A Dollop of Daisy cont.

A proposition? From Daisy Stone?

Oh hell, yeah! He couldn’t wait to hear how this played out. With any luck, there was a bed involved somewhere in this unexpected proposition.

Gabe leaned against the pitted edge of the wood bar, careful to keep his expression shuttered. The last thing he needed was to frighten Daisy by letting her see the raw hunger generated in his blood from her words alone.

Her gaze strayed away from his, frown lines setting up residence between those gorgeous blue eyes.

Whoa. What was this? Was Daisy Stone going serious on him?

The urge to touch her, to smooth away her worries was strong. He wanted to hold her, feel her bare skin against his, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate all the ways he wanted to get naked with her. Not right now, anyway.

Her gaze darted around the hazy bar. He didn’t know if she was looking for someone or just avoiding looking at him.

“Care for a drink?” He motioned the bartender over, ready to order her some kind of fruity girl drink.

Those crystal blues settled on him and he got a surge of pleasure from having captured her attention.

She glanced at the bartender. “Tequila. Straight up.”

Okaaaaay. So Daisy needed something with more punch than a Pina Colada to sip on.

A glass filled with amber liquid slid across the bar and Daisy lifted it in the air. She tossed Jose Cuervo’s finest back with a soft bounce of cinnamon curls. The glass dangled from her slender fingers before she set it back on the bar with the gentleness of a mother caressing her baby’s head.

Gabe knew his eyebrows were trying to connect with his hairline, but seeing the crack in Daisy Stone’s armor was a new experience for him.

“I need your help, Gabe.” She took a deep breath, which did amazing things to the front of that red halter. His mouth went dry and his brain lost the majority of its blood supply. “And as you might have guessed by now ... I’m desperate.”

What? Gabe sent out a directive ordering his body to return the blood back to his brain because – holy hell – Daisy Stone needed his help. And she was desperate.

Either this was the luckiest damn day of his life or he’d died and gone straight to his version of heaven.

Gabe took a moment to consider his reply. There were several possibilities but they all came down to the same thing. He reached out, tucking her small hand in his. “I’m in.”

“But I haven’t told you what I need yet.”

“Doesn’t matter.” There was no hesitation. Whatever Daisy needed, he wanted to give to her.

“But if you’ll let me explain – ”

He stepped in close to her, holding her gaze with a steady look. “Like I said. It doesn’t matter. You can count on me.”

Daisy slid off the barstool, her body a hairsbreadth from his. Her scent and heat wrapped around him, more intoxicating than the beer he’d drunk.

“Then let’s go to your house.”

Oh yeah. It was definitely his lucky day. He threw some bills on the bar and started for the door with Daisy in tow beside him.

She tugged on his hand. “Why don’t I follow you in my car? We’ll get your stuff then head straight to the airport. I’m already packed.”

Gabe slammed on the brakes, turning to stare at Daisy in the dim light of the bar. He was pretty sure he’d heard her wrong because she’d used words like ‘airport’ and ‘packed.’ “You wanna explain that?”

Another gap rocked her armor and for a scary moment he thought she might cry, but she got it back in control, her spine stiffening. “Just forget it. I’ll get someone else.”

“Hold up. I’m not turning tail. I just need a few details. Like, where are we jetting off to? And why?”

“Cartegena. In Columbia. It's my sister ...” Daisy broke off, struggling to regain control.

Well, hell.