Victoria Dahl - Taking the Heat

“Keep them coming!” Veronica cried. When she reached for the drink, Gabe noticed her hand was trembling again.

“Do you get nervous?” he asked.

Her big blue eyes peered at him from over the rim of the martini glass as she took a long drink. “Nervous?” she finally rasped when she came up for air. “More like fucking terrified.”

“I’m surprised.” That might explain a lot of her odd behavior. “You seem totally confident up there.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded as she took another drink.

“It’s all an act. I’m scared to death.” She took one more drink, then set the glass down. Her hand was still shaking.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Anyone would be nervous talking to a roomful of strangers about cunnilingus.”

She squeaked and covered her face with her hands. Her cheeks went red behind her fingers, but when her shoulders began to shake, he knew she was laughing.

“Sorry,” he said. “It was kind of the elephant in the room. That and your small breasts.”

“Oh, my God!” she shrieked, her head bowing with laughter.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Gabe!” she scolded, and he grinned at the way she made him feel as if he was getting away with something. He couldn’t deny that it was a turn-on having an excuse to talk to this girl he hardly knew about sex.

He smiled at the top of her head until she finally peeked up, her eyes still crinkled with amusement.

“Feel better?” he asked.

She sat up straight and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, I actually feel better.”

“Makes sense. Oral sex is a great icebreaker. But I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve probably given that advice a hundred times.”

“You’re awful,” she said, still grinning.

“I know. I’m sorry. But your hands were shaking.”

“Oh.” Her smile faded. “I didn’t realize.”

The waitress interrupted with a new cocktail, and Gabe watched Veronica take a deep breath. She touched the new glass but didn’t lunge for it the way she had with the first one. She really had been scared. No wonder she’d been so hesitant to join the crowd.

“You have no idea how good these drinks are. So good.” She took another sip. “And you distracted me from the terror. Thank you.”

He noticed how her dress had ridden up to expose more of her smooth thighs and made himself look away, if only so he wouldn’t get caught. “I honestly had no idea you were nervous. It was a great show. You’re a natural.”

“Really? I can’t tell how it’s going when I’m up there. It feels like my brain shuts down and my mouth is working on its own.”

“No, your brain is definitely working. Everything you say is really damn smart.”

She blushed again, and Gabe liked that. A lot. That she blushed over sex talk and then blushed when he called her smart. She was...intriguing. And nothing like the first impression he’d had of her.

“You look like you got some sun today,” she said.

“It was my day off. I finally got a chance to do some climbing.”

She sat back in her chair. “Rock climbing? That’s crazy.”

“It’s not crazy,” he said, the same answer he’d given to a hundred other people. It was the most typical reaction. “It’s fun. You should try it.”

“Oh, sure. I’ve got the perfect body type.” She flexed her right arm and pointed at it. “Check out these guns.”

“You don’t need much upper-body strength for the beginning climbs. It’s all in the legs.”

“Are you saying you’re not impressed with my guns?” she asked, flexing again.

“I’m saying your legs look strong.”

“Oh.” Cheeks going pink again, she looked down at her legs. Her hands settled on her thighs as if to cover them, but then her fingers spread.

Gabe watched, wondering what her skin felt like. Warm, probably. Soft. Nice.

“Thank you,” she said. “If that’s a compliment.”

“It’s definitely a compliment.”

“Are you flirting with me?” she asked, then immediately shook her head. “I’m sorry. I always ask weird questions like that. It’s a problem.”

“How is it a problem?”

“Well, it’s a little awkward, isn’t it? That’s my flirting technique. Complete awkwardness. Look, it’s happening right now. Are you entranced?”

“I kind of am,” he said, smiling at her until she smiled back. “If awkwardness is your flirting technique, then you’re clearly into me right now.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Clearly. But isn’t everyone into you?”

He was the one who drew back this time. “What?”

She watched him as she sipped from her drink, her eyes still sparkling with laughter. Her gaze dipped down his body when she set her glass on the table. “Come on. Look at you. You’re so damn hot.”

“I am?” he asked, feeling his own cheeks get warm.

“Yes, with your little beard and your shoulders and all this.” She waved her hand up and down, while Gabe touched his beard in confusion. “Never mind,” Veronica said. “I’m drunk. Ignore me.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t—” But before he could finish his sentence, she downed the rest of the drink.

“No, I hardly ever get drunk. I want to get drunk. I want to have fun for once.”

“You look like you’ve had plenty of fun in your life.”

“Ha! You’re wrong about that.”

“Come on. You’re just feeling sorry for yourself after all the excitement of the big city. But you can have fun here, too.”

“Oh, sure,” she huffed out on a laugh.

He bristled a little, used to hearing this kind of shit from his oldest friends. “It’s not New York, but it’s a good place. Aren’t you having fun right now?”

She nodded and leaned closer. Gabe tried very hard not to glance down her dress to the slight rise of her breasts, if only because her gaze was locked on his face. “Gabe MacKenzie,” she said in a loud whisper, “you’re beautiful.”

He’d been flattered by her attention, but with those words he realized she was just very, very drunk. Her bright smile was gorgeous, but her eyes had gotten a little hazy. “Okay,” he said, “you’re cut off. And I think I’d better walk you home.”

She rolled her eyes. “I lived in Brooklyn. I can handle myself in Wyoming. And walking won’t be a problem. I’ve got the legs of a Russian weight lifter.” She slapped her bare thighs.

“That is not what I said.”

“What did you say?” she teased.

“I said they were strong. Muscled. You look like you run or bike or—”

Her groan cut him off as she dropped her head to her hands. “I was going for cute tonight. Just cute. Why can’t I even pull that off?”

“Are you kidding? You’re just fishing for compliments now. You’re really cute. The definition of cute. But your legs...your legs are sexy.”

She raised her head, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Making fun ? You really aren’t very good at this flirting thing, are you?”

“No. But a guy in New York once called me corn-fed, then acted like it was a compliment.”

“I’m not a guy in New York.”

“You used to be!” she said, poking him in the chest as though she’d caught him in a lie.

“Okay, but I never felt at home there. I’m a country boy at heart. New York is just...where I was born.” Not quite true, but that was what it felt like. A place his family lived. A place he loved from afar and visited occasionally.

Gabe caught sight of the waitress approaching with another drink for Veronica and he shook his head. The woman shrugged and headed back toward the bar.

“I’m sorry,” Veronica said. “You called my legs sexy and I made it weird.” She snagged his beer before he could grab it. “This is why I don’t date. Look at me.”