lines. I never cheat on my boyfriends or my taxes. I never do anything scandalous.”
He touched her hand. “I know better.”
“No. The person you met last night is the vacation me. The real me is serious and boring.”
He wasn’t fooled. No way had the author of the Boy Toy To-Do List been faking anything the night before. He’d seen the list and he knew the truth. Underneath the buttoned-down businesswoman façade lay a tigress.
As he considered the tantalizing puzzle that was Katie, the waiter arrived, took their dinner orders, and dropped off their drinks and the appetizer. While Katie attacked her giant-sized drink, Steve studied the appetizer. He couldn’t identify it, but it looked inedible. “I give up. What the hell is that... stuff?”
She smirked. “Not much of a gourmet, are we? It’s calamari.”
The clue bird landed on his head. “Squid.”
“Exactly. Now we’ll see whether I really do have you eating out of my hand.” Katie picked up one of the slippery critters, dipped it in the accompanying marinara sauce, and raised it to his lips. “Open up.”
Shit. He hated calamari. He’d tried them in Italy, and in his humble opinion, they had the consistency and taste of rubber. “The things I do for you,” he grumbled.
“The things you won’t do for me,” she answered with a smile that oozed sex.
He leaned toward her, opened his mouth and accepted her dubious offering, sucking on her sauce-covered fingers as she withdrew them. Then he looked into her eyes. “The difference between me and the stingrays is I won’t leave when you run out of squid.”
Her lips curled into a smirk that was part come-on and part mockery. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
“Neither, it’s a fact.”
By the time Steve had let Katie feed him the last of the calamari, their entrees had arrived. For a few minutes they were quiet, focusing on the food, but once the edge was off his hunger, he decided it was time to shake things up. He touched her arm to get her attention. “You never had kids because you never got married, but how come you never got married?”
Her face reddened. “That’s kind of a personal question.”
He gave her a lazy smile. “You didn’t mind getting personal with me last night.”
Her answering smile acknowledged his point. “If you ask my mother, it’s because I’m too picky and too hard to live with. There’s some truth in that. I can take care of myself, so I haven’t been tempted to settle.”
“You must have had your chances.”
She looked away. “I was with the same man for ten years, and I assumed we’d end up getting married, but we were never ready at the same time. The relationship ended about a year ago.”
And she’d spent that year celibate. Her asshole ex must have done a real number on her. “What happened?”
“He traded me in for a younger model. A nice, shiny new trophy wife fresh out of college. The perfect accessory for a partner in a snooty, politically connected D.C. law firm.”
A lawyer. That explained a lot. “What a jerk,” Steve said, angry on her behalf.
She shrugged. “You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out.”
He covered her hand with his. “Don’t do that. Don’t pretend with me. I know he hurt you.”
Her shoulders stiffened. Damn it, he’d screwed up. He’d insulted her pride by letting her know he saw her pain. He added quickly, “You don’t have to pretend you’re not pissed off. You have every right to be.”
She relaxed and her expression turned serious. “No. I realize now I’m better off without him. We looked like the perfect couple, but that was about as deep as it went. I deserve more.”
Steve grabbed her hand. “Damn straight.” And it’s sitting right next to you, if you’ll just reach out and grab it.
She freed her hand. “Anyway, I don’t have time for a relationship right now.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
Her face took on a new intensity. “I’m at a crossroads in my
He touched her hand. “I know better.”
“No. The person you met last night is the vacation me. The real me is serious and boring.”
He wasn’t fooled. No way had the author of the Boy Toy To-Do List been faking anything the night before. He’d seen the list and he knew the truth. Underneath the buttoned-down businesswoman façade lay a tigress.
As he considered the tantalizing puzzle that was Katie, the waiter arrived, took their dinner orders, and dropped off their drinks and the appetizer. While Katie attacked her giant-sized drink, Steve studied the appetizer. He couldn’t identify it, but it looked inedible. “I give up. What the hell is that... stuff?”
She smirked. “Not much of a gourmet, are we? It’s calamari.”
The clue bird landed on his head. “Squid.”
“Exactly. Now we’ll see whether I really do have you eating out of my hand.” Katie picked up one of the slippery critters, dipped it in the accompanying marinara sauce, and raised it to his lips. “Open up.”
Shit. He hated calamari. He’d tried them in Italy, and in his humble opinion, they had the consistency and taste of rubber. “The things I do for you,” he grumbled.
“The things you won’t do for me,” she answered with a smile that oozed sex.
He leaned toward her, opened his mouth and accepted her dubious offering, sucking on her sauce-covered fingers as she withdrew them. Then he looked into her eyes. “The difference between me and the stingrays is I won’t leave when you run out of squid.”
Her lips curled into a smirk that was part come-on and part mockery. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
“Neither, it’s a fact.”
By the time Steve had let Katie feed him the last of the calamari, their entrees had arrived. For a few minutes they were quiet, focusing on the food, but once the edge was off his hunger, he decided it was time to shake things up. He touched her arm to get her attention. “You never had kids because you never got married, but how come you never got married?”
Her face reddened. “That’s kind of a personal question.”
He gave her a lazy smile. “You didn’t mind getting personal with me last night.”
Her answering smile acknowledged his point. “If you ask my mother, it’s because I’m too picky and too hard to live with. There’s some truth in that. I can take care of myself, so I haven’t been tempted to settle.”
“You must have had your chances.”
She looked away. “I was with the same man for ten years, and I assumed we’d end up getting married, but we were never ready at the same time. The relationship ended about a year ago.”
And she’d spent that year celibate. Her asshole ex must have done a real number on her. “What happened?”
“He traded me in for a younger model. A nice, shiny new trophy wife fresh out of college. The perfect accessory for a partner in a snooty, politically connected D.C. law firm.”
A lawyer. That explained a lot. “What a jerk,” Steve said, angry on her behalf.
She shrugged. “You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out.”
He covered her hand with his. “Don’t do that. Don’t pretend with me. I know he hurt you.”
Her shoulders stiffened. Damn it, he’d screwed up. He’d insulted her pride by letting her know he saw her pain. He added quickly, “You don’t have to pretend you’re not pissed off. You have every right to be.”
She relaxed and her expression turned serious. “No. I realize now I’m better off without him. We looked like the perfect couple, but that was about as deep as it went. I deserve more.”
Steve grabbed her hand. “Damn straight.” And it’s sitting right next to you, if you’ll just reach out and grab it.
She freed her hand. “Anyway, I don’t have time for a relationship right now.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
Her face took on a new intensity. “I’m at a crossroads in my
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