The Chase (33 page)

He shook his head. “No, thanks.”

Why was he looking at her like that? Those eyes just bored into her, like he was seeing something she didn’t want anyone to see. Tuesday was intensely aware of how close he was standing to her, how tall he was even though she was five-foot-eight. There weren’t a lot of men who towered over her, but he did. He had a presence, too, that seemed to surround her, that made her want to both lean on his chest for comfort and strip him naked and get thrown against a wall.

Neither of which were appropriate to do at the moment.

“Don’t be a wuss.” Evan tried to hand Diesel a shot glass filled with whiskey. “It’s my wedding and I never see you anymore, so I say you owe me.”

“Seriously, no thanks. I take pain meds, and trust me, it ain’t a good combination.” Diesel shrugged. “I’ll take a Coke though.”

Tuesday thought about the limp she had seen Diesel walking with at the cemetery. For some reason, she had assumed that’s all it was, that there wouldn’t actually be pain anymore. It had been at least two years since his accident, if she was remembering correctly. But if he limped, she imagined it was because he was in pain.

Yet he always looked so calm.

Suddenly confused, her emotions pinging in multiple directions, Tuesday turned to the bartender. “Can we get a Coke please?” She took the shot of whiskey Evan was holding out to her. God knew the last thing she needed was to throw back some Jack, but the truth was, she was a little afraid of the direction her thoughts and feelings were going in. Maybe the liquor would take the edge off.

“Are you sure your wife doesn’t want a shot?” Tuesday asked Evan.

“Are you kidding? Kendall can’t hold her liquor. She’s not drinking at all tonight because she doesn’t want to wind up trashed and doing the worm on the dance floor.”

Tuesday sniffed her drink. “So that’s what you have me for, right? I’ll be the one making an ass out of myself in a few hours.”

Evan grinned. “We can only hope.”

Unfortunately, given the way she was feeling, Tuesday thought it might not be that far from the truth. For a split second, she hesitated. Maybe the whiskey was a bad idea on top of the champagne. But then Evan lifted his glass and tossed it back and she was just competitive enough that she had to follow suit, taking it cleanly and quickly. As the burn raced down her throat, she tried not to wince.

Diesel raised his eyebrow, his Coke lifted to his lips. “You don’t play around.”

No, she didn’t. And she wasn’t going to let this night descend into melancholy for her. It was Kendall and Evan’s wedding, for crying out loud. New beginnings, a celebration of hope and love and the future. She needed to shake it off.

“Hell, no,” she told him. “You have to take drinking seriously, you know. You want to dance?”

He shook his head. “No.”

It was amazing how fast alcohol could loosen her limbs. She ought to be worried, but the truth was, she was glad the knots in her shoulders had unfurled just a bit. “What? Well, that’s just rude. Why wouldn’t you want to dance with me?”

“I can’t dance.”

“Pfft.” She looked at Evan. “You can’t dance, and you do it anyway.”

“I can so dance. I own that dance floor. If Lange won’t dance with you, I will.”

Tuesday would rather spend more time with Diesel, but he was shaking his head. She ought to be offended, but there was something about the way he looked at her; she couldn’t believe it was that he didn’t want to be with her. There was that something . . . There was a word for it but she was starting to suspect she was drunk, because she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Okay. Let’s polka.”

“But they’re playing Donna Summer,” Evan protested.

“Perfect. We’ll polka and hustle at the same time. It’s all about creating your own path, my friend.” Tuesday leaned over the bar. “Another champagne,
s’il vous plaît
.” Oh, yeah, she was drunk. Busting out high school French was always a sure sign of that.

“See you later,” she said to Diesel, taking her drink from the bartender. “Stay away from coconut.”

Did that make sense? She wasn’t really sure, but he just nodded. “Have fun.”

“Always.” Not exactly true, but if she stated it often enough, maybe it would become true.

Fun. Yeah. That’s what she was having.

Tuesday grabbed Evan by the arm and went to prove it.

 

 

Praise for Erin McCarthy’s novels

 

 

“Sizzling hot.”

—
Romance Junkies

 

 

“Funny, charming, and very entertaining.”

—
Romance Reviews Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M517TOB09

 

The last place widowed single mother Tamara Briggs wanted to find a man was at the racetrack. Been there, done that. But rookie driver Elec Monroe sure does get her heart racing ...

 

“Steamy . . . fast-paced and red hot.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M661T0310

Heiress Regan Henry knows that passion can be an illusion, and she keeps her emotions in check—until she falls under the spell of the beguiling Felix Leblanc. He knows the rumors that her mansion is haunted are true, and that he’s the only one who can save her from the spirits residing there. But the only way he can free her is by sacrificing his last chance at redemption ... or risk a love that could consign them both to an eternity of evil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M660TO310

Free spirit Gemma Dante wishes her love life were going as well as her New Age business. So she casts a spell to catch her

Mr. Right. But when the cosmic wires get crossed, into her life walks a clean-cut fireman who’s anything but her type.

 

Sean Kennealy doesn’t know what to make of his pretty neighbor who burns incense. He only knows that being near her sparks a fire in him that even the guys at Ladder 29, Engine 31 can’t put out.

 

From

 

New York Times
Bestselling Author

 

 

 

 

M205T0209

 

A DATE WITH THE OTHER SIDE
HEIRESS FOR HIRE

 

FLAT-OUT SEXY
HARD AND FAST
HOT FINISH
THE CHASE

 

HIGH STAKES
BIT THE JACKPOT
BLED DRY
SUCKER BET

 

MY IMMORTAL
FALLEN
THE TAKING

 

 

THE NAKED TRUTH

 

AN ENCHANTED SEASON

 

THE POWER OF LOVE

 

FIRST BLOOD