“Do I even want to know what you’re thinking about with that devilish smile?”
“Probably not. But I’ll tell you what, in ninety days, I’ll show you what I was thinking about.”
Oh my.
I snapped more pictures than necessary, glad to hide my blush behind the camera. “All done.”
Milo winked. “That’s number sixty-nine.”
I laughed. “I do currently have sixty-eight photos hanging, so I guess you’re correct.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek, then moved his mouth to my ear. “Wasn’t talking about the number of photos on your wall. That’s what I was thinking about when I smiled for your photo.”Chapter 12* * *MatteoI must be out of my damn mind.
Maddie walked out from the bedroom wearing a bright green dress. It didn’t have a plunging neckline or almost show the cheeks of her ass, yet it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. She looked Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.
Why did I keep telling this woman having sex wouldn’t be a good idea? At the moment, I was thinking there had never been a more brilliant plan in the world.
I shook my head and blew out an audible, jagged breath. “You look...that dress… Wow, Mads, just wow.”
She looked down, as if she had to remember what she had on. “Oh. Thank you.”
“You ready? We should probably get going.” Because a man only has so much willpower.
She picked up her purse. “I am. I’m excited to watch you sing. When we were up on stage together, it was kind of surreal, and I didn’t get to enjoy your performance fully. How many songs do you get to do?”
“Usually it’s three songs or fifteen minutes, whichever comes first. But I didn’t ask the rules when I signed up this morning, so I’m not actually sure.”
“Do you know what you’re going to sing?”
“I have an idea, yeah.”
She tilted her head. “Well, what are the songs?”
I tucked my wallet into my back pocket. “I can’t tell you. It’s bad luck.”
Of course I was full of shit and just made that up. But Maddie bought it.
“Oh. Okay. Well, whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
Out on Bourbon Street, the nightly party seemed to have already started. The streets were filled with people drinking and different music blared from each bar we passed. When I caught the second guy checking Maddie out, I started to feel a little possessive and grabbed her hand.
She looked over with a questioning face, though she didn’t try to pull away.
“You’re attracting a lot of attention in that dress,” I explained. “Not that my holding your hand will keep ’em from looking, but it should prevent the drunk, aggressive assholes from approaching.”
Maddie tilted her head with a coy smile. “What if I want to be approached?”
“Approached by who?”
She looked around. A big, muscular guy wearing a tank top and jeans leaned against a stool outside a bar. His hair was slicked back, and he had his arms folded across his enormous chest. He must’ve been the bouncer.
“Him,” she said. “He’s not bad looking.”
“You want that juice head to hit on you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
I felt my blood pump faster at the thought. “What the hell for?”
“Well, a woman has needs.”
“And you want that guy to take care of those needs for you?”
“Maybe not him. I don’t know. I’m just saying.”
“Saying what?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Forget I even said anything.”
“Ummm… You just told me you might not want me to hold your hand so you can pick up some random guy off the street. Considering you’d be bringing him back to a room we’re currently sharing, I think forgetting might be a problem.”
“Jeez. I was just teasing. Relax, Milo.”
I scratched the day-old scruff on my chin. “Just teasing, huh?”
Maddie nodded.
“Alright.” I looked around. It didn’t take more than a few seconds to find a woman with a lot of skin showing. We were in the Big Easy, after all. Dropping Maddie’s hand, I said, “Do you mind if I go talk to that woman?”
Maddie’s forehead wrinkled. “Who?”
I lifted my chin to point out the scantily clad blonde. She had double Ds, at least. “Her.”
Maddie’s eyes narrowed. “Is that your type?”
“Depends on what I’m shopping for.”
Her lips pursed. “Well, maybe I should just go home if you’re out shopping.”
I chuckled and grabbed her hand again. Tugging her close, I said, “Not a good feeling, is it? Thinking of me picking up some stranger?”
She pouted. “No, it’s not.”
“Good. Because I’d much prefer to hold your hand and go home and sleep on the couch than bring someone who isn’t you home with me anyway.”
Maddie’s face softened. She leaned her head on my shoulder as we walked. “You know the right things to say to a woman.”
I leaned down and kissed her forehead just as we arrived in front of the bar for open mic night. “This is the place.”