a fuck rather badly.
"Then who are you asking me out for?"
"My friend, Janine."
"Janine?" He frowned. "You have a friend named Janine?"
I nodded, turning my gaze back to his. "Do you know her?"
He seemed to hesitate slightly before finally shaking his head. "No, but tell me. Why would I want to go out with a woman who has to send her friends to do her dirty work?"
"She's shy."
"But you're not?"
I shook my head. "Actually I am. I would never have had the nerve to approach you for myself."
"Although I flatter myself that I'm very approachable, I assure you I'm not the kind of man interested in dating a woman too shy to reach out and take what she wants."
"Reach out and take?"
He nodded. "Grab, actually."
"Is that what you like in a woman?"
He shrugged. "I'm open to most things with the right woman."
Why did I want to feel as if he were implying I might be the right woman? Stay on target and stop allowing your imagination to run wild. "She's shy but she's very pretty."
"Who is?"
"My friend Janine is."
"Oh. Her."
"Yes. Her. She's very pretty."
"Is she?"
I nodded, eager to keep Janine as the focus of the conversation. "She's seated at the table near the burger joint. She's the one in the pretty white dress."
He looked past me.
"Do you see her?" I asked.
He nodded. "It's a tossup as to whether she's just pretty or beautiful," he said.
A surge of jealousy assailed my senses and shamed me. You're only here on Janine's behalf. Like Darkwater, he's probably the kind of man who likes a slender, beautiful blonde bimbo on his arm. That leaves you out on both counts but gives Janine a fighting chance to capture his attention. While aware that an average-looking, plus-sized woman didn't generally have an abundance of dating choices, I'd always felt secure in my own skin. I'd captured Don's heart and for a brief time Darkwater's sexual interest. If I were patient enough, I knew I'd meet another man I could fall in love with.
Until that happened, I was more than ready to fall into lust but it could not be with the handsome Shane even though he made me feel as if I had his complete attention. "She's gorgeous," I said.
He surprised me by reaching across the table to place his hand next to mine, almost as if he knew I had a thing for a man's hand.
I stared at his. It was big with short nails and long fingers that would feel wonderful gliding across my bare flesh on its way to cupping my breasts or sliding down my belly to...
I caught myself. During my fling with Darkwater I'd enjoyed nights of incredible passion. Without a man in my life, my body craved the sexual release and pleasure I'd gloried in with him. After enjoying wonderful sex nearly every night for six weeks, the ten weeks since our relationship had ended left me lonely and horny. But I couldn't afford to center my attention on Shane. He was already spoken for.
"So what do you think? Isn't she beautiful?" I asked.
"Probably."
"So?"
"The more I think about it she's probably pretty but not quite beautiful."
I frowned. "What am I missing? Since when is being merely pretty a liability?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly call it a liability, but I have to tell you that I think beautiful women are a dime a dozen. Pretty women are even more common."
Oh damn. "What?"
"Why should I want to go out with your pretty friend?"
"Because she's as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. She's a great person."
"She must be to inspire such loyalty in you."
I relaxed. "So you'll go out with her?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"I told you. Women like her are a dime a dozen. Been there, done that with beautiful women. These days a woman needs to bring more than superficial looks to the table to catch and hold my interest."
I stared at him, impressed. "A man who doesn't judge a woman strictly on her physical appearance is a rarity."
"I'm flattered you think I'm rare."
I shook my head. "That's not what I said."
He smiled, revealing nice, but not
"Then who are you asking me out for?"
"My friend, Janine."
"Janine?" He frowned. "You have a friend named Janine?"
I nodded, turning my gaze back to his. "Do you know her?"
He seemed to hesitate slightly before finally shaking his head. "No, but tell me. Why would I want to go out with a woman who has to send her friends to do her dirty work?"
"She's shy."
"But you're not?"
I shook my head. "Actually I am. I would never have had the nerve to approach you for myself."
"Although I flatter myself that I'm very approachable, I assure you I'm not the kind of man interested in dating a woman too shy to reach out and take what she wants."
"Reach out and take?"
He nodded. "Grab, actually."
"Is that what you like in a woman?"
He shrugged. "I'm open to most things with the right woman."
Why did I want to feel as if he were implying I might be the right woman? Stay on target and stop allowing your imagination to run wild. "She's shy but she's very pretty."
"Who is?"
"My friend Janine is."
"Oh. Her."
"Yes. Her. She's very pretty."
"Is she?"
I nodded, eager to keep Janine as the focus of the conversation. "She's seated at the table near the burger joint. She's the one in the pretty white dress."
He looked past me.
"Do you see her?" I asked.
He nodded. "It's a tossup as to whether she's just pretty or beautiful," he said.
A surge of jealousy assailed my senses and shamed me. You're only here on Janine's behalf. Like Darkwater, he's probably the kind of man who likes a slender, beautiful blonde bimbo on his arm. That leaves you out on both counts but gives Janine a fighting chance to capture his attention. While aware that an average-looking, plus-sized woman didn't generally have an abundance of dating choices, I'd always felt secure in my own skin. I'd captured Don's heart and for a brief time Darkwater's sexual interest. If I were patient enough, I knew I'd meet another man I could fall in love with.
Until that happened, I was more than ready to fall into lust but it could not be with the handsome Shane even though he made me feel as if I had his complete attention. "She's gorgeous," I said.
He surprised me by reaching across the table to place his hand next to mine, almost as if he knew I had a thing for a man's hand.
I stared at his. It was big with short nails and long fingers that would feel wonderful gliding across my bare flesh on its way to cupping my breasts or sliding down my belly to...
I caught myself. During my fling with Darkwater I'd enjoyed nights of incredible passion. Without a man in my life, my body craved the sexual release and pleasure I'd gloried in with him. After enjoying wonderful sex nearly every night for six weeks, the ten weeks since our relationship had ended left me lonely and horny. But I couldn't afford to center my attention on Shane. He was already spoken for.
"So what do you think? Isn't she beautiful?" I asked.
"Probably."
"So?"
"The more I think about it she's probably pretty but not quite beautiful."
I frowned. "What am I missing? Since when is being merely pretty a liability?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly call it a liability, but I have to tell you that I think beautiful women are a dime a dozen. Pretty women are even more common."
Oh damn. "What?"
"Why should I want to go out with your pretty friend?"
"Because she's as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. She's a great person."
"She must be to inspire such loyalty in you."
I relaxed. "So you'll go out with her?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"I told you. Women like her are a dime a dozen. Been there, done that with beautiful women. These days a woman needs to bring more than superficial looks to the table to catch and hold my interest."
I stared at him, impressed. "A man who doesn't judge a woman strictly on her physical appearance is a rarity."
"I'm flattered you think I'm rare."
I shook my head. "That's not what I said."
He smiled, revealing nice, but not
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