With a tiny smile, she rested her head
back and looked up at the stars twinkling in the darkening sky. It really was lovely
up here.
Crash
took a deep drag off his cigarette, his eyes back on the horizon.
Shannon
waited until his chest was expanded with smoke to comment, “That’s an awfully
big bed you have down there.” A small smile pulled at her mouth as he choked
out the smoke, coughing.
When
he got his breath back, he rasped out, “What?”
“The
bed. It’s huge.”
A
grin formed on his face. “Yeah, it is. This conversation headed where I think
it is?”
She
huffed out a laugh. “Hardly. I’m just curious why a man like you would get a
bed like that.”
“Ah,
we’re back to that ‘man-like-me’ stuff, huh?”
She
rolled her eyes.
He
grinned, looking back at the horizon. “Angel found it.”
“Huh?”
“The
bed. Angel found it at some estate sale. Insisted I was the only person she
knew with a space big enough for it.”
“So
you bought it? Just because of that?”
He
shrugged. “She sorta had her heart set on finding it a home. I needed a bed. It
made her happy, so…”
“So
you bought it.”
“Yeah.”
Amazing.
Who would do something like that? Just to make a woman, a woman that wasn’t
even his woman by the way, happy. She
frowned. He really wasn’t adding up to be who she thought. Trying to bend him
back into the man she expected him to be, she asked snidely, “Bet the women
just love it.”
“The
women?”
She
gave him a look. There were women. The way he looked, there were lots. “Yes,
the women.”
“You
fishing for a number, Shannon?”
She
huffed out a breath. “I’m sure it’d be astronomical.”
He
gave a short laugh. “Pleased to hear you think I’m such a babe magnet.”
“You’re
hot, and I’m sure you know it.”
“I’m
hot, huh?”
She
rolled her eyes. “Stroking your ego is not my job here.”
“Princess,
now you’ve got me thinking about you stroking something.”
“God,
you’re a Neanderthal!”
He
grinned. “Deep down, most men are, darlin’, even the one’s wearin’ a suit and
tie.”
“Right.
They may think those things, but they don’t say them.”
“Oh,
I guarantee you they’re thinking them. Especially, anytime you’re in the vicinity.”
She
looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Oh, so now you’re saying I’m hot?”
“Babe,
you know you are. What’s worse, you use it to manipulate men into getting your
way.”
“Well,
you don’t think too much of me, do you?”
“Didn’t
think I’d made that a secret.”
“My
God, you have no filter at all!”
“I
say what I mean. I don’t play games. You aren’t ever gonna have to guess how I
feel about something, sweetheart.”
Crash
looked over at her out of the corner of his eye. It was entertaining riling her
up. For his own amusement, he decided to keep it going, exaggerating his comments
way past what his actual views were. He studied the horizon and sipped his beer
considering several smart remarks when she started back in, giving him an
opening.
She huffed out a little breath. “It’s men like you that drive women
crazy.”
“No, you got that backwards, darlin’. Women drive men crazy.” He kept
his eyes on the horizon.
She gave a little smirk. “It’s what we’re put on this earth to do.”
“What you were put on this earth to do is sit there and look pretty,” he
taunted, knowing it would get to her. “Which you do very well.” He noticed her go a little soft at his
roundabout compliment. That’s when he grinned as he raised the bottle to his
lips and added the final zinger. “You just need to get the shuttin’ up part
down.”
She glared at him. “Is it all women you hate or just me?”
He turned to look at her then. “I don’t hate women. I love women.
Fucking greatest gift God ever put on this planet.”
“You sure don’t sound like it.”
He grinned. “Maybe it’s just you.”
She shook her head and rolled her
back and looked up at the stars twinkling in the darkening sky. It really was lovely
up here.
Crash
took a deep drag off his cigarette, his eyes back on the horizon.
Shannon
waited until his chest was expanded with smoke to comment, “That’s an awfully
big bed you have down there.” A small smile pulled at her mouth as he choked
out the smoke, coughing.
When
he got his breath back, he rasped out, “What?”
“The
bed. It’s huge.”
A
grin formed on his face. “Yeah, it is. This conversation headed where I think
it is?”
She
huffed out a laugh. “Hardly. I’m just curious why a man like you would get a
bed like that.”
“Ah,
we’re back to that ‘man-like-me’ stuff, huh?”
She
rolled her eyes.
He
grinned, looking back at the horizon. “Angel found it.”
“Huh?”
“The
bed. Angel found it at some estate sale. Insisted I was the only person she
knew with a space big enough for it.”
“So
you bought it? Just because of that?”
He
shrugged. “She sorta had her heart set on finding it a home. I needed a bed. It
made her happy, so…”
“So
you bought it.”
“Yeah.”
Amazing.
Who would do something like that? Just to make a woman, a woman that wasn’t
even his woman by the way, happy. She
frowned. He really wasn’t adding up to be who she thought. Trying to bend him
back into the man she expected him to be, she asked snidely, “Bet the women
just love it.”
“The
women?”
She
gave him a look. There were women. The way he looked, there were lots. “Yes,
the women.”
“You
fishing for a number, Shannon?”
She
huffed out a breath. “I’m sure it’d be astronomical.”
He
gave a short laugh. “Pleased to hear you think I’m such a babe magnet.”
“You’re
hot, and I’m sure you know it.”
“I’m
hot, huh?”
She
rolled her eyes. “Stroking your ego is not my job here.”
“Princess,
now you’ve got me thinking about you stroking something.”
“God,
you’re a Neanderthal!”
He
grinned. “Deep down, most men are, darlin’, even the one’s wearin’ a suit and
tie.”
“Right.
They may think those things, but they don’t say them.”
“Oh,
I guarantee you they’re thinking them. Especially, anytime you’re in the vicinity.”
She
looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Oh, so now you’re saying I’m hot?”
“Babe,
you know you are. What’s worse, you use it to manipulate men into getting your
way.”
“Well,
you don’t think too much of me, do you?”
“Didn’t
think I’d made that a secret.”
“My
God, you have no filter at all!”
“I
say what I mean. I don’t play games. You aren’t ever gonna have to guess how I
feel about something, sweetheart.”
Crash
looked over at her out of the corner of his eye. It was entertaining riling her
up. For his own amusement, he decided to keep it going, exaggerating his comments
way past what his actual views were. He studied the horizon and sipped his beer
considering several smart remarks when she started back in, giving him an
opening.
She huffed out a little breath. “It’s men like you that drive women
crazy.”
“No, you got that backwards, darlin’. Women drive men crazy.” He kept
his eyes on the horizon.
She gave a little smirk. “It’s what we’re put on this earth to do.”
“What you were put on this earth to do is sit there and look pretty,” he
taunted, knowing it would get to her. “Which you do very well.” He noticed her go a little soft at his
roundabout compliment. That’s when he grinned as he raised the bottle to his
lips and added the final zinger. “You just need to get the shuttin’ up part
down.”
She glared at him. “Is it all women you hate or just me?”
He turned to look at her then. “I don’t hate women. I love women.
Fucking greatest gift God ever put on this planet.”
“You sure don’t sound like it.”
He grinned. “Maybe it’s just you.”
She shook her head and rolled her
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