Page 23 of Dare You to See Me
His trademark devilish grin comes out to play, and I already know how this night is going to end for him.
“Lose a few layers and the answer is yes.” She bites her lip and the look in her eyes is a promise to fulfill his request.
I set the drinks down and Kyle slides in right next to D. When Soleil tries to sit next to her, I take her hand in mine and guide her to my side of the bench, helping her into place while I take mine right next to her.
“So is this a girl’s night?” I ask them, throwing my arm over the back of the booth just to have an excuse to feel the heat that rolls off of Soleil’s body.
“It is. Dolly is with Sunny’s parents for the weekend, so I decided she needed to explore the nightlife of her new city.” Kyle picks up her drink and sips from the skinny red straw.
“Dolly and Sunny?”
“Kyle calls Dahlia, Dolly for short. And Sunny has been a nickname of mine since I was a kid because–”
“Soleil means sun,” I finish.
Her cheeks pink and she gives me a shy smile, the same as she did at the beach. We stare at one another and I get the sensation of being in a tunnel. I can only see her as the outside world seems to blur. It’s a beautiful feeling. I want to keep it.
“Where’s your other brother? Hendrix, correct?” Soleil quickly works to change the subject and attention from her.
“He’s in Texas with Dagen. He’ll be back next week and will most likely stay for a few weeks, tending to the garage.”
“Garage?” Kyle’s long fingers wrap around her martini glass with nails the color of blood.
“Henny owns the Dare Towing and Garage along with the bar. He’s been spending so much time in Texas with Dagen that he’s neglected the shop a little.”
“I wonder how he’s going to do without his balls,” Danté puffs. “Dagen usually likes to keep them in her purse.”
We all laugh. The girls at the joke, but Danté and I laugh at the truth of the matter.
“So you teach and own the bar. Hendrix owns the bar and the garage and Danté, you…”
“Well, actually, we all own the garage and the towing company. Hendrix is the managing partner since he’s the grease monkey who loves working on bikes and cars. Danté manages the bar, and I do all of the numbers. I’m the behind the scenes guy,” I explain.
“Wow. You three are quite busy.” Soleil starts to relax, no longer looking like a scared puppy.
“It’s better to keep busy than to cause trouble.”
“Do you?” Kyle asks. “Cause trouble?” Her question is for both of us but she focuses on Danté.
“We still cause trouble. Just a different kind now that we’re men.” D stares right back at her, and the sexual tension between these two is steaming up the entire bar.
“Ten bucks these two go at it before the end of the night.” Soleil leans closer, her voice a low whisper in my ear.
“That’s a fool's bet. Twenty on them disappearing in the next hour. They’re about to claw each other’s clothes off right here in this booth.” I scoot a tad bit closer and keep my voice at a volume that only she can hear. “Is Kyle clingy? Danté isn’t one for…how do I say this without sounding like a total jerk?”
“Second helpings?”
I practically choke on my tongue, not expecting this soft spoken, seemingly innocent woman to make that connection.
“That is pretty accurate.”
“He can rest assured that she will most likely walk away and never look back. She’s all for repeats, but she lacks the attachment emotion that most women have. She’s usually the one sending legal threats when men seem to get a little too obsessed.”
We both laugh and I feel this zing in my body, being this close to her, seeing the various shades of brown in her eyes, and smelling her intoxicating scent. Her smile goes from wide and bright to tight and even a little shaky, as if something has frightened her. Maybe it’s the look of hunger in my eyes that scares her. I can almost guarantee it’s there. Not because I’m trying to lay it on thick, but because that's what I feel when I’m around her.
Hungry.
“I hope this doesn’t seem…inappropriate because of who I am to you, but you are incredibly beautiful, Soleil. I thought it the first second I laid eyes on you,” I tell her, the ability to hold my tongue losing to my desire.
