Taking the Heat. Victoria Dahl

she started giving advice about living with a small chest, Gabe felt less guilty about checking her breasts out. She gestured to them as she was talking, after all. People were laughing so hard it was difficult to hear everything she said about bra shopping and dress styles, but he had a perfect view of her breasts the whole time. The neckline of her dress swooped only low enough to hint at cleavage, but she made clear that she didn’t have much to show, anyway.

      “Personally, I wouldn’t bother much with water bras or miracle padding. What if you attract a guy who’s really, really into C-cups and then your magic show ends with whipping off your bra and making them disappear? You can yell out ‘Ta-da!’ but I promise you won’t get any applause.”

      Benton was laughing so hard that Gabe suspected it was a magic show the bartender had seen several times.

      Half an hour and four more questions later, the show was over. Once the room started to clear out a little, Gabe took the opportunity to grab a free space at the bar and order another beer.

      “We’re heading over to the saloon,” Benton said when Gabe returned to the table. “You coming?”

      “I just bought a beer.”

      “Finish it and come on.”

      “I’d better not. I’ve got work tomorrow, and my shift doesn’t start at 5:00 p.m., unlike yours.”

      “All right, man.” Benton slapped his shoulder. “See you this weekend.”

      Gabe relaxed into his chair. If Sunday turned out to be anything like today, he might die of happiness. It was all so...simple.

      But when he glanced up, it wasn’t simple anymore.

      Veronica stood in the opening of the back hall, leaning forward just slightly to look around the room. He realized then that she was part of the reason he’d decided to stay, even if he hadn’t admitted it. Shit.

      After a few seconds of peering toward the bar, she retreated and leaned against the wall, then closed her eyes and drained her drink.

      Gabe watched her, confused by yet another sudden personality shift. She clearly didn’t want to come out, which was odd considering she’d just spent so much time in front of these people.

      She pushed off the wall again and her gaze roamed the room. Her eyes skipped over him, then returned and widened. He smiled and gave her a wave. She waved back but didn’t move. Telling himself he was an idiot even as he did it, Gabe pointed at the empty chair next to him. She hadn’t been looking for him, and he shouldn’t want to spend time with her, anyway.

      But Veronica smiled and seemed to wilt a little, the stiffness going out of her shoulders, and he was glad he’d offered. Relief seemed to glow from her face as she stepped out of the hallway and made a beeline for him.

      “What are you doing here?” she asked as she set down her now-empty glass and took a seat.

      “Some friends wanted to see your show.”

      “But not you?” she asked.

      “Are you kidding? I’ve been following your live show since the beginning. You want another drink?”

      “Oh, God, yes. Please.”

      He started to raise a hand to catch the server’s eye, then realized the woman was already headed over with a drink. She winked at Veronica. “The manager says thanks for another great show. There’s more where this came from.”

      “Keep them coming!” Veronica cried. When she reached for the drink, Gabe noticed her hand was trembling again.

      “Do you get nervous?” he asked.

      Her big blue eyes peered at him from over the rim of the martini glass as she took a long drink. “Nervous?” she finally rasped when she came up for air. “More like fucking terrified.”

      “I’m surprised.” That might explain a lot of her odd behavior. “You seem totally confident up there.”

      “Seriously?”

      He nodded as she took another drink.

      “It’s all an act. I’m scared to death.” She took one more drink, then set the glass down. Her hand was still shaking.

      “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Anyone would be nervous talking to a roomful of strangers about cunnilingus.”

      She squeaked and covered her face with her hands. Her cheeks went red behind her fingers, but when her shoulders began to shake, he knew she was laughing.

      “Sorry,” he said. “It was kind of the elephant in the room. That and your small breasts.”

      “Oh, my God!” she shrieked, her head bowing with laughter.

      “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

      “Gabe!” she scolded, and he grinned at the way she made him feel as if he was getting away with something. He couldn’t deny that it was a turn-on having an excuse to talk to this girl he hardly knew about sex.

      He smiled at the top of her head until she finally peeked up, her eyes still crinkled with amusement.

      “Feel better?” he asked.

      She sat up straight and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, I actually feel better.”

      “Makes sense. Oral sex is a great icebreaker. But I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve probably given that advice a hundred times.”

      “You’re awful,” she said, still grinning.

      “I know. I’m sorry. But your hands were shaking.”

      “Oh.” Her smile faded. “I didn’t realize.”

      The waitress interrupted with a new cocktail, and Gabe watched Veronica take a deep breath. She touched the new glass but didn’t lunge for it the way she had with the first one. She really had been scared. No wonder she’d been so hesitant to join the crowd.

      “You have no idea how good these drinks are. So good.” She took another sip. “And you distracted me from the terror. Thank you.”

      He noticed how her dress had ridden up to expose more of her smooth thighs and made himself look away, if only so he wouldn’t get caught. “I honestly had no idea you were nervous. It was a great show. You’re a natural.”

      “Really? I can’t tell how it’s going when I’m up there. It feels like my brain shuts down and my mouth is working on its own.”

      “No, your brain is definitely working. Everything you say is really damn smart.”

      She blushed again, and Gabe liked that. A lot. That she blushed over sex talk and then blushed when he called her smart. She was...intriguing. And nothing like the first impression he’d had of her.

      “You look like you got some sun today,” she said.

      “It was my day off. I finally got a chance to do some climbing.”

      She sat back in her chair. “Rock climbing? That’s crazy.”

      “It’s not crazy,” he said, the same answer he’d given to a hundred other people. It was the most typical reaction. “It’s fun. You should try it.”

      “Oh, sure. I’ve got the perfect body type.” She flexed her right arm and pointed at it. “Check out these guns.”

      “You don’t need much upper-body strength for the beginning climbs. It’s all in the legs.”

      “Are you saying you’re not impressed with my guns?” she asked, flexing again.

      “I’m saying your legs look strong.”

      “Oh.” Cheeks going pink again, she looked down at her legs. Her hands settled on her thighs as if to cover them, but then her fingers spread.

      Gabe