.”
“I know him.”
“Really?” Surprise and happiness vanished a split second later into cunning amusement. “In a biblical sense?”
Rose smacked her sister’s arm again. “Keep your voice down.”
Tansy’s jaw dropped as she backed up half a step. “Oh my God, I was joking, but it’s true. You have carnal knowledge of Mr. Thousand-Dollar-Suit Man?”
“Yes.” Rose hissed the word.
Her sister leaned forward. “If it sucked, we will ghost them—”
“It didn’t suck,” Rose snapped. Then she laughed, amusement finally drifting higher than her embarrassment. “It was amazing, but it was supposed to be a one-night stand. I never thought I’d see him again.”
Tansy nodded, patting Rose’s shoulder sympathetically. “Some women are meant for one-night stand greatness, some women simply—”
“Oh, shut up,” Rose mumbled affectionately before Tansy could insult her pick-up skills or some such nonsense like usual. The banter between them was always meant in a loving way, but with the brothers closing in, she needed this clarified. “Chance is mine.”
“No problem.” Tansy waved at the two men. “Still, we can do the dance-till-we-drop solution if you want.”
Did she want that? Meeting only in a public setting might mean avoiding a difficult conversation.
Too late. Cody was already there. He grinned at Tansy and offered Rose a quick tip of his hat.
“Ladies, I’d like you to meet my brother, Chance. He’s a little on the stiff side, suit and all, but I promise he’s a good guy under the lawyerish trappings. Even though I threw this auction his way at the last minute.” Cody slapped a hand on Chance’s back. “Okay, I lied. I sprang this on him ten seconds before we walked on the stage, and I’ve gotta say, the moment was sweet. Chance, meet Tansy and Rose.”
Rose’s brain had frozen on the word stiff. It was a good descriptor of the man she already knew, not because of his current attire but because of his—
Her gaze landed on his face as she feverishly prayed that, by some miracle, he’d suffered amnesia since they last met.
Chance tipped his chin briefly at Tansy, but all his attention was on Rose. He caught her fingers and lifted her hand to his lips. “Rose.”
“Shit.”
The word slipped out. Impossible to hold back, really.
His lips twitched. “You have your calendar handy? I’d like to arrange our next date as soon as possible.”
Beside them, Cody had stopped dead, his smile stuck as his gaze darted between his brother and Rose. “Next date?”
