“Not at all.” Dallas tilted his head. His eyes lowered for a split second, then froze. His expression twisted, his cheeks turning red as a soft curse left his lips. “Jesus Christ.”
Was there something on me or?—
Oh.
I looked down at myself and simply stared.
I wasn’t wearing a bra. I did not have the kind of tits that could go braless and not be noticed. There was not a single thing left for the imagination.
My nipples were hard enough to cut steel.
And the outline of my piercings werevisible.
Something flashed in his sweet brown eyes. Guilt. Embarrassment for me. I wasn’t sure, but he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets without a word.
All my bravery now had the strength of cheap paper towels. “I should probably get back to work . . .”
“On a Sunday?”
“Perks of being an artist . . .”
Coward. You’re a coward.What if I just went for it for once in my god damn life? Nipples and panties be damned.
“Actually . . .” I trailed off. “Actually, if you still want to, then yes. Let’s go to lunch. Is there coffee at this place?”
Dallas sucked in a breath. “Yes, I want to. Are you sure? If you’re busy, I don’t want you to feel like you have to?—”
“No,” I decided. “I’ve been cooped up all week. I haven’t really left the hotel, and it would be good for me to get some fresh air. Let me put on some proper clothes and pretend you didn’t see my panties and nipple piercings and then I’ll be ready.”
Dallas blinked. “Right. I’ll wait outside for you.” He reached past me, then went very still. “For the record, red lace is a personal favorite.”
That heat in my stomach turned into an inferno.
I didn’t tell him that after I’d egged Justin’s house, I’d stopped by a shop and blew half a grand I didn’t really have on lingerie he would have hated.
Those red lace panties were from that haul.
Zero regrets on that purchase. I hadn’t treated myself to lingerie in years, and every single piece I bought made me feel good.
“Mine too,” I finally said.
Dallas held my gaze for a moment longer. The way his throat bobbed drew my attention. Was he going to kiss me? His eyesdropped down to my lips, and I wished he would. But instead of kissing me, he slipped out into the hotel hallway.
My heart thundered as I swept my hair back.
When was the last time someone looked at me likethat?
A long, long time.
I was keeping that promise to myself. Even if it ended up causing more trouble than I wanted. I was done suppressing how much of a horny gremlin I was.
The new Madi was here. Ready to test out whatever tension I was feeling with Dallas. I wasn’t just imagining that, right?
Regardless . . .
I was really doing this. It wasn’t a date. It was just lunch with a sexy bearded and muscled new friend in a small town I’d soon be leaving.
If anything, it was the proof I needed that I wasn’t going to live the rest of my life alone and unwanted.
