Page 93 of Guys Can't Write Romance
She smiled, a soft tingle filling her at the twinkle in his eyes and blush on his cheeks. “We’ll let it slide. Show me what to do, coach.”
As he stood behind her, holding her hand as he guided it back, that same thrill raced through her body as before. And Daisy Fields was officially now a fan of bar sports.
After several games of darts in which, fortunately, nobody got jabbed or lost an eye, it was time for their next adventure.
“You know what I really want to do,” Daisy said, “is sing karaoke.”
“Now we’re talking,” Chad said. “Are you any good?”
“Define good.”
“Do dogs howl and people wince?”
“They’ve been known to.”
“Perfect!”
As they stepped outside, the night air had grown noticeably chillier. Daisy folded her arms, but her light sweater did little to stave off the chill. Seeing this, Chad immediately slipped out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
She looked up at him, and her eyes met his. Her breath caught momentarily in her throat as she saw that twinkle in them. “Thank you,” she said softly.
“Can’t have my partner freeze to death,” he said casually, lightly touching her back as he led her down the block to anotherdive bar, the Shipwreck Saloon, where loud, horribly off-key karaoke poured through the open patio window.
A soft smile formed on her cheeks. “You keep surprising me, Chad.”
“Hopefully, in a good way.”
“It is.”
The Shipwreck Saloon was rowdier than The Salty Siren as they walked in, its walls echoing a terrible rendition of ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ belted from the stage on the far side of the packed room.
Daisy reflexively took Chad’s hand as her eyes scanned across the patrons whooping and hollering from their tables. “I’m gonna need another beer before we do this.”
“Me too,” he said.
Still holding her hand, he led her through the crowd to the bar. “What do you want?”
“I better stick to beer,” she said.
“Beer it is.” He signaled the bartender and ordered two Stellas.
When the beers came, they both took big gulps.
“You nervous?” he asked her.
She nodded. “A little. It’s been a while.”
He gave her shoulder a soft, reassuring squeeze. “Look at it this way. No matter how bad you and I suck, there’s no way we’re as bad as that guy.” He nodded to the stage.
“I might surprise you,” she said.
“Then we’ll have good memories.”
Without thinking, Daisy leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek. As she settled back into her heels, an awkward blush colored her cheeks at the spontaneity of the kiss. She had never done anything like that before and hoped she hadn’t misread the signs. As a broad grin spread across his face, she knew she hadn’t.
“I need to drag you out on rescue missions more often,” he said in that way he had of putting her at ease.
“Don’t let me chicken out, okay?” she said.
