Page 21 of Kiss an Angel

She could feel herself flush, and her immature reaction made her angry enough to challenge him. “If you’re referring to sex, why don’t you just come out and say it?”

“I’m definitely referring to sex.”

“With or without your whip?” She winced as soon as the impulsive words came out of her mouth.

“Lady’s choice.”

His amusement was suddenly more than she could stand. She turned away and gazed out the window.

“Daisy?”

Maybe it was only wishful thinking on her part, but his voice seemed gentler. She sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“About sex?”

She nodded.

“We have to be realistic,” he said. “We’re both healthy people, and despite your various personality disorders, you’re not exactly hard on the eyes.”

She whirled around to give him her most withering glare, only to see one corner of his mouth tilt in something that almost certainly would have been a smile on another man. “You’re not hard on the eyes, either,” she said begrudgingly, “but you have a lot more personality disorders than I do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You certainly do.”

“Like what?”

“Well, to start with—are you sure you want to hear this?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Well, you’re hardheaded, stubborn, and domineering.”

“I thought you were going to say something bad.”

“Those weren’t compliments. And I’ve always found a sense of humor in a man more appealing than a lot of raw, macho sexuality.”

“You’ll be sure and tell me when you get to the bad part, won’t you?”

She glared at him and decided not to mention the whips he kept under the bed. “You’re impossible to talk to.”

He adjusted the sun visor. “The point I was trying to make before you interrupted with your inventory of my personality is that neither of us is going to be able to stay celibate for the next six months.”

She dropped her eyes. If only he knew that she’d stayed that way all her life.

“We’ll be living in close quarters,” he went on. “We’re legally married, and it’s only natural that we’re going to get it on.”

Get it on? His bluntness reminded her that none of this meant anything to him emotionally, and contrary to all logic, she’d wanted to hear something romantic. With some pique, she said, “In other words, you expect me to keep house, work for the circus, and ‘get it on’ with you.”

He thought it over. “I guess that’s about the size of it.”

She turned her head and stared glumly out the window. Making a success of this “circumstance” was going to be even tougher than she’d thought.

5

As Daisy left the trailer that afternoon, she met up with a tall blond who had a chimp perched on her shoulders. She recognized her from the previous night’s show as Jill, from Jill and Friends, a cute dog and chimp act. She was round-faced, with beautiful skin and hair that was a bit over-processed, something Daisy was certain she could help her with if she had the chance.

“Welcome to Quest Brothers,” the woman said. “I’m Jill.”

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