Page 17 of Take the Bait

Tucker’s cheeks hurt as he let out a breathy laugh. She was such a little weirdo. He loved it. Wanted to hear more of her odd stories. Wanted to figure out what else was happening in that beautiful brain of hers.

His fingers rapidly moved across his screen as he responded.

Subject Line:Re: Dinner?

Hanna,

I hope you’re around if I find myself in an emergency sleuthing situation. Sounds like that kit would come in extremely handy. And I hope you know that as a fellow former detective, I’d never degrade your magnifying glass by asking to “play” with it. Who raised those kids? Wolves?

Did I not mention that I hope there is a repeat of Burpgate? I’m only interested in you because of your supreme belching skills.

—Tucker

P.S. What if I told you I walked around with a fake tobacco pipe for years as a child? And that as an adult, I bought myself a real one, because the Sherlock Holmes obsession persists?

He hit send before he could overthink it, pressing his lips together to keep from laughing out loud again. God, she wasfunny.And awkward, in the most endearing and adorable way. He’d spent maybe a collective hour with her since they met a couple of weeks ago, and he already felt like they had about a dozen inside jokes.

He refreshed his phone again, before setting it down and started working on that to-do list he started earlier. But only a few minutes after he’d emailed his accountant to set up a meeting, another email came through from her.

Subject Line:Re: Dinner?

Tucker,

If you think I’d let you borrow my sleuthing kit, maybe you’re not the seasoned detective I thought you were. Are you saying you don’t have your own?

And I hate to disappoint you, but there will be no repeats of Burpgate if I can help it. I’ve lived through enough embarrassing moments to not willingly put myself through another one. If my belching turns you on, perhaps that’s something we can explore in private. Though, I’ve gotta say, I consider myself pretty open-minded, but I’ve never heard of a belching kink before.

—Hanna

P.S. What if I told you thatmykink is tobacco pipes?

Witty—she was so fucking witty, and he’d never get tired of it.

But he needed to nail this date down—get her to say yes, to show up, to make him laugh some more while he treated her to the best food at his restaurant.

Subject line:Re: Dinner?

Hanna,

Okay, so let me make sure I have the itinerary for our first date right. First, I’ll treat you to dinner at my restaurant while I tell you damning stories about my childhood detective experience. Then, you’ll help me make a sleuthing kit before we go back to my place and explore all belching and tobacco pipe related kinks. Do I have that right?

—Tucker

P.S. All jokes aside, please come tonight. 6:30 p.m.? I’ll be the devastatingly handsome man in the trench coat.

He set his phone down and took a deep breath. He hoped she said yes—hoped she let this weird and hilarious bit they had going continue into dinner tonight, where he’d try to woo her into another date.

C’mon,he thought.Take the bait.

Shawn, would get a kick out of Hanna. Would think she’s as hilarious as Tucker did. Would have the best time egging her on.

He hoped he could introduce them at some point—but he was getting ahead of himself.

Tucker was jittery waiting for Hanna’s response. He went back to his to-do list, trying—and failing—to focus.

He refreshed his email again, and her response made him beam.

It was short—to the point.

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