Page 21 of Shadowed Rubies
After swallowing her food, Dani said, “Nope. I don’t really have much time for television or movies.”
“Well, we must remedy this travesty immediately,” I told her after I selected my own slice of pizza.
“Don’t even bother. I’m sure I won’t like it. I never like anything that’s popular with everyone else.”
I thought back to the movie. It had been a long time since Mom and Molly had convinced me to watch it with them, but I distinctly remember enjoying it immensely. With utter confidence in my tone, I said, “You’ll enjoy this movie. I know it.”
Dani arched an eyebrow in my direction. “I sincerely doubt it.”
“Care to place a wager on that?” I asked her, thoroughly enjoying myself for the first time this evening.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she answered, “You’re on.”
24
Dani
We were sitting in Max’s pickup truck parked beside Smuggler’s Cove Beach. The shoreline was deserted because everyone else had enough sense to avoid the waterfront when the frigid wind was whipping in from the ocean.
“A couple of light chuckles does not mean I enjoyed that silly movie,” I whined, trying to back out on my end of the deal.
“Light chuckles?” Max almost yelled with amusement lighting up his chiseled features. “You practically peed down your leg.”
“I did not,” I grouched, even though I was well aware that I had guffawed with laughter over Elle’s silly antics a couple of times. Although the movie was a bit cheesy, it had surprised me how much I’d honestly enjoyed watching it––enough that I’d forgotten to pretend not to like it. Of course, being snuggled up under a blanket with Max while we watched it had been a significant added benefit.
“This really isn’t fair. Doing a polar plunge will cause significant physiological changes in my body, called the cold shock response. My blood vessels will constrict, I’ll gasp for air, my heart rate will quicken, and I’ll start shivering. If I’d won the bet, all you had to do was walk through the middle of town carrying Bruiser in a bedazzled purse. There was no risk of physical harm to you.”
“Those were the terms you agreed to,” Max reminded me before trying to appease my concerns by adding, “You don’t have to go completely under.”
Although it wasn’t what we had discussed, I was happy to accept his modification to the rules. After darting a hopeful gaze in his direction, I said, “Really? Thank you!”
Leaning in, I pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek. If I hadn’t known better, I would think his skin turned red from my brief touch. Since I was well aware that he was a smooth-operating ladies’ man, I convinced myself that it must have been my imagination.
“How about if I just stick my bare feet in?” I asked hopefully.
“Oh, no.” He crossed his arms stubbornly, obviously unwilling to let me take advantage of his leniency. “I’m thinking you need to dip down at least to your shoulders.”
“My shoulders!” I practically screeched before adding, “But it will be so cold on my belly.”
What I was really concerned about was how hard my nipples would be when the water touched my chest. I was wearing an oversized tee shirt and sweatpants of Dean’s, so no bra in the world would be able to conceal my nips standing at attention beneath the thin outer layer of protection.
I had assumed that I wouldn’t like that blasted movie at all, so I hadn’t thought through the repercussions of losing my bet with Max. It had seemed like harmless fun at the time, but now that Max was gazing at me like I might be his next meal, I was regretting my rash decision to accept his dare.
Not sounding in the least bit sincerely apologetic, Max said, “Sorry, but I’ve always been a boob man. You have to at least get your chest wet.”
No longer enjoying our lighthearted banter, I crossed my arms over my ample breasts. His fascination with boobs would put a halt to this relationship before it even had a chance to really get started. Staring down at my lap, I said, “I developed at a very early age, and I’ve always been self-conscious about my chest size––especially since the boys in school started calling me Double-D Dani and placing bets about who I would let see and touch them first.”
As a concerning thought entered my mind, I decided it was best to address it directly. “Were you involved in any of those locker room conversations?”
“What?!?” Max looked truly stunned by my accusatory question. “Dani, no. You can’t possibly believe that. I would never take part in anything that degraded a woman like that––especially not you. If I’d even heard anyone talking about that, I would have punched his lights out.”
My heart ached to believe him, but the insecure, overweight, adolescent version of me that I normally tried to keep buried deep inside me reared up and refused to be fully swayed. That self-conscious teenager reminded me that this could all be an elaborate ruse to get me to trust him. Perhaps Max was still trying to win that stupid bet and be the womanizing hero to all of his buddies.
Deciding that I might as well be completely honest, even if it ended up scaring him off, I said, “I don’t ever show my boobs to anyone.”
Max’s jaw clenched as if he was gritting his teeth as he gripped the steering wheel of his truck and glared out toward the inky water. It made me wonder if he might be thinking that he’d just been wasting his time with me. Perhaps my insecurities and hang-ups made me too much of an inconvenience to bother with.
When he turned toward me, his steely gaze bored into me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, wondering if he was going to make me get out of the truck and figure out my own way home.
