a second, crouching beside me, his long, strapping thighs splayed wide, his trousers molded to the curves and dips of his clearly muscular knees, his hand coming toward me.
I started to rear away from it, and he murmured, “Whoa,” and again moved fast so I banged the back of my head into his palm which cracked against the cupboard.
I heard Nancy Kerrigan’s plaintive cry in my head, but mine had to do with why I’d given into this date.
“Oh God, sorry,” I muttered, totally mortified.
“Just…don’t move,” he ordered, taking control of my chin and lifting it slowly.
I forced my eyes to his face to see him examining my forehead, but that close, I could see how curly his eyelashes were.
Not good.
Because they were awesome.
“Smacked yourself a good one,” he murmured.
Man.
This was just…
Humiliating.
“I think you need ice,” he went on.
“I—”
I stopped speaking because he moved fast again, doing this to pick me up.
Pick me up.
One arm under my knees, one at my upper back.
I was so stunned by this maneuver, not only him doing it, but his being able to do it, I said not a word as he walked me to my couch, laid me down on it, then strode back to the kitchen.
I heard the ice machine grinding and then he returned with a bundled dishtowel.
“Lay back,” he demanded.
I reclined against my fringed toss pillows and Mag gently set the bundle on my forehead.
“You need at least fifteen, twenty minutes of that which means we’re gonna miss our reservation. I’ll order a pizza,” he declared. “Let me guess. Your half, veggie.”
I was not thrilled (at all) that I’d blown this date the way I had.
But one could not say I wasn’t thrilled I’d blown this date and now had a real excuse to get out of it.
In an effort to do that, I peered out from under the towel and started, “Danny—”
“Mag.”
“Sorry.”
“What?”
“What?” I parroted, because he wasn’t close, but he was not far, and I could see how curly his eyelashes were again.
“You said my name.”
“I did?”
His eyes narrowed and he stopped bending over me, holding the ice to my head, and bent into me, pulling the ice away and staring into my eyes.
“What day is it?” he asked.
“Tuesday.”
“Who set us up?”
“Lottie.”
He held three fingers up to my face. “How many fingers do you see?”
“Three, Mag, stop it. I’m okay. I just…”
I didn’t finish.
“What?” he asked.
“Just…”
I again didn’t finish.
“What, Evan?”
God, really, was he actually that handsome?
And right there, hovering over me, looking concerned, which made him even more handsome?
“Evan?” he called.
“Your eyelashes are very curly,” I whispered.
That was when he did it.
His gaze changed, it was an amazing change I felt in amazing places, it shifted to my mouth, and I felt that too, it was also amazing, and last, he murmured, “Baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” I breathed.
His gaze shifted back to my eyes, and he rumbled, all sexy, hot and sweet, “Oh yeah, you are.”
My toes curled.
“Danny—”
“Mag.”
“Mag, I—”
My phone buzzed with a text.
He looked to the counter that delineated kitchen from living room, to me, put the ice back on and ordered, “Hold that.”
I did as told, and he straightened and took the single step it took him with his long-ass legs to get to the counter.
“What the fuck?” he asked.
I kept the ice where it should be but tipped my head to look at him only to see him reading my screen.
Yes.
Reading my screen.
“What are you doing?”
His eyes dropped down to me. “Who you gonna meet at Storage and Such on East Colfax at eleven fuckin’ thirty, Evan?”
Uh-oh.
“Why you gonna meet someone at Storage and Such on East fuckin’ Colfax at eleven fuckin’ thirty?” he continued.
I pushed up and reached out a hand. “Give me my phone.”
“Answer me,” he demanded testily.
I twisted in the couch to put my feet on the floor, saying, “I’ve known you all of ten minutes. You can’t read my texts and it’s none of your business who I meet where.”
“You got a situation?” he asked.
I didn’t.
My brother obviously did.
“No,” I semi-lied.
“You keep bad company?” he asked.
I didn’t.
But my brother totally did.
“No,” I did not lie, though I had a feeling, if I went to Storage and Such on East Colfax, I would be.
My phone chimed again with another text and his eyes went direct to it.
Now…
Really.
I stood, pulling the ice off my head and snapping, “Danny!”
He looked to me and growled, “It says meet outside unit six and come alone.”
I slowly closed my eyes and let my head fall back.
“Evan.”
He was still growling.
I said nothing.
Come alone.
Mick, what mess are you in now? I thought.
“Evie,” Mag clipped.
I opened my eyes and righted my head.
“There’s a favor I need to do for my brother.”
“At eleven thirty on East Colfax?”
I tipped my head to the side and shrugged, but that was a sham seeing as a chill was racing up my spine.
“Lie down. Ice on,” he bit out.
“Danny—”
“Lie your ass down and get that ice back to that bump, Evie, then we’ll talk.”
“We won’t talk, you’ll just go. Obviously, the date’s off for this evening. We’ll reschedule.”
Or we would not.
“Mac says you’re a genius,” he announced, apropos of nothing.
I blinked and asked, “What?”
“Lottie. She says you’re a genius.”
Wow.
That was nice.
“She says you told her that you took apart a radio, and put it back together,” he carried on. “When you were six.”
I did do that.
My mother thought I was a freak.
My father bought every broken radio he could find at thrift shops, brought them home, made me fix them, then sold them at triple what he bought them for.
I didn’t, incidentally, see a dime of those earnings.
I was six, but, you know, allowance.
Maybe?
Mag continued talking.
“So, genius, look at my face and tell me if I’m leaving.”
Available May 26, 2020!
Dream Man Box Set, Books 1-4
By Kristen Ashley
Now Available
Click here to purchase
Meet the intense and sexy men of the Dream Men series from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Rock Chick Series!
Mystery Man
Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams. He's hot, he's sexy, and what started as a no-names-exchanged night of passion has blossomed into a year and a half-long pleasure fest. Hawk Delgado has demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. But when Gwen is threatened, Hawk's protective nature comes out in full force. The problem is, when Gwen gets a dose of Hawk's Alpha attitude in the daylight, she's not so sure he's the one anymore.
Wild Man
Tessa O'Hara never expected the man of her dreams to walk into her bakery. Within thirty seconds he asks her out for a beer. But when she discovers he's an undercover DEA agent-and he's investigating her possible role in her ex-husband's drug business, Tess declares their relationship is over. Brock disagrees. He's committed to his mission, but he's fallen in love with the beautiful woman who's as sweet as her cupcakes-and he'll do anything to win her back.
Law Man
Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue.
Motorcycle Man
Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now she's back on track and looking forward to her new quiet life. Until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila-and the best sex of her life. She knows Kane "Tack" Allen is the kind of man she's always wanted. Unfortunately, he's also her new boss...
On behalf of 1001 Dark Nights,
Liz Berry and M.J. Rose would like to thank ~