Page 65 of Simon Says

“Right.” Shaking his head, Barber mused aloud, “Wonder why Dakota never believes that.”

“Who can understand women?”

Okay, so maybe Simon wasn’t quite as unlikable as he’d first figured. Though there was obviously bad blood between them, Simon hadn’t bad-mouthed Bonnie. And he hadn’t felt compelled to push the confrontation to a physical level.

Not for a single second did Barber think Simon avoided a fight out of fear of losing. No. Simon carried himself like a man who knew he could dominate any situation.

But maybe, like Barber, he had nothing to prove.

Barber respected that.

“Dakota went up the back way to see the manager. You can wait here for her if you want.” He pushed away from the wall. “I think I’ll do us both a favor and head off your little hedgehog for some one-on-one.”

Simon turned, saw Bonnie bearing down on them, and gave Barber a nod. “Thanks.” And with that, he sidled out of Bonnie’s path.

Just as he’d done to Simon, Barber put himself in Bonnie’s way. “Hey, beautiful.”

She started to push past him, but after the compliment, she preened. “Hello.” Her gaze skipped beyond him. “Did Simon say where he was going?”

“Off with Dakota somewhere.”

Her huff nearly parted his hair. “I thought he had better taste than that.”

Barber chuckled and took her hand. “You insulting yourself, darlin’?” When her dark eyes narrowed, he explained, “Because the way I heard it, he was with you not so long ago.”

She tugged at her hand, and when he didn’t free her, she lifted her chin. “He’ll be with me again, eventually.”

“That so? Huh. It looks different from where I’m standing, but I’ll take your word on that.” He lifted her fingers to his mouth and pressed a warm, damp kiss on her knuckles. “So in the meantime, what do you plan to do?”

“Do?”

“With your sexy self. Surely chasing after a reluctant swain isn’t your thing. If I could make a suggestion…?”

Her breathing deepened. She hesitated, and then nodded. “Go ahead.”

“I’ll be in town for a week, performing here.” Barber closed the space between them until he could touch his nose to her hair and breathe in her warmed scent. “I’d be real grateful for the company, and I can promise not to bore you.”

She studied him through calculating eyes.

With his mouth only an inch from hers, he said, “If anything’s going to get another man’s attention, that ought to do it.”

“Yes.” She licked her lips. “That would do it.”

“I get done here at one thirty. That’s a while off yet, so in the meantime, why don’t you think of something interesting for us to do?”

“Interesting?”

“Yeah.” Gently, he kissed the corner of her mouth, just teasing her. “Something that involves us both being naked. Maybe in a bed.” He dropped his hand and stepped away from her. “Or not.”

Every line of her body showed her interest. “You’re presuming a lot.”

“Ah, darlin’, I’m just real hopeful, that’s all. Been that way since the moment I first saw you.”

The compliments worked, putting a sly smile on Bonnie’s lush mouth. “All right. One thirty.” As she went past him, she said, “Between now and then, I’m sure I’ll be able to think of all kinds of fun activities.”

For her benefit, Barber clutched his heart in theater-worthy drama. Bonnie laughed—and she hadn’t even noticed his boner. It looked like his visit to Harmony would be eventful after all.

That is, if he could stop worrying about Dakota.

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