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He lifted a tawny brow. “Doing what?”
“Looking like...” Gesturing toward all the deliciously male parts that kept distracting her every time he flexed, she accidently clipped his shoulder. To her relief, he hardly flinched at all. “That. It doesn’t give me a fair chance when we argue.”
For a brief instant, something hot and primitive flared to life in his gaze. If the light hadn’t turned green then, he would have kissed her. Again. “All that bothers you?”
Would she ever learn to keep her mouth shut? “Only when you tense it up so the ripply stuff shows through your clothes,” she muttered.
“And if I wasn’t wearing any clothes?”
So she’d actually see the ripples in all their naked glory, like when he’d changed his shirt earlier? No way would she answer that one! She might think about it for a spell or two or drool a bit, but he wouldn’t drag a single blessed word out of her on the subject.
Her silence must have blabbed because his chuckle rumbled over to her side of the pickup and eased into her pores. She could feel an ache building—an ache for something she’d spent years burying beneath hard-won control. Did he know what that laugh did to her? He must. Somehow he’d discovered how long it had been since she’d last been with a man and— He interrupted before she could finish her thought, thank heaven.
“Next time we argue, I’ll strip down to guarantee an easy win.”
Cassidy stifled a groan at the image. Why couldn’t he be sensible? More importantly, why couldn’t she? “If you’d just do things my way, that wouldn’t be necessary,” she explained.
His dark voice reached for her again, wrapping her in warmth. “Do you really think that’s going to happen?”
No. “Absolutely.”
To her intense relief, he didn’t laugh outright. “Face it, sweetheart. You’re stuck with me. Your son purchased the San Antonio Fiesta Special from Yellow Rose Matchmakers. That means you date me or one of the other candidates the computer picks until the Fiesta’s over. Since the computer only coughed up one match so far, it looks like I’m all yours for the next month.”
Did that also mean she was all his? Oh, no. Not a chance. “Hutch couldn’t possibly have had the money for something like that,” Cassidy protested.
Ty grinned. “Willie gave him a bargain. You’ll be pleased to know that I came at the rock bottom price of nine dollars plus change. He’d have made it ten, but he needed bus fare to get back home.”
Her pride did a quick jump start and she struggled to keep it under control—without notable success. “How much does it really cost?”
“That’s not important.”
“It is to me. If he didn’t pay enough—”
“Don’t bother finishing the thought. There’s no point.”
“I can’t take advantage of your grandmother’s generosity. It wouldn’t be right. Besides, Idon’t like being obligated.”
“Too bad. It would offend her if you refused the discount. The deal she made was with the boy, not you. And since she runs the Yellow Rose, she’s allowed to strike any deal she wants.”
Cassidy gave up. She wasn’t going to win this particular fight and she knew it. She slid Ty an assessing glance. Considering his earlier threat, if she pushed, he’d start whipping off his clothing. And as interesting a sight as that would be, surrendering to his stronger will seemed the best option for her mental health. For now, at any rate. “Thank you. That’s very kind of Miss Willie.”
“See? That didn’t choke you too badly.”
A smile teased her lips. “It damn near killed me,” she retorted.
“Hardly showed at all.”
She settled against the bench seat and forced herself to relax. “So where are we going that’s so private?”
“My place.”
She jerked back upright. Crud. “I don’t think—”
Ty released a sigh of exasperation. “Do you argue over everything?”
“Just about,” she answered with painful honesty. “But I have a point this time. It’s not appropriate to go to a man’s place on the first date.” Good grief. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn she’d opened her mouth and Aunt Esther had voiced one of her “rules.”
“Old-fashioned girl, huh?”
