Free Fireworks: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance by Claire Adams Page B

there was nothing to do about it. She wasn't going
to relent, and I wasn't going to push.
    Or was I?
    "Did something happen with you and
Cora?" He pushed his shoulder against mine.
    "How do you know her name?" I
turned and lifted my eyebrow as my voice dropped a little.
    "Whoa." He stepped back and
lifted his hands. "I'm an innocent by-stander here."
    "Yeah, sorry." I patted his
chest and rolled my shoulders. "I know it's going to sound crazy, but I
haven't had a girl deny me in years."
    "First time for everything?" He
laughed and took a drink of his beer. "Come on. There are lots of women
here tonight. Let's grab a beer for you and get the fun started. No worrying
about the one that got away. She wasn't even that attractive."
    I laughed loudly. "Is this your way
of making me feel better?"
    "Yep. She's the hottest thing I've
ever seen in my life." He walked to the door to the house and held it
open. "She looks like one of those chicks who would rock a business suit
and rule the world, yet turn into a complete whore in the bedroom for the right
man."
    I popped him in the gut as I walked in and
groaned. "Really? Fucker."
    "Sorry, dude. You know I have a
problem with not being totally honest all the time." He shrugged. "It
was a hard life growing up with older brothers."
    "I want her, Daniel. I haven't wanted
anyone for a long time." I glanced around, not seeing her and feeling a
sense of relief over it. She wasn't the prettiest girl I'd ever seen in my
life, but combined with her attitude and confidence? I was sold on the idea of
trying harder than I had in a long time for a girl.
    "Well, it's good to want,
right?" He picked up a beer and handed it to me. "It makes us
appreciate those things we wanted if we ever get them.”
    "Not now, dude. I can't handle an
in-depth discussion over the human psyche. I'm hiding a boner and my heart is
racing." I gave him a quick glare.
    "Over one girl? Seems out of
character for you." He shrugged and took another drink of his beer before
patting my chest. "I'm thinking you have some repressed women issues, but
we'll talk later. Go woo the girl."
    I ignored him and looked around for her.
She was standing in a group with her friends and some of mine. Perfect.
    Walking over, I stopped beside Clay and
lifted my beer to my lips, looking away from the group as if searching for
someone. She wanted to play hard to get? Fine. I was down for a challenge. It
felt good. Having my heart racing and blood pumping was almost addictive. It
had been far too long.
    "Let's go dance." Dedra moved
past me as she tugged on her redheaded friend's hand. Cindy? Candy? Cindy.
    "Sounds good to me." Derek
tugged at my shirt. "Come on, lover boy. Come show these girls how it's
done."
    "Can you dance?" Emily asked me,
moving up to my left. The girl was cute, but seemed to be hiding behind her
over-sized shirt and tights. I'd seen her on the dock earlier that day without
her shirt on. There was no need for her to wear something so unattractive,
unless she wasn't looking for attention.
    "I've been known to steal a few
hearts on the dance floor." I turned and reached for Cindy, pulling her
toward me and spinning her.
    She laughed and pressed her hands to my
chest. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a blond Chris
Evans?"
    "Nope. Never." I chuckled, lying
to the petite thing. I spun her around the floor, taking care to keep her from
running into anyone. I could almost feel Cora's eyes on me, but I ignored the
need to turn around and show her just how interested I was in gaining her
attention. I'd been playing this fucked up game for most of my life. This
wasn't the first time a girl had given me the cold shoulder, just the first
time in a really long time. I found that after I took the others like her to
bed, the excitement died. It would be no different with her.
    The thought calmed me a little. I enjoyed
the high her denial provided. To push too far, too fast would leave it over
before it started.
    "Where are you