Off Sides (Off #1)(7)

I snicker. "Yup. That's the one."

Mike lets out a long, slow whistle and is shaking his head back and forth like he pities me.

"What?" I demand.

"Come on, dude. She doesn't exactly swing in our social circle."

That just pisses me off even though I know deep down that Mike doesn't really mean anything by it.

"Why the f*ck does that matter?" My words come out harsher than I intend but I don't apologize.

Holding his hands up in apology, he smoothly replies, "It doesn't matter to me, buddy. I'm just thinking about what your parents would say. I can see your mother now, 'Oh dah-ling...she has purple hair. Is she just out of prison?'".

I bust out laughing because that is exactly what my mother would say and Mike nails his impersonation of her perfectly. This causes me to frown. Mike is correct that Danny will be shunned by my family and friends just because of how she looks. And that pisses me off all over again. And it pisses me off that I'm pissed off. I don't know this girl. I just find her interesting and want to hang with her a bit. I can't be getting angry over what my friends may or may not do in her presence when they will probably never even meet her.

"Relax. It's just dinner. It's not like I'm not bringing her home to the 'rents."

"That's what I thought. You're just trying to bang her, right?"

I angle a sharp look over at Mike and he’s grinning broadly. "No, that's not what I'm trying to do. Get your mind out of the gutter, man." I grab my keys and wallet to head out. "But if she chooses to throw herself at me, I'm not going to say no."

Mike's laugh follows me out the door.

***

Walking into Sally's I realize I'm slightly nervous. The diner is packed with the dinner crowd and I immediately see her behind the counter, ringing up someone's check.

She's still wearing what she had on earlier...jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. Her hair is pulled up in a ponytail again and I wonder what it would look like down. I find the lavender highlights at the bottom fascinating and I'd be lying if I didn't admit I found her facial piercings kinda hot. And I suddenly realize why I'm so captivated by her. It's because she looks innocent as hell but the colored hair and face metal add a bit of rebel to that sweet exterior.

Danny glances up and sees me standing there. She holds up her index finger for me to give her a minute and I nod back. I'm happy right now just to observe her for a few minutes.

I'm struck by her easy grace. She's laughing with the customer who is paying right now and her smile literally lights up the room. The cook behind the service counter says something to her and she grimaces, throwing a towel at him that catches him square in the face. He laughs at her and all of the customers at the counter hoot and holler. She's in her element here because she is without a doubt a people-person.

Danny takes off her apron and throws it under the counter. Picking up her purse, she heads over toward me and I can feel my heart start beating faster. How in the world can someone that just finished working in a greasy diner look so damn good?

"Hey," she says. "Sorry but I ended up having to work later than I thought. I haven't had time to get showered or changed."

"Not a problem. Do you want to go back to your place so you can do that?"

She shakes her head. "We're not going anywhere fancy. Casual is better. Although, I probably smell like greasy french fries right now."

I don’t know what possesses me but step closer to her and lean my head down so my nose is right behind her ear. I take a deep breath, dramatically inhaling so she can hear me. Then I whisper in her ear, "You smell delicious to me." And she does. Her shampoo smells like eucalyptus and orange blossoms. I actually watch as she shivers over my words and I feel like f*cking Tarzan right now.

Stepping back, I turn to open the door and let her walk out ahead of me. I pull my keys out and start toward the passenger door of my black Range Rover. Glancing over my shoulder I see she's walking in the opposite direction. I put my keys back in my pocket and jog to catch up to her.

"Nice night for a walk," I remark.

She laughs and the sound warms my blood. It's rich and husky, and oh, so damn sexy.

"We're just walking to the bus stop. Tonight you'll see Boston 'Danny Style'. Although you are a little over-dressed to be riding the MBTA."

I give her a nonchalant smile. "No worries. I'm game."

She smiles back. "Good. I'd be disappointed if you weren't." Her words sound like a challenge and she has no idea how competitive I can be.

Oh, Danny, Danny. I know what you're trying to do and you should work a little harder to be less transparent. There is no doubt in my mind that Danny is trying to scare me off. If she thinks riding the transit bus is scary, she's clearly never had to dodge two-hundred pound defensemen to keep them from slamming you into the boards.

"So, where are we going? You said I'm over-dressed but you have to give me a better clue than that."

She just gives me an evasive smile and says, "You'll see."

I have to admit I'm now even more curious about her than before. I really kind of expected her to want me to take her to an expensive restaurant. I mean, that's usually what girls want. And the fact that she is taking us by public transit rather than using my insanely nice and ridiculously expensive car has me almost on pins and needles as to what to expect.