Page 32 of The Chemistry Coach
Daisy pressed on Connor’s shoulder again.“Look at me.I won’t have a hard time finding one.”
“Ooo!That’s my bet!”Hazy clapped and pointed at her.
Daisy briefly abandoned pushing Connor out of the way to talk to Hazy.“What’s your bet?”
Connor looked at Hazy with murder in his eyes.“Phone numbers.That’s my bet.I always win that one.”
Daisy rolled her eyes.He wouldn’t win this time.
When Daisy tried to get Connor to move and he yet again denied her, she took matters into her own hands.She shimmied closer to him in the booth, trying to push him off the edge.When that didn’t work, she stood in her seat and attempted to step over his lap.
In hindsight, she should have gone under the table.Her brain didn’t work quite right with Connor so close.She wobbled with one foot on either side of his lap.He grabbed her hips to steady her as she put a hand on his shoulder to keep her balance.They were touching in too many places.His hands squeezed her hips.No easy way out of her position existed.
He looked up at her, his Adam’s Apple bobbing as he swallowed, and her knees felt weak.She would fall if she tried to bring her second foot past him.Daisy lowered herself onto Connor’s lap, one knee on either side of his thighs.She’d imagined sitting in this position a million times.Her imagination didn’t do it justice.His hands never left her hips, but they may as well have been roaming her bare skin.
He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip in a move she’d replayed on her TV a shameful number of times.God, she had to move before she did something she’d regret.Daisy climbed out of Connor’s lap.
Freed, she scanned the crowd, making note of her chances.There were several people she already knew.As she walked toward the dance floor, she spun and pointed at Hazy.“You’re on!Most phone numbers before karaoke starts wins!”
Chapter 12
Connor
ConnorhatedthatDaisyremained unaffected by his closeness.He wanted her.Her front pressed against him, and his hands squeezing her hips solidified that.
He was dying inside, desperate to touch her, and it took less than a minute for her to disregard him and find a willing dance partner.She had just approached a random, strange man and asked him to dance.This jealousy streak was out of character for him.He wished he could stamp it down and let Daisy have her fun without having a meltdown.
Fucking Lover.Connor had learned long ago that when a woman told you they could do something, they could do it.He ripped his gaze off Daisy long enough to ask, “What the fuck was that?”
Lover took a shot the bartender had brought by and handed one to Connor, who hesitated for a second before downing it.He didn’t drink often during the season, but one weekend of drunkenness would be fine.The alcohol better work to numb the sting of seeing another man’s hands on her body.
“Don’t worry!”Lover assured him.“I have a plan.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what is it?What’s this grand idea of yours?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Sounds like you don’t have a plan.”
Hazy let them bicker a little before he jumped into the conversation.“I also have a plan.”
Connor threw his hands up.“For fuck’s sake.Does nobody want to let me in on these harebrained ideas?”
Both men shook their heads, and Connor took another drink.
A fiddle played as Daisy stepped onto the dance floor.Connor didn’t recognize the song, but Daisy mouthed the words as she stepped into her dance partner’s embrace.The man stood tall and lean, but Connor had at least seen him lift another girl earlier.He hoped the guy could handle Daisy’s weight.
He crossed his arms, flexing his arms and chest as he watched.He would be able to handle her weight.
The steady beat of the song got faster and faster as they twirled around the floor.The man led Daisy in spins and lifts.The first time her feet left the ground to do the cartwheel move Lover was impressed by, Connor clenched his jaw, holding his breath until her feet were safely back on the ground.
She made the move look effortless.Then the guy spun her fast and picked her up.Her legs wrapped around his waist.
He could barge over there and rip her away from the stranger, but he didn’t think Daisy would appreciate the intrusion.Instead, he watched, and drank, as she completed move after dangerous move.
