CHAPTER ELEVEN Danny
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Danny
Killjoy was right, the meatloaf was dry.
I’d only gotten it because I was sure he was being an ass when he’d said it back at the cabin.
I was really banking on it being good, especially with the way the little diner smelled.
But the whole plate was not good. The mashed potatoes were twenty-five percent salt and twenty-five percent butter.
Which made those hard to eat, too. And the green beans were the same.
I was doing my best to choke it down while keeping a smile on my face.
Hey, it wasn’t completely forced. I genuinely was thrilled, and the meal was only one little part of it.
What wasn’t there to be happy about? I was out.
I was in the cute little snow-dusted town that was straight out of a cozy novel.
I was hanging out with a hot guy, even if he was mostly scowly and grunty.
Killjoy shook his head at me. I would have sworn he was hiding a smile behind his hand. He saw right through me, and sadly, I couldn’t hate it.
“Give me this,” he said, but he was already pulling the plate away from me while simultaneously sliding his half-eaten burger and mound of fries in as a replacement. “Told you not to get it.”
My mouth hung open, but I didn’t make a move to snatch the plate back.
“Thanks,” I said, not even hesitating to take a bite of the burger. Oh yeah, I’d ordered the wrong thing. That was goooood. When the waitress came back around, I ordered another burger before Killjoy even realized it. “That way we can both get what we want.”
I might have thrown a wink his way.
He might have choked on the dry meatloaf a bit.
Then he grumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like, “Kid’s gonna be the death of me.”
I didn’t bother correcting the kid part this time.
“What else is there to do in this little town?” I asked after we were finished, and I was waiting for a slice of warm apple pie.
“Uh, stuff?” he said with a shrug. He leaned back, draping one arm over the top of the teal-colored padded booth.
“Oh, well, hon, if you’ve never been here before,” the waitress said, smiling hard as she set the pie down in front of me.
Her southern accent was thick. “You must walk down this street right here. There are all these cute shops. Local stuff, y’know?
My sister owns that shop right there.” She leaned over, pointing out the wide windows to a place across the street somewhere.
“It’s a bookstore, but she also sells other stuff.
Like her candles. She makes the best-smelling ones in the state.
Right in her own kitchen, imagine that!”
I had no idea if what she was saying was true, but I’d never met a candle I didn’t want to smell. So, I was interested, to say the least.
“Oh yeah?” I leaned forward, ready to hear what other places she thought I needed to check out.
“Can we get the check?” Killjoy cut in, voice all gruff and brow furrowed. When I shot him a look, he rolled his eyes, but added, “Please?”
“Sure thing,” she scurried off without another word.
“Rude,” I scolded.
“I didn’t like—” He abruptly cut himself off, mouth pinched tight as he huffed a hard breath out of his nose.
“What?” I asked. “What was it you didn’t like? If you don’t want to take me shopping, it’s fine. I imagine this dinner has been a bit much for you. Probably over there having withdrawals from being away from your cabin.” I was mostly teasing, but I also knew it was close to the truth.
“Do you always flirt with other people when you’re on a date?”
His accusation had my brows shooting up.
And the way he scowled and looked away told me he hadn’t meant for it to slip out.
Interesting. Yeah, I had teasingly called this a date, but I didn’t think he’d take it seriously. Holy crap! If this were a date, well, I hadn’t been trying very hard to make it enjoyable for him.
But it wasn’t really a date, and I couldn’t let his stupid comment mess with my head. He was just trying to get under my skin, clearly.
“Well, if you must know, I wasn’t flirting.
I was being friendly, something you obviously know nothing about.
” I scooped up a huge helping of pie and shoved it into my mouth before flashing him a closed-lipped smile.
I savored it before I swallowed. “Besides, if this were a date, I’d expect more from you. ”
“More?” he grunted. “I brought you here. Told you what not to get, and when you got it anyway, like a dummy, I swapped my food with yours.”
“And they say chivalry is dead,” I teased. “You could try opening up a little. Maybe, I don’t know… ask me some questions about myself. Get to know me. That’s kind of the whole point of first dates, you know?”
“No, I don’t know.” His eyes held mine. “I don’t date. I don’t talk. I don’t do people.”
I snorted.
“You might want to restate that last part because it leaves so much up to the imagination.”
“Huh?” His confused face was the cutest thing.
