Page 11 of Nothing to Deny
Pleased, she grinned. “Of course not…” Sliding her hand along the top of the door, she edged just a little closer before pausing again. “And my name is Freya… please don’t call me ma’am again.”
“Whatever you say,” he said, that smirk still on his face.
Dipping down, she got into the car expecting to see her date for the evening: Donoghue. Except the man waiting wasn’t a stranger, it was Baer, who she hadn’t seen all week.
Startled, she almost didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t off-kilter, of course not, he’d known they were going to see each other. Removing an earbud, he pressed some buttons on his phone.
“I, uh…” she started. “I can step out if you need to take a call.”
He shook his head and raised the phone. “I was listening to music.”
She gasped and grabbed the strap of her clutch from her wrist to toss it onto the seat in front of them. “Can I…”
Surprise became a frown, but he handed over the earbud when she opened both hands to him.
“Thank you,” she said, sliding it in under her hair.
“What do you want to listen to?”
“What were you listening to?” she asked, shaking her head. “I really don’t care. I never get to listen to good music.”
Unless she was in Crimson, but that wasn’t the same thing as enjoying it privately.
Still wearing a confused frown, he touched the screen and music burst in her ear. When she registered what it was, her smile grew wider.
“’Hound Dog,’” she said. “You like Elvis?” He nodded. “Are you a hound dog, Baer?”
One side of his mouth twitched. “Ain’t nothing but.”
She balled her hands on her thighs and slid down to lie her head against the backrest as the car got moving.
“We should go dancing.” When her head rolled toward him, mortification slipped in again. What was she doing? Snapping to attention, she sat up, handing the earbud back to him. “Thank you. I… apologize.”
“No need,” he said, wrapping the wire around the phone and tucking it into the door well. “The place we have reservations at doesn’t have dancing. But we have connections at some of the—”
“No,” she said. “No, drinks are fine… Are we dropping you off somewhere, Hound Dog?”
Her joke fell flat. In the moment, it felt right. She needed to learn to ignore her instincts around this guy.
If Baer had been using the car that night, they might drop him off before picking up her date.
“No,” he said.
“I expected a man named Donoghue to pick me up tonight.”
“Yeah, we’re on our way over there now,” he said. “He’s across town.”
“But if Donoghue’s my date and you’re…” Recalling Holly’s matches gave her a clue. “You’re Holly’s date.” He nodded. “Right… good.”
Her wide smile wasn’t genuine though she tried hard to sell it.
Focusing on the privacy screen between them and the driver, they drove in silence for a minute before he muttered, “Donoghue.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing, I…” His concentration didn’t waver from up ahead. “If you were going to ditch me for anyone, did it have to be Donoghue?”
His wince of disgust arched her brows.
