It’s you. You came down from God knows where and landed in my lap. Detective Flynn, you’re meant to be my personal muse.”
It took a minute to digest her completely insane idea. Then he had to go through it again, just to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. But no. She thought he was a mythical Greek goddess.
Definitely off her meds.
“Maybe I should take a look at the card,” he said. “Just to, you know, get a grasp on this.”
“Oh, sweetie. No can do. Not yet.”
“No? Why the hell—”
The waitress’s timing could not have been worse. “Sorry for the delay, but we’re short-staffed tonight.” She had her pen poised at the ready. “What can I get you guys?”
Liam had been starving when he’d gotten there, but Aubrey’d knocked the hunger straight out of him. All he could do was stare.
“I thought you wanted to eat,” she said.
He opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Aubrey said, “I’ll have the fried chicken sliders and another round, please.” She smiled his way and said, “You’re welcome to share.”
“What about you, gorgeous?” the waitress asked.
Huh. The way she looked at him, as if he were on the menu, made him realize he’d expected the same from Aubrey. But his looks didn’t seem to matter to her bewildering scheme. “That mac and cheese sounds good.”
“You got it. Aubrey, on your tab?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Uh,” he said, but it was too late. They were alone again. “You don’t have to pay for my food. Or another beer.”
“Yes, I do. I asked you here because—”
He held up a hand, not willing to be sidetracked again. “I believe you were going to tell me why you don’t want me to see the card?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said, shaking her head as if the explanation wouldn’t have been necessary if only he’d been paying attention. “I’m assuming you know what a muse is.”
“Yes. How they relate to me in any way isn’t clear, however.”
“From the sky, Liam. Dropped from nowhere. Anyway, what a muse does is inspire creativity. That’s exactly what my problem’s been. Why I can’t come up with a great idea for the window. You fall into my hand like a gift, and in seconds I can feel my juices getting all stirred up.”
His reaction to that last comment wasn’t good. Not good at all.
“I knew it was destiny. The Fates, you know? There’s no law that says a muse has to be a woman. I mean, come on. That would be crazy.”
“Yeah. That part would be crazy.”
She didn’t actually say, “Obviously,” but she managed to get the point across.
“Not to put a damper on things, but I don’t think this whole muse business is up my alley. And you still haven’t answered my question.”
It was as if he’d taken away her favorite kitten. “You do realize my entire future is at stake. If I blow this window, I’ll never get another chance like it. My boss is one of the most connected people in the world. She could literally ruin me. Forever.”
“I don’t think—”
“Listen, you don’t understand. I can’t have you distracted by other dates, at least not for now. But don’t worry, this isn’t a long-term proposal. It’s just until Christmas Eve Eve. And it’s not even that hard. I mean, all I really need from you is lots and lots of sex.”
His next words vanished from his mind. As did most of his working brain cells. “What’s that you say?”
Chapter Three
She hadn’t planned out exactly how she would ask Liam for a one-night stand, but telling him she wanted “lots and lots of sex” might have been taking it a step too far. Although his rapid blinking and open mouth could also suggest a nail hit directly on the head. Or an imminent solicitation charge.
Instead of answering his question, she moved her right foot until it bumped against his shoe. Slipping off her heel, she shimmied up his pant leg until she found skin. One quick rub with her big toe made him blush. And stammer. But he didn’t move away. That took getting arrested off the table.
“Look, Aubrey…”
Feeling much more in control of the situation, she relaxed against the backrest and waited. She liked him flustered. She’d put that right at the top of her list of Fun Things to Do with Muses.
His jaw moved as if he was getting ready to speak, but it took a while for the words to form. “This is all very…weird,” he said finally. “You don’t really expect me to just jump on board with this, do you?”
“Why not? The offer’s legit. We can even go back to your place if it’ll make you feel better.”
His foot lifted, dislodging her toes. “This something you do often?”
“What, find a trading card floating from the night sky? No.”
“Asking men you’ve just met for lots of sex.”
“Not often. Only when it feels right. Haven’t you ever had a one-night stand?”
He cleared his throat, looked up and to the left. Ha, she knew what that meant, even if she wasn’t a detective. He was making up an answer right this second. “No. Okay, yes, but not usually—”
“Before snacks?” she said, interrupting. “No problem. I’ll wait until we’ve eaten to ask again.”
“That’s not—You do realize I’m with the police.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“You don’t—” He sighed. “I should have ordered something stronger.”
Aubrey contained her grin. While this part of the evening was turning out better than she’d hoped, she couldn’t wait to see how entertaining he would be once they were alone. She’d bet that blush of his went all the way down his chest. She’d also wager that he was right this second coming up with justifications for saying yes. Would it be better to help him out now, or wait a bit?
Their drinks were coming, so she’d wait. Give him time to get creative. It was clear he was hooked, even if he insisted on fighting with the lure.
“Why’d you become a policeman?”
“What?”
“Being a police detective isn’t the same as being a CPA or a math teacher. The decision can’t be a simple one. There’s a lot of