“Listen, I’m the last person who would judge you for what you like. I say more power to you… I mean, as long as you're not fucking, like, sheep or something. Wait, you’re not fucking sheep, are you?”
“The fuck are you talkin’ about?”
“Bears? There are bears here, right? Like the real kind, in the wild. Is it bears? One, that’s messed up. And two, that’s scary. They could kill you. How would you even—nope, don’t want to know.”
“I don’t fuck bears,” he said a little too loudly.
I ducked my head and covered my mouth as a giggle escaped.
Half the restaurant was now looking our way.
Killjoy’s face turned a shade of red that couldn’t have been healthy.
He abruptly stood, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.
He tossed down some bills before turning and storming out of the diner.
“Crap,” I muttered under my breath. I hadn’t meant for it to escalate like that.
I grabbed one more bite of pie before I snatched up our gear, making sure not to forget my elf hat. Then I was running after him, tossing out a few apologies along the way.
The cold hit me instantly the moment I stepped outside. This was what I had wanted, but as I struggled to get my arms inside my coat and juggle holding onto his, I kind of was rethinking the whole snowy Christmas thing.
Killjoy was halfway down the block and nearly to his truck.
He wouldn’t leave me, would he?
“Wait!” I yelled, but he kept walking. “I like tentacles!”
He stopped, and so did the couple who were walking between us. I could feel their eyes on me as I hurried past them, but I didn’t care.
All that mattered was getting to Killjoy and fixing my fuck-up.
I shuffled as fast as I could to him, surprised when he turned to face me. The snow had started to fall while we were eating, but luckily it wasn’t coming down heavily.
“I like tentacles,” I said again as I stood in front of him.
“Yeah, doesn’t surprise me,” he shot back. His hands were shoved into his pockets, shoulders hunched like he would rather die than admit the cold was getting to him. “You forget I saw your dildo stash? I saw that big curling one. Don’t forget something like that.”
My head fell back as I let out a loud laugh.
When I looked at him again, it was like time stood still.
Our eyes were locked, the snow fell between us, and we were so close we might have been breathing each other’s air.
I cleared my throat. “Here,” I said, holding his jacket open so he could slide his arms in.
Which he didn’t do. But he did take it from me, and I didn’t miss the way his body gave a little shiver right before he zipped it up and shoved his hands into the pockets.
I couldn’t say what compelled me, but I didn’t stop my hands from reaching out and rubbing up and down his arms like I could make some kind of heat with friction. Like that would somehow warm him up.
“You were going to leave me,” I stated, because I was sure that if he’d gotten in that truck, he would have driven off without looking back.
His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. His brow held a deep concentration line in the middle.
“I don’t know what to do with you,” he said, and he stared down at me like he was releasing a big secret. “But I know I wouldn’t have left you. I couldn’t.” He huffed out a sigh. “It’s like I can’t turn my fuckin’ back on you for some damn reason.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. Still, he could read it clear as day on my face. And I knew this because of the way he rolled his eyes.
“Don’t hold back, Danny,” he told me. His hand slipped out of his pocket, and for a second, I thought he was going to reach for me.
But then he rubbed it over his beard, and I tried not too look disappointed when he let his arm drop heavily at his side.
“No one should ever hold you back, least of all yourself.”
I smiled. The cold hurt my teeth, but I didn’t stop.
Then his eyes were on my mouth.
It was so clear the thoughts running through his head.
Oh, I wanted him to kiss me. I was thirsty for it.
Like I’d never been before. I had no clue why this man of all men happened to be the one getting to me, making me weak in the knees and pushing me not to give up on him, but it was.
The universe had to be fucking with me. But…
maybe I didn’t mind so much. And the fact that he was hot didn’t hurt.
When he started to lean in, I put my hand on his chest.
Yes, I wanted our first kiss to happen right here. It would be all romantic-like, right on the sidewalk, with the snow falling and every passerby getting to witness this magical moment. But it wasn’t the right time.
“Is this a date?” I asked.
He blinked at me and pulled back.
“Yeah,” he grunted. “Yeah, fine. It’s a date.”
“Well, then, I don’t kiss until it’s over.”
“It’s not over? We’re done eating.”
I snorted and shook my head.
“Take me to the candles, stud!” I demanded as I slipped my hand into his and practically dragged him down the sidewalk, right past his truck, and to the store the waitress had mentioned.
“God dammit,” I heard him mutter, but he didn’t let go of my hand.