The Boy Toy - Nicola Marsh Page 0,31
be the unicorn of men.”
“Because I’m rare or because you think I have a mighty horn?”
She laughed so loud several people at nearby tables turned to stare, but she didn’t care and neither did he. There was something about this spontaneous woman that captivated him.
Which meant he should run for the hills before it was too late.
* * *
* * *
Samira knew bringing Rory to Dandenong was a big risk. Any number of her mom’s acquaintances or the dreaded auntie brigade— a group of local elderly Indian women who judged everyone and found them lacking—could spot them together and carry the news back to Kushi before she’d finished her masala chai. But she didn’t care. In fact, a small part of her had done this defiantly, almost daring fate to catch her sharing breakfast with a young Aussie guy far removed from Kushi’s version of the perfect man.
She could’ve ditched him after breakfast, but she didn’t want to, and not from any nefarious reason to flaunt him in the face of tradition. No, there was much more behind her invitation to him to accompany her on a stroll around her old stomping ground, and it revolved around how damn addictive this guy was.
She’d never met anyone like Rory before. He had this way of looking at her that made her feel like the only woman in the world. And his silent strength made her want to delve beneath the surface while enjoying the calmness he emanated too.
She wasn’t a big talker herself and hated when guys she’d dated would overpower the conversation every time. With Rory, he made her appear garrulous, and she liked it. The best thing was, rather than worrying about whether he was hiding some deep, dark secret, she was enjoying living in the moment.
Nothing could come of this. They were opposites in every way; he was too young for her, and she’d be leaving in just over five months. So who cared if her one-night stand had morphed into two? Maybe more if she was lucky, considering his expertise between the sheets?
That was why she’d agreed to his offer to have a drink last night, knowing they’d end up having sex. But she hadn’t expected to open up to him about Avi or hint at her mom’s involvement in keeping her away from home. Those damn good listening skills of his had got to her, yet after she’d blabbed, she hadn’t felt so bad. In fact, he had this way about him . . . like he empathized.
He’d made her feel so good last night, it had seemed natural to invite him to have breakfast and spend more time together. She’d half expected him to refuse, and when he didn’t, she’d experienced a buzz of happiness she hadn’t in a long time.
“I haven’t been to this part of town in years,” he said, taking hold of her hand as they strolled along Walker Street past Indian clothing stores, sweetshops, and a barber. “It’s incredibly cosmopolitan.”
“You sound like the tourist, not me,” she said with a laugh. “At least, that’s what I feel like considering I haven’t been back home for so long, and even then it was only a flying visit.”
She expected him to probe, to ask more about why she hadn’t been home since her dad’s funeral, but once again he remained silent, leaving her to divulge as much or as little as she wanted.
“I’ve lived in Dandenong for twenty-five years and LA for twelve, yet America feels more like home. What does that say about me?”
His grip on her hand tightened. “You’re thirty-seven?”
Oops. She’d been so caught up in her thoughts, she’d let that gem slip inadvertently. “Yeah. I’m old.”
“You’re spectacular.” He tugged on her hand until she fell against him, and he pressed his mouth to hers in a scorching kiss that made her weak-kneed.
When he released her, she swayed a little, unable to keep the grin off her face. If she needed the validation the age gap didn’t matter to him, she’d just got it.
Capturing her chin, he tipped it up to eyeball her. “I like you, Samira. I want you to know that, and this has been the best first date I’ve ever had.”
Her throat tightened with emotion, and she swallowed before saying, “Right back at you.”
And she meant it.
But she wanted to make inroads with her mom this trip. She wanted to mend fences and ease old animosities.
So how would Kushi feel when she discovered her precious daughter was not