Page 7 of Singled Out

I shoved those thoughts out of my head.

“I can assure you, Bob, your daughter will get nothing but respect from me,” I said.

He met my gaze again, sized me up, nodded once. “I’ll hold you to that, Max.”

I held up a hand in surrender. “You can trust me, sir.”

“I don’t trust anyone with my daughter.” He frowned. “I suppose someday I’ll have to.” He muttered it more to himself than me, then pierced me with his gaze again. “I’ll see you Monday, Max.”

“Have a good weekend, Bob.”

I took a swallow of water, wishing it were something stronger as I again glanced around for Harper. I felt an arm come around me from behind.

“My brother, always the star of the show.” Dakota stretched up and placed a loud kiss on my cheek. “You probably know my friend Harper. Wait, were you her teacher?” Scandal rang through her voice, and I couldn’t quite tell if the question was sarcastic or real.

“No,” I said solidly. Thank Christ.

My first students were now the same age as Quincy, Knox’s fiancée. Fully adults, nearing thirty. And yet I hadn’t and wouldn’t date anyone who’d been a student in my classroom.

As Harper stepped up to us, I took in her appearance with a quick glance. Her magenta dress stood out among all the little black dresses, the sparkle of it seeming appropriate for her personality somehow. The hem ended high on her thighs, and the neckline showed off tanned, delicate shoulders. She wore heels nearly as tall as my sister’s and accessorized with a thick silver bracelet with a large stone the color of her dress and silver rings on several fingers. The dress draped rather than fit her closely. I had the fleeting thought that I wanted a better view of her curves.

Or I would if she were someone else.

“Hi, Max.” Harper’s voice was melodious and confident.

“Harper.” I extended my hand formally as my public-Max smile surfaced. “Thanks for bidding on me. You made me look good up there.”

“Anytime. You would’ve gone for the highest amount even without me though.”

“I’ll let you two get acquainted without me,” Dakota said. “Olivia and Emerson are waving at me. Take your time.”

I knew Harper and Dakota had come together. I’d seen them sitting together for dinner. Harper was the type who drew attention even when you weren’t specifically interested in her. She was the kind of woman who was hard not to notice.

“I’ve never gone out with one of my sister’s friends,” I said once we were alone.“Kind of forbidden territory.”

She moved in closer, and I caught her feminine scent. It had a hint of spice to it, the opposite of light and floral, in an appealing way that, like the sparkle in her dress, fit her. A long strand of her hair fell onto my lapel, and I had to clench my fists against the urge to brush it back.

“Dakota dared me to bid on you,” she confessed just above a whisper.

My mouth fell open as I let that sink in.

She hadn’t dropped the biggest bid of the evening on me because of any desire to go out with me.

She’d been dared.

By my sister.

I couldn’t decide whether I was more annoyed at my sister or relieved at Harper’s motivation.

Or insulted that Harper wasn’t actually interested in me.

Relieved. I was going with relieved. That meant I could relax during our night out and not worry about whether she was plotting to get me to the altar. As the small-town guy with a brief stint in the NFL, I’d had it happen before with women I barely knew. I hadn’t been looking for marriage then, and I sure as hell wasn’t now that I had a son to put all my time and energy into raising.

“That’s a lot of money to spend on someone you’re not interested in,” I said.

“The money’s a story for a different day,” she said, backing off and putting more space between us now that she was speaking at a normal volume.

“Yeah, your dad has questions about that. Just to warn you.”

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