Nik almost jumped back in shock. “What the—-” Heads turned towards them, with most of the suspicious gazes going his way. “Will you shut up,” Nik hissed at the woman, flushing at the scrutiny he was being subjected to. “You’re the one who threw a bottle at my head twice, so stop acting like you’re the victim here!”
The stranger’s words penetrated her mind, and Daria stopped screaming.
“You’re insane,” Nik said in disgust.
Daria almost hung her head low in shame, perfectly understanding why he thought the same way. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I panicked. I thought you were going to kill me.” She looked at her Greek, hoping for a smile, but the man only scowled at her.
“I should press charges against you.”
Daria winced. My, my, her Greek was testy, wasn’t he? But then, she had thrown a bottle at him twice, and both times, he had ended up with a blow to his head. His bad manners were to be forgiven. Taking a deep breath, Daria started to explain all about messages – or rather, drawings – in a bottle and the pandas on his phone. But then she saw the look on his face—-
He was obviously still contemplating whether to press charges.
Daria mentally changed tacks. She mustn’t give her Greek a chance to sue her before she could get them back on proper footing.
And so instead of explaining, she said simply, “Hi.”
The stranger didn’t answer.
Maybe, she thought hopefully, her beauty had struck him dumb the same way his had rendered her speechless. She mentally nodded to herself. Yes, that was it.
Realizing she had to take matters in her own hand while the poor man basked in her loveliness, Daria offered her hand. “I’m Daria.” She smiled up at him. “You are?”
“Insane,” Nik replied unhesitatingly. And just in case the nutty woman still managed to misunderstand him, he clarified, “You’re insane. Certifiably so.” And he, Nik thought, was close to being one himself, with every second that passed without him being able to walk away.
So why couldn’t he?
He waited for the woman to be offended, to flounce off in a huff in hopes of having him run after her, but instead the curvy brunette in front of him only laughed.
“I know I seem that way,” Daria said ruefully, “but I promise I’m not insane.”
An incredulous brow arched at her in response. “You threw a bottle at me twice for no apparent reason, and you think it does not make you insane?”
“The first one was an accident,” she said defensively.
Nik was unimpressed. “And the second one?”
“Not an accident?”
His eyes bored through hers, as if saying, you see then? You are insane.
Daria was having a hard time biting back her smile. He was so serious. Most men would have used this opportunity to flirt with her, but the beautiful Greek stranger God had sent her was doing the opposite.
Daria cocked her head to the side, studying him. She could see it in his eyes, could see it in the way his nostrils flared every time his gaze strayed to her chest. The attraction was mutual, so why hadn’t he yet made a move?
The way the woman was looking at him made Nik’s jaw clench, and he snapped, “Stop looking at me like that.”
Daria blinked. “Like what?”
Heat blazed in the stranger’s dark brown eyes as he gritted out, “Like you want me to pounce on you.”
Her breath caught.
Oh.
Vivid images flashed in her mind at his words.
This man, he looked so in control, but she had a feeling he could be so exquisitely raw and primitive in the way he fucked.