I feigned an offended gasp and covered the puppy’s ears. She thumped her tail against my side enthusiastically, gnawing on my wrist with her stubby little teeth.
“Don't say that! The baby might hear you. Isn’t she the cutest thing you ever laid eyes on?” I demanded, squishing her wrinkly face in my hands.
The puppy grinned, tongue lolling, eyes sparkling at all the attention. The tag on her collar read, Noel.
“Didn’t you ever dream of getting a puppy under your Christmas tree?” I asked Nitro.
“No,” he replied in a flat voice. “I can confidently say I did not.”
“Then what did you want?” I challenged.
He said nothing for several seconds, turning his head away as he scanned the crowded parking lot.
“A dirt bike,” he admitted.
Noel let out an ear-splitting yip. I placed her on the ground and she bounded off to play with the other puppies. I moved closer to the fence where Nitro was standing.
“Oh, that’s right,” I said. “You mentioned you were a biker.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“I did?”
“At dinner the other night. Remember?”
He cast around for the memory. When he found it, understanding dawned on his face. He swore under his breath softly.
“Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me,” I admitted. “It matches that tough guy vibe you’ve got going on. So,” I added, gesturing for him to continue. “Did you get the dirt bike or not?”
“No,” Nitro replied. “My parents didn’t approve.”
I studied him for a heartbeat of silence.
“You went out and bought one for yourself, didn’t you?”
The corner of his mouth twitched with a half smile.
“I bought a motorcycle instead. My parents were not thrilled, to say the least.”
My gaze panned down his body as I tried to envision him seated on a Harley-Davidson with a roaring engine. Was it a sexy jet black? Or an eye-catching fire engine red? Or maybe a sleek, gleaming silver?
“Will you take me for a ride sometime?” I asked.
Nitro turned to look at me. I couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but he did visibly shift toward me.
“That would qualify as putting you inmoredanger,” he replied. “Which is the opposite of my job description. Those things are a death trap.”
I grinned at him and caught the hem of his jacket sleeve with a tug.
“Come on. Just a quick spin around the block wouldn’t hurt.”
Nitro remained silent, unrelenting. So I went in for the jugular with the killing blow. I wasn’t the type to play dirty like this, but something about Nitro made me feel safe enough to act a little bratty.
“Chett was too chicken shit to get a bike. But I’ve always wanted to ride one.”
Nitro removed his sunglasses and stepped closer until he towered over me and I could feel his body heat. I bit the inside of my cheek, thrilled to be pinned under his attention like this.
“Are youbaitingme right now, twinkletoes?”
