“Big. He’s a big dog, so he has to eat lots of good food. But he’s gentle. You’d like him. I could bring him over tomorrow after work.”

Daisy really didn’t have time. On the other hand, a finicky dog would make a much better guinea pig than Fang-who-ate-everything. And she would like to see more of Steve Crow. She might even be able to find a way to plaster herself against his incredible body for a few minutes. Not that she wanted anything to come of it, but another innocent scrunching wouldn’t be too terrible. “Okay,” she said, “I have a recipe for stir-fry I could try out on him.”

“You make the dog food, and I’ll bring the people food,” Steve said.

“All right!” Kevin gave Steve a high five and got out of the car. “See you around.”

“See you around.”

By the time Daisy slid over the gearshift Steve was waiting to help her out of the car.

“It’s nice of you to offer,” she said, “but it isn’t necessary for you to bring dinner tomorrow.”

“It’s the least I can do. After all, you’re going to be slaving away over a great meal for old Fred.”

“I thought his name was Bob.”

“Yeah. That’s what I meant. Bob.”

He was a little forgetful. She thought that was endearing. “Well, good night.”

“Good night.”

Neither of them moved.

The devil in Steve’s head whispered, “Hell, go for it!”

“One more thing,” he said to Daisy, taking her by the shoulders. He pulled her forward into the circle of his arms and kissed her. It wasn’t a getting-to-know-
you kiss. It wasn’t at all polite. It was pure passion, deep and hard, right from the beginning. He felt her respond, felt the tip of her tongue against his, and he crushed her closer, leaving no doubt about his future intentions.

When he finally released her and stepped back she noticed that his satisfied smile was back in place. “Good night,” he said pleasantly. Then he turned on his heel and left.

“G’night,” Daisy said. Wow.

Chapter 3

Daisy pulled into the Belle Haven Marina lot, parked the newscar facing the river, and blew out a long sigh of relief. She’d managed to drive the entire loop without having an accident. She’d even given traffic reports.