Going Deep (Coastal Heat #1) by Maggie Wells

here for the same reason you are.” He shoved a hunk of sauce-smeared bread into his mouth. To make matters worse, he tried to smile at her when he did. “Lunch,” he mumbled.
    She stared at him, stupefied by his oblivious conceit. Frankly, she couldn’t credit it. Jack’s classic matinee idol features looked bland next to the crags years of sea and sun etched into Brian’s face. Tucked close beside her, Jack’s body was warm but soft. Not that he had gone to seed, exactly, but like he thought he didn’t need to work quite as hard as other guys did. He had other things going for him, and he knew it. What he didn’t know was the prospect of inheriting his family’s chain of car dealerships held very little sway in comparison to the memory of Brian’s lean, muscular body pressed tight against hers.
    Plucking the last of her bread from his hand, she tossed it back into the basket. “And you can’t afford your own?”
    Jack’s good old boy grin expanded, showing off fancy orthodontia. “Don’t you worry about me, darlin’. I can afford to splurge and order the banana pudding.”
    “Can and should are two very different things, but some people never understand the difference,” Brian murmured.
    Brooke jerked her foot back, her gaze snapping to the man across the table. It was more an observation than a statement. Typically Brian. Blunt and truthful, cutting straight through her confusion and questions.
    Could she have him? Yes, she could. Easily. He didn’t bother hiding the hunger in his eyes. Even now, with Jack wedged into the booth with them. Should she? No. He would be a distraction at a time when she needed to be focused on her next move. She understood both of those things all too well. Unfortunately, she was afraid she already knew the answer to the question left unspoken. Would she?
    Of course she would.
    The admission triggered a white-hot flash of desire. Biting the inside of her cheek, she wriggled away from Jack’s overbearing presence. It took a full minute for the rush of blood in her ears to simmer down to a dull roar. Another passed before she tuned into the verbal volleys the men had begun to launch.
    “So, how’s the used car business?” Brian smiled as he tore a hunk of meat from a rib. “Saw you on a billboard out by the interstate.”
    Jack bristled, but she didn’t dare glance in his direction. Instead, she reclaimed her own basket and feigned an intense interest in her coleslaw.
    “We deal mainly in new cars.” Tension all but hummed off him, but Jack kept his voice level. “You know, Brendan, we got a new shipment of hybrids in. Maybe you’ll want to trade for something economical now since you’re unemployed.”
    Brian’s chuckle was as effective as sparkly bait. She looked up, letting his easy amusement roll over her. The bashful dimple in his cheek winked at her, but his eyes were sober as he returned Jack’s stare. “You know, I might stop by one day. I have to admit, sometimes I worry about leaving the Italia parked at the marina when I’m out on the boat for a few days.”
    The conversation seemed congenial on the surface, but Brooke felt the urge to duck, nonetheless. Hoping to ease the tension, she latched onto the first word that jumped out at her. “Italia?”
    Jack quivered, strung tight as a tripwire, but Brian’s gaze never faltered. He waved his sauce-stained hand in casual dismissal. “It’s a car.”
    “A Ferrari,” Jack said tightly.
    Oops . Not a good change in topic. Brooke cringed when she spotted the muscle ticking in Jack’s jaw.
    But it was Brian who frowned. “Beautiful machine, but better suited to California than Alabama, I think.” He picked up his fork and started poking at the potato salad again.
    “Of course, you can’t just trade a car like that, can you?” Finally, Brian turned his attention to her, a mischievous smile pulling at the edges of his mouth. “Most car dealers can’t tie up that much cash in one car,” he