“Dates with guys who stand no chance don’t count.” Naomi rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying jump his bones. I’m saying shoot your shot, Charity. Go on a date and see if the vibe is still there after so long.”
“I can’t believe you’re telling me to take a chance when you’ve had the hots for some guy you refuse to tell me about.”
“You promised not to ask about him.”
I sighed in frustration. I knew everything about my friend except the name of the man who held her heart. It wasn’t about trust; I knew that, but it still stung that Naomi thought I might judge her. For Pete’s sake, I was in love with a man fifteen years my senior. A man that didn’t see me as anything more than his friend’s daughter. Naomi’s situation couldn’t be any more complicated than that.
Naomi swept a braid behind her ear.
“I’ll consider going on a date with Mason, but only if you take a leap too.” I might not have a choice with Mason winning the bid, but who was keeping score of the details?
“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
“Then maybe you will finally tell me who this mystery man is.”
My friend flushed.
Naomi only promised because it made me happy, but I didn’t care. If I deserved happiness, so did my friend. She worked her ass off, burying her nose in fabric and patterns. But it wasn’t just work, she was doing a first-class job at hiding her feelings.
I hip-bumped her and grinned. “I’m not promising anything more than what he won,” I said as I left backstage. Then I remembered he wasn’t into me. I wasn’t the type of woman he visited at the Filth Den with my father.
And I certainly wasn’t as bold as McKenzie Cooper, my highschool classmate he’d kissed on my father’s yacht.
I fortified my courage by squaring my shoulders and emptying my lungs. Each breath became shallow, sweeping me into a wave of dizziness the closer I got to the bar. I was furious at myself for considering a date with him, especially after he had taken a piece of my heart when he kissed my classmate.
To hell with going on a date with Mason.
Naomi would just have to accept that she’d considered it, however briefly, and had decided against a date with Mason.
“No one likes a big-shot,” I said the moment I was close enough for Mason to hear me. Unfortunately, I stood too close. I swore heat radiated from his body, warming his cologne and wafting the fragrance in my direction. I inhaled his intoxicating scent.
He smelled seductive. Like sex, leather, and warm spices.
My tongue watered, and I dragged my eyes in a slow caress over his hard features.
He shrugged.
I clenched my teeth. His nonchalance only stroked my anger. “We both know you don’t want to date me. You could have let someone else win.”
“Like him?” Mason nodded to a man at the bar and I turned to see Pretty Ricky from my diving class watching us. He was good looking and pretty popular in Candy Cane Key. Mason closed the distance between us. “Not a chance.”
My ovaries jumped at the possessiveness in those simple words.Don’t clench your thighs, Charity.I let the sweet ache throb between my legs, knowing sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight.
This was insane.
How could one encounter with Mason destroy the five years I’d spent ignoring his existence? My chest tightened.Ignoring didn’t mean forgetting.Whenever my thoughts slipped into fantasies, I felt his presence beneath the surface, tugging at my emotions, reigniting my undeniable attraction to him.
“You’re under no obligation to take me on a date.”
“My bid says otherwise.”
“Thanks for the donation.” I tilted my chin. I had to protect myself from being hurt. Going on a date with Mason, then walking away would break the fragile knot that secured the door to my heart. “I’m sure we can find a proxy for our date.”
His eyes darkened, and I swallowed, seeing the wolfish hunger reflected there. My father wasn’t here as a buffer between us. It was just us standing in a pool of barely leashed energy.
I’m mistaken. Have to be. I’m nothing more than his friend’s daughter.
“Proxy?” He raised a questioning brow.
