Her grin is radiant. She's teasing me, and I'm getting lost in it.
"Your turn," she murmurs, finally pulling her finger away from me.
"My—?" I ask in confusion.
"To ask a question," she says with a chuckle. She knows exactly how far she's woven me into her spell. And she's shameless about it.
I have to blink my brain back online, just so I can remember what the fuck I'm supposed to be doing that's not fantasizing about taking this girl to bed.
"Uh, favorite animal?" I manage to ask. Then I wince when I realize how stupid that question is.
"Aw, you're not very good at this game, are you?" she asks, patting me on the arm. But there's a smile tugging at her lips and I think she might not hate the question after all.
"Don't underestimate my unassumingly simple questions," I defend. "I used to be a psych major—maybe I'm secretly analyzing your personality with them."
That smile is definitely about to take over her face. "Let me guess: you took one psych class as a freshman and realized the major is for the birds."
"It took two, thankyouverymuch."
She finally lets out the laugh she's been holding in. It's the first I've heard it, andGodI want to hear it again. It's one of those laughs that comes from the belly, that is so genuine, you can'tnotsmile when you hear it. And when she drops her head to my shoulder and shakes with it, a smile does creep onto my face.
I feel her hand brace on my hip, gripping my jeans as she gives into the laughter for a moment. I embrace it, enjoying the subtly sexy smell of her, the incredible feel of her body pressed to mine. Her essence is so intoxicating that even the usual pleasure I get from making someone laugh pales in comparison to it.
When she eventually pulls away, a pleased look on her face, I bring her attention back to the topic at hand. "Alright, out with it," I scold playfully. "Rules of the game say you have to answer any question I ask."
She looks thoughtfully over my shoulder as she contemplates her answer. Then she seems to perk up as she says, "A honey badger."
I frown slightly at that. "Because you're… ferocious?"
Dani shakes her head, that knowing smile still planted firmly on her face. "Not just that. They also prefer the bachelor/bachelorette life."
My frown deepens. "You like being single?"
She shrugs. "Sure. Don't you?"
"I mean, yeah, but I'm a guy. I'm genetically engineered to want to fuck my way through the city, especially at my age." I narrow my eyes in an exaggerated way that lets her know I'm joking. "Don't you have some inherent need to tame some poor guy and trick him into taking care of you?"
Her grin doesn't lose steam at my comment, it actually gains some. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. The only thing I need from men is orgasms, and that's just because the ones I get from a partner are unfortunately better than the self-induced ones. But I can still be single while I do that."
"I can't tell if that was a compliment that I can make you come, or an insult that you only want me for my body," I say in a flat voice.
She lets out a loud laugh at that. "If all I wanted from you was your body, I would've pulled you directly into the alley when I got here."
"Fine, then my body and my amazing sense of humor."
Chuckling, she shakes her head. "Okay but in all seriousness, are you really looking for a relationship? Because that's not why I'm here. And the reason I didn't give you my number before."
"No, I'm not looking for a relationship," I answer honestly. "I have too much going on with school and fighting and my job search, so a girlfriend is the last thing I have time for." I take a big swig of my beer as I mentally add,and women don't tend to stick around anyway.
I don't say that, though. This isn't even a real first date, so droppingthatkind of honesty bomb is not what the doctor ordered here.
Instead, I turn my skeptical—but teasing—gaze back to Dani. "But if that's the case, then you're definitely too good to be true. You want to have fun and fuck? With no expectations? That sounds like a friends with benefits thing."
The look she gives me is amused. "I don't know you enough to call you a friend."
"There you go basing me down to my body again. I think now would be a good time to give me another one of those ego-boosts."
She lets out a snort at that. Then something occurs to her, because she turns her attention fully toward me again and asks, "What'syourfavorite animal?"