All In by Aleah Barley Page B

Blethins, his face was unreadable. “What are you doing?”
    “This is Mr. Blethins,” Daisy said, making introductions. “Mr. Blethins, this is my friend Mr. Di—”
    “Wilson,” Ryan reached out to shake Blethins hand. “Ryan Wilson. We talked the other day.”
    Crud. She’d almost given away his true identity.
    Blethins glanced back and forth between them for a long moment then nodded. “I’ll be seeing you around, Miss Adams.”
    Then he walked away and Daisy was stuck staring at an angry FBI agent.
    “What was that about?” he demanded.
    “He read my book.” Daisy shrugged. “He wanted to know if I was going to the reception tonight.”
    “What did you say?” Ryan asked.
    “No.” Daisy shuddered at the thought. “I don’t go to parties.”
    Ryan’s jaw tightened. “You’re going to this one.”
    This was why Daisy didn’t date. “You’re not my boss and you’re not my boyfriend.”
    He let out a hiss, clearly displeased by her reaction. “I may not be your boyfriend, but I’m…something. I’m definitely something.”
    “No, you’re not.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Last night was fun, but it’s not happening again. I told you, I don’t do relationships.”
    “I’m not proposing, sweetheart, not tonight. I’m taking you to a party.”
    “How is this so hard for you to understand?” She stood up and tapped him hard in the chest. “It was a one-night stand. I only do one-night stands. One night. Last night. Now it’s over.”
    Ryan looked like he’d been hit over the head with a hammer. “You mean, you’ve never been with anyone for more than one night?” His brow furrowed. His gaze flickered. “Who hurt you?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You’ve got the look, the body of a freaking Disney princess. Why don’t you want a happily-ever-after?”
    “Disney princesses are blond.” Daisy tugged at a midnight lock of hair.
    “Snow White,” Ryan countered.
    Okay, maybe Snow White had black hair. That didn’t change anything. “I’m not a Disney princess and I’m not looking to get my heart broken. I don’t do relationships.”
    “You’re missing out,” Ryan said. Then he sighed. “Come to the party with me tonight. Not as a date, just as a friend.” His gaze tracked across the room to where Blethins was standing near another table. “It’s important.”
    “I’ll think about it,” Daisy said.
    That seemed to be good enough for Ryan. He turned and stormed across the poker room.
    But when coffee and a Danish showed up at Daisy’s table a few minutes later, she didn’t bother asking where they’d come from. The man had sent her breakfast. Again. It was becoming a habit. She tore a corner of buttery pastry off and popped it in her mouth.
    If the party was important to Ryan then she’d go. But she still didn’t know what she was going to wear.
    On the other hand…she knew just who she could call.

Chapter Ten
    “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to town?” Lily Adams slid into the seat across from her sister, stretching her long legs out in front of her. “I’d have gotten you tickets to the show. We’re doing Romeo and Juliet at the Rollio, but—you know—with music and a lot more G-strings.”
    Daisy glanced at her watch and frowned. She’d arranged to meet her sister for lunch at the small restaurant on the Hendrix’s first level. The tournament only gave players an hour’s break, and Lily was late. “I asked you to meet me at one.”
    “And it’s like—what—one fifteen?” Lily shrugged. “What are you doing here?”
    Lily was everything Daisy wasn’t. Tall, confident, outgoing, and—behind her oversize sunglasses—glamorous. She’d inherited her height and roller-coaster curves from their mother, and from the father she’d never met she’d received hazel eyes, a peaches-and-cream complexion, and bowed lips that drove men to distraction.
    If Ryan ever saw her, he’d forget all about calling Daisy