"That sounds ominous," I joke. The reactions from the people around me are varied. Vivi grins wickedly. Duke laughs because he's clueless. Hugo forces a laugh. Daisy blinks nervously.
"Anyway," Hugo says, delivering a small smack on the table. "We'd better get going. Early morning fishing."
"You should stay for a drink," Duke says, eyebrows raised and looking genuinely hopeful.
I don't know what this guy's game is, but he's good. Acting nice? What the fuck is that? I dare a look at Daisy, and damn if I don't see hope twinkling in her brown eyes.
"Nah, we?—"
I interrupt Hugo. "One drink."
Reluctance colors his face when he looks sideways at me. "We were buying bait. And we didn't even manage to do that."
"Go buy bait, and I'll grab our drinks. We'll be out of here in forty-five minutes, tops."
The questions rage in his eyes, but I pretend like I can't see them. I have some questions of my own for him, starting withwhy are you friends with a paper towel?
He lopes off, annoyed that I've bogarted our great big plans to do nothing for the rest of the night.
"I'll be right back," I say, pushing back from the table.
"I'll go with you," Daisy's voice melodically rings out, and I turn my body toward the bar, trying to push away the wave of excitement this sets off inside me.
So stupid. It's a walk across a small room, not a trip down the wedding aisle. Plus, the man who's actually meeting her at the end of the aisle will undoubtedly have his eyes on her while she stands at the bar with me. I know I would, if the roles were reversed.
We walk side by side, saying nothing, and before I can think of what to say to the beautiful woman beside me, we arrive at the bar.
"A beer, please," Daisy says to the bartender. "Whatever you have that's dark."
"Make that three," I add.
He steps away to fill the order, and now it's just the two of us. Daisy drums her fingers on the bar top. "So," she says, not looking up. "You hate my fiancé."
I sigh, low and slow and gravelly. "I shouldn't have said that."
Now she turns to me, propping an elbow on the bar. Her breasts tilt slightly sideways with the sway of her body. Her hair falls, too, revealing an earlobe with an earring in the shape of an ivory bow.
"But you meant it."
I look into her eyes, which is a feat, because every inch of her is a sight to behold. My eyes are not done feasting on her slender ankles, her shapely calves, the slope of her hips, the cute little straps tied at her shoulders, the curve of her collarbone, the hollow of her throat.
I'll have to remain hungry, because Daisy wants eye contact. And an answer. "Yes," I admit. "I meant it."
She's quiet for a beat, then asks, "What did Penn tell you?"
This is tricky territory. I want to tell her the truth, because despite what I'm doing here in Olive Township, I don't actually care for lying. So I opt for skating around the truth, taking a morsel here and leaving a chunk there.
"Penn said Duke was arrogant. Mean. A typical rich bully."
"Is that it?"
"You don't think that's enough?" She must not, if she's marrying the guy.
"It's not enough for him to dislike Duke this much all these years later." She fingers the bow earring. "Truthfully, Duke was a jerk when we were young. But he had his reasons." She shrugs a delicate shoulder. "Penn didn't stick around long enough to learn them." She glares at me, daring me to tell her otherwise. To defendPenn, because to her, I represent him. I am his proxy.
It's me, Penn.
Damn, I want to tell her. I want to spill my secret, gather her in my arms, and kiss her again. Not the way I did back when it was our first kiss, but better this time. As a man. My palm warm on her neck, guiding her into my mouth. Gentle, and then urgent, a tangle of tongues. The nip of a lip, hot breath on herpulse, soft kisses strewn over her throat. I want her on me, under me. I want inside her.
