Drop Dead Sexy(12)

“Sure. I’d love to.” After I sat down, I thrust my hand at him. “My name is Olivia Sullivan.” I’m not sure why I felt the need to give him my full name. What was next? Rattling off my social security number?

When his hand touched mine, I literally felt a spark of electricity. The rational side of me argued that it was my heels rubbing across the sawdust floor that had caused it. “I’m Catcher Mains.”

Embarrassment flooded my cheeks when I realized I was still holding his hand. I quickly dropped his and used my hand to sweep my hair over my shoulder. “Catcher? That’s an interesting name.”

“I like to think so.”

“Let me guess. It’s your nickname from playing baseball.”

“You’re right that it’s a nickname, but it’s not from baseball.”

“Please tell me it’s not something cheesy like you’re a real catch or you always catch the women you chase?”

Catcher threw his head back and laughed heartily. “You could say that’s part of it.”

“Seriously though. What’s it from?”

“You see my parents were English teachers, so they named me after the main character in one of their favorite books—Holden Caulfield.”

“From Catcher in the Rye.”

Catcher’s blue eyes lit up. “You know it?”

I laughed. “So I must look like some bimbo who doesn’t have an appreciation for literature.”

“No. Not at all. It’s just I don’t find that many people who get the reference.”

After glancing around us, I cocked my brows at him. “Maybe you’re hanging out with the wrong people,” I suggested.

He grinned. “Trust me. This isn’t my usual Friday night hangout.”

“Mine either. I just happened to be passing through and was in desperate need of a drink.”

“And you just happened to be wearing a banging-hot dress.”

“You think my dress is banging?”

“Hell, yeah.” With a wink, he added, “I know I’d sure like to bang you in it.”

A nervous giggle escaped my lips. “I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself.”

“Maybe I am. I should probably be more of a gentleman by trying to get to know you better. Then I can feel pervy telling you how much I’d like take you to the bathroom, shove that banging dress up above your hips, and f*ck you senseless.”

My mouth ran Mojave Desert dry at the image he had just painted for me. Of course, right on its heels came a flashback of the Texaco hellhole, and I shuddered. “No bathrooms,” I whispered.

Catcher’s brows rose in surprise. “Just no to the bathrooms? You mean you’re not shutting me down on the rest?”

“Buy me a drink, and we’ll see.” His attraction had bolstered my confidence.

That drop-dead sexy grin slunk across his face. “It would be my pleasure. What’s your poison?”

I was pretty sure The Rusty Ho didn’t have an extensive mixed drink menu. “Just a cranberry and vodka would be great.”

Catcher nodded as he rose out of his seat. As he walked over to the bar, my gaze zeroed in on the imprint of his finely sculpted ass through his pants. Oh yeah, it was the kind of ass you wanted to sink your teeth into.

Easy there. You need to pace yourself. If you keep up the dirty thoughts, you’ll be jumping him the moment he comes back to the table, and you’re too big a prude to enjoy public sex.

Catcher returned and sat my drink in front of me. “Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome.” Catcher had gotten his mug of beer refilled. After taking a sip of his beer, he leaned his elbows in on the table. “So, Olivia Sullivan, what is it that you do for a living?”

“I’m a m—” I snapped my mouth shut. There was no way in hell I was going to tell him the truth and send my potential sexathon down in flames before it even got started. I quickly recovered by tossing my hair over my shoulder. “I’m a flight attendant.”

Catcher narrowed his eyes. “Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s no way in hell you’re a flight attendant.”

“Why would you doubt me?”

“Because I’ve undergone extensive training to unravel the many layers of deception. Therefore, I can see right through the fa?ade of you flying the friendly skies.”

A stare down then ensued. When I finally blinked, Catcher gave me a self-righteous smirk.

“Fine. I’m a mortician and county coroner.” Wincing, I braced myself for him to run screaming from the table. But instead, he surprised the hell out of me by grinning.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“That is too f*cking cool.”

I cocked my brows at him in surprise. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“Usually my profession is a mega turn off for men.”

“You mean it’s a turn off for pussies.” He captured me with his hypnotic gaze. “I’m a real man, Liv. It takes a hell of lot more to scare me off.”

“I-I’m glad to hear that,” I stuttered. “And what do you do?”

“What do you think I do?”