they arrived home together, Mark said, “I haven’t struck out that badly in years. The women at that party were all great, really friendly, but as soon as I tried to get to know them a little better it was like they all had to be somewhere.”
Suppressing her smirk was a true test of character. “It’s only your second day in town. You can’t expect to get lucky every night.”
“You were the most attractive woman at the club, anyway,” he said with a shrug. “No one else appealed to me at all.”
“Thanks.” She felt the same about him. None of the guys there did anything for her compared to Mark.
“You have a lot of male friends.” He said it with just a suggestion of a question mark.
There it was again, that streak of possessiveness that made a liar out of him and his big talk of casual relationships. Well, if he wanted to know more about her, he was going to have to ask.
She shrugged and said, “I have lots of female friends, too.”
“You and Bill seem pretty close.”
No, she didn’t have enough character in stock to stifle a smug, “Are you jealous?”
Mark sent her a pitying look. “Bill’s gay.”
Her eyes widened as guilt smacked her for setting him up, and possibly putting both him and Bill in an awkward position. She shouldn’t have done that to either of them. “Did he come on to you?”
“Of course not. He’s a classy guy.”
“Then how did you know?”
He rolled his gaze. “I’m from California.”
“Well, he’s a very nice man.”
“I thought so, too. He’s promised to take me fishing.”
More guilt struck her as she recalled how she’d egged Bill on. Running a finger over the arm of the corporate-executive upholstered couch, she said, “You don’t think he thinks you’re . . . ?”
“No. I told him I got dumped by my girlfriend. He told me he got dumped by his boyfriend. He’s a good guy, and we’re going fishing.”
She heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I’m glad you made a new friend. And sorry you struck out with the women. Maybe you’ll do better tomorrow night.”
He came across the room and took her face in his hands, gazing down at her with those serious/ sexy smoky blue eyes that made her crazy when she looked into their depths. “I brought home the woman I wanted to,” he said, soft and slow, each word licking over her with husky warmth.
He kissed her, and nerves jangled in places that shouldn’t have nerves. He kissed her thoroughly, then lifted his head a fraction. “Let’s go to bed,” he murmured against her lips.
If she’d ever wanted any man more, she’d blocked the memory. Every part of her, from the soles of her feet to the follicles in her scalp, was shouting the same message: Yes, yes, yes! But after a truly heroic struggle with her own hormones, she managed to shake her head.
“Here’s how it’s going to be,” she said when she could force herself to pull away from the warm, solid feel of him and everything those eyes promised. “I’m not the consolation prize. The little plastic rabbit you get at the show when you miss winning the big stuffed bear. Right?”
“Hey, I’m not suggesting . . . I didn’t mean . . .” He looked confused and guilty at the same time, and she realized he hadn’t meant to insult her.
Still. He had. Her body was aching for him, but she’d be buggered if she’d be Little-Miss-Available whenever he couldn’t score with anyone else.
“If you want me, you’ll need to work at it a little harder, mate.” She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly. “Now get some sleep. You start work tomorrow.”
Chapter 5
For the second morning Mark awoke wildly disoriented, but unlike yesterday, he was alone in bed. He decided that waking up with Bronwyn had been a lot more interesting than cruising this banana boat of a bed alone. He frowned momentarily to think of her waking similarly solo in her own room. He took a moment to contemplate the ceiling as he thought back on his night with
Suppressing her smirk was a true test of character. “It’s only your second day in town. You can’t expect to get lucky every night.”
“You were the most attractive woman at the club, anyway,” he said with a shrug. “No one else appealed to me at all.”
“Thanks.” She felt the same about him. None of the guys there did anything for her compared to Mark.
“You have a lot of male friends.” He said it with just a suggestion of a question mark.
There it was again, that streak of possessiveness that made a liar out of him and his big talk of casual relationships. Well, if he wanted to know more about her, he was going to have to ask.
She shrugged and said, “I have lots of female friends, too.”
“You and Bill seem pretty close.”
No, she didn’t have enough character in stock to stifle a smug, “Are you jealous?”
Mark sent her a pitying look. “Bill’s gay.”
Her eyes widened as guilt smacked her for setting him up, and possibly putting both him and Bill in an awkward position. She shouldn’t have done that to either of them. “Did he come on to you?”
“Of course not. He’s a classy guy.”
“Then how did you know?”
He rolled his gaze. “I’m from California.”
“Well, he’s a very nice man.”
“I thought so, too. He’s promised to take me fishing.”
More guilt struck her as she recalled how she’d egged Bill on. Running a finger over the arm of the corporate-executive upholstered couch, she said, “You don’t think he thinks you’re . . . ?”
“No. I told him I got dumped by my girlfriend. He told me he got dumped by his boyfriend. He’s a good guy, and we’re going fishing.”
She heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I’m glad you made a new friend. And sorry you struck out with the women. Maybe you’ll do better tomorrow night.”
He came across the room and took her face in his hands, gazing down at her with those serious/ sexy smoky blue eyes that made her crazy when she looked into their depths. “I brought home the woman I wanted to,” he said, soft and slow, each word licking over her with husky warmth.
He kissed her, and nerves jangled in places that shouldn’t have nerves. He kissed her thoroughly, then lifted his head a fraction. “Let’s go to bed,” he murmured against her lips.
If she’d ever wanted any man more, she’d blocked the memory. Every part of her, from the soles of her feet to the follicles in her scalp, was shouting the same message: Yes, yes, yes! But after a truly heroic struggle with her own hormones, she managed to shake her head.
“Here’s how it’s going to be,” she said when she could force herself to pull away from the warm, solid feel of him and everything those eyes promised. “I’m not the consolation prize. The little plastic rabbit you get at the show when you miss winning the big stuffed bear. Right?”
“Hey, I’m not suggesting . . . I didn’t mean . . .” He looked confused and guilty at the same time, and she realized he hadn’t meant to insult her.
Still. He had. Her body was aching for him, but she’d be buggered if she’d be Little-Miss-Available whenever he couldn’t score with anyone else.
“If you want me, you’ll need to work at it a little harder, mate.” She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly. “Now get some sleep. You start work tomorrow.”
Chapter 5
For the second morning Mark awoke wildly disoriented, but unlike yesterday, he was alone in bed. He decided that waking up with Bronwyn had been a lot more interesting than cruising this banana boat of a bed alone. He frowned momentarily to think of her waking similarly solo in her own room. He took a moment to contemplate the ceiling as he thought back on his night with
Similar Books
