sharp ends.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Because.”
“Because?” he pressed.
I didn’t have an answer. “Because it will be fun.”
Instead of telling me to take a flying leap into the ocean, he slowly nodded. “All right, what’s this grand idea?”
“Let’s go to Balboa Park. I’ll meet you there at ten tomorrow.”
He really looked confused then. I decided that was my cue to leave. I needed to leave him hanging. If I gave him the chance to argue, he would talk himself out of it. I wasn’t going to give him the option. I walked away without a backward glance. Curiosity was killing me, and I had to know what he was doing. I waited until I was tucked safely behind a curtain to take a peek.
He was still standing in the same spot looking very confused. Confusion was good. It was better than anger or irritation. I checked in with the caterers, made sure there was plenty of appetizers coming out, and made my usual rounds around the room.
I stopped, turned, and looked for my mystery man. I realized in that moment I never even got his name. I never gave him my name. I would probably never see him again. He didn’t shut me down, but he didn’t exactly say yes. I wasn’t sure how that made me feel. I couldn’t explain why I had any interest in him at all. I really had nothing to go on.
The guy wasn’t the kind that gave a girl the warm and fuzzies. But, as usual, I was attracted to the wrong kind of guy.
Chapter 7
Xander
I parked my BMW in the parking lot, not caring I was stuck at a spot way in the back. It was the parking lot she designated—no ordered—me to be at. I was actually on time, which surprised me a little. I couldn’t explain why I was there at all. The woman intrigued me. That was why I was there. She had challenged me. I did not turn down a challenge, especially from a beautiful woman.
I tapped my hands on the steering wheel, staring out at the cars in every size and color, and wondered once again why I was there. I shouldn’t have come. I moved to start the engine, ready to get the hell out of there when there was a knock on my driver’s side window. I nearly jumped out of my seat.
It was her. She was peering at me through the heavily tinted window. How did she know it was me? I pushed the button to roll down the window and looked at her. “Are you going to sit in your car all day? That really wasn’t what I had in mind.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then come on,” she said, reaching for the door handle. “I’m parked right in front of you. How crazy is that? With these windows, I never would have been able to see you. Are these even legal?”
Her rambling put me off my game a little. I climbed out of the car, leaving my shades on. “Do you always talk this much?”
She burst into laughter. “I do. I have a feeling I have to talk enough to make up for the both of us. You don’t strike me as a great conversationalist.”
“Not really,” I replied, closing the door and hitting the lock button. “I don’t mind the peace and quiet.”
“I love a little peace and quiet as well, but a conversation isn’t really noise.”
It was to me. “I suppose that’s one of those things everyone has a different opinion on.”
“Subjective,” she agreed. “Thankfully, I am not one to care a whole lot about other people’s opinions.”
I inwardly groaned. What in the hell had I gotten myself into? “Isn’t this place kind of touristy?” I asked, noticing the families taking pictures of every fucking thing.
“I love it here, tourists or not. We all have our little space in the world.”
“Seems awful crowded in my space,” I complained.
She patted my arm. “I promise you will be okay. No one will invade your space.”
I looked down at her hand touching my bicep. “Good to know.”
“I’m sorry. I had to know.”
“Know what?” I asked, quickly growing tired of the back and forth. She was exhausting me. I had only been with her for less than five minutes and I felt like I could use a drink.
“If you were really prickly,” she said before bursting into laughter.
Her laughter was contagious. I found myself laughing a little. “And?”
“And you don’t feel prickly at all.”
My short-sleeved T-shirt