Page 128 of Guys Can't Write Romance
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “Rules are rules, McKenzie. What scares you? And it needs to be real.”
He took a deep gulp of beer. “I’m afraid I’m not who you think I am.”
“So, you’re not really an ax murderer?”
He smiled. “When did you figure it out?”
“When I woke up that morning and found you sleeping on the couch. No ax murderer would be caught dead with that bedhead.”
He laughed.
“I think you’re exactly who I think you are, Chad,” she said fondly.
“And who’s that?”
“The guy who makes me laugh when I’m sad. Who reads romance novels just to understand my writing better. Who drops everything and comes over to comfort me. Who makes me feel pretty every time he looks at me. Who lets me make up ridiculous rules to bar games.”
Chad swallowed as she said this, unable to look away from the warmth in her eyes.
She handed him the dart. “It’s your turn.”
“Am I allowed to miss on purpose?” he said, his hand touching hers for a moment longer than necessary as he took the dart.
“I’m sure you will.”
Chad tossed the dart, and, of course, missed on purpose. “Oops.”
“Yeah, right,” she said.
“You know the rules,” he said. “What scares you, Daisy?”
She took a deep breath and a gulp of beer. “Wow. This really is hard, isn’t it?”
“And now she notices.”
She smiled shyly, then looked at the floor for a moment before looking back up. “I’m scared I’ll wear this dress and spend an hour doing my hair and the guy I’m with won’t even notice.”
Chad looked incredulous. “How could they not?”
“Ethan never did.”
“Then he’s a bigger idiot than I thought.”
A warmth filled her chest, and she gave him a soft smile. “I like the way you look at me, Chad. It makes me feel seen.”
“It’s hard not to,” he said, giving her arm a soft rub. “Whose turn is it?”
“You can go again,” she said.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Just be gentle.”
He tossed the dart, and again ‘accidentally’ missed the board. “Dang. That keeps happening.”
“I may have to reevaluate the rules,” she said, rolling her eyes and taking a big gulp of beer.
