and look her fill. “Not sure.”
Dragging her gaze away from the stranger striding toward them, the other woman smiled, giving Eva a knowing look. She fanned her face with her hand. “Whew! I feel like a voyeur. I should cover my eyes. My God, he’s already undressed you with that smokin’ hot look. Any second now, he’s going to have you flat on your back in the middle of the dance floor!”
Face hot, Eva’s insides tightened in response to the man’s ultra-focused attention as he closed the yards between them. It was like being under the bright light of a tractor beam. “Laurie!”
“Well he certainly seems interested in you. Live a little. He could be a lot of fun.”
Eva wasn’t sure. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to see who he was looking at with such heat and longing.
“What are you doing?” Laurie demanded, grabbing her arm. “Looking for the exit?”
“Looking to see who he’s staring at.”
Her friend laughed. “He’s looking at you like that. Trust me. He only has eyes for you.”
He was looking at her ? Looking at her like she was a supermodel. Eva looked at herself critically in her mirror every morning. Everything was where it was supposed to be. She had nice skin. And her brown hair could be called pretty, well, shiny at least. But she was not, absolutely not, the kind of woman that would make a man like this guy look at her with that level of heat in his gaze.
She’d wanted something , Eva thought, a little panicky, and here he was. “Be careful what you wish for,” her grandmother used to say. Eva didn’t have the kind of imagination that could wish for this man. Not even close. She’d just wanted something— someone— to loosen up her straight, and let’s face it, rather boring existence. Crunching numbers as a CPA in a cubicle at Cox and Hotchkiss didn’t offer much in the way of a good time. She was nothing more than a small, unimportant cog in a big powerful machine. Hardly what she thought her life would amount to, especially considering what she’d already been through.
But who was he? She didn’t recall seeing him before, and she knew most of the party guests tonight. They were a mixture of her firm’s biggest clients, friends and social acquaintances. A veritable Who’s Who of the South.
His lips were definitely kissable. Lips that promised the kind of slow, long, deep kisses that had her fantasizing about all the things his mouth could do. They tipped up slightly in a wicked subtle smile, emphasizing the cleft in his chin as their gazes locked. Dragging her attention away from the faint smile, Eva’s gaze clashed with his. Dark topaz eyes, mesmerizing, their message impossible to mistake, held her immobile as party guests swirled around them in a kaleidoscope of color and noise.
Like a work of art, he was too handsome. But it was more than his physical perfection that struck her. Raw primal power radiated from him, causing a ripple in his wake as he moved through the crowded ballroom with an animal grace, cutting through the clusters of guests with ease.
Time suddenly seemed to speed from slow mo’ to double time, and in an instant he was right in front of her.
“Would you like to dance?” He held out a broad, smooth hand in invitation. She didn’t know him, had never met him, and yet as she stared into the golden liquid depths of his eyes, she felt an instant connection, as if they’d known each other forever.
“Not right now. Thanks.” It wasn’t just the dance. She sensed that touching him would be the start of something she wasn’t going to be able to control. Walk away from him, she told herself firmly. Having a fling with any of the firm’s clients or their associates would backfire drastically. Her disastrous relationship with Kevin had taught her not to even attend this kind of function.
When it had come to talking about marriage, she’d been honest with him about her past and her destiny. He’d thought she was making
Dragging her gaze away from the stranger striding toward them, the other woman smiled, giving Eva a knowing look. She fanned her face with her hand. “Whew! I feel like a voyeur. I should cover my eyes. My God, he’s already undressed you with that smokin’ hot look. Any second now, he’s going to have you flat on your back in the middle of the dance floor!”
Face hot, Eva’s insides tightened in response to the man’s ultra-focused attention as he closed the yards between them. It was like being under the bright light of a tractor beam. “Laurie!”
“Well he certainly seems interested in you. Live a little. He could be a lot of fun.”
Eva wasn’t sure. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to see who he was looking at with such heat and longing.
“What are you doing?” Laurie demanded, grabbing her arm. “Looking for the exit?”
“Looking to see who he’s staring at.”
Her friend laughed. “He’s looking at you like that. Trust me. He only has eyes for you.”
He was looking at her ? Looking at her like she was a supermodel. Eva looked at herself critically in her mirror every morning. Everything was where it was supposed to be. She had nice skin. And her brown hair could be called pretty, well, shiny at least. But she was not, absolutely not, the kind of woman that would make a man like this guy look at her with that level of heat in his gaze.
She’d wanted something , Eva thought, a little panicky, and here he was. “Be careful what you wish for,” her grandmother used to say. Eva didn’t have the kind of imagination that could wish for this man. Not even close. She’d just wanted something— someone— to loosen up her straight, and let’s face it, rather boring existence. Crunching numbers as a CPA in a cubicle at Cox and Hotchkiss didn’t offer much in the way of a good time. She was nothing more than a small, unimportant cog in a big powerful machine. Hardly what she thought her life would amount to, especially considering what she’d already been through.
But who was he? She didn’t recall seeing him before, and she knew most of the party guests tonight. They were a mixture of her firm’s biggest clients, friends and social acquaintances. A veritable Who’s Who of the South.
His lips were definitely kissable. Lips that promised the kind of slow, long, deep kisses that had her fantasizing about all the things his mouth could do. They tipped up slightly in a wicked subtle smile, emphasizing the cleft in his chin as their gazes locked. Dragging her attention away from the faint smile, Eva’s gaze clashed with his. Dark topaz eyes, mesmerizing, their message impossible to mistake, held her immobile as party guests swirled around them in a kaleidoscope of color and noise.
Like a work of art, he was too handsome. But it was more than his physical perfection that struck her. Raw primal power radiated from him, causing a ripple in his wake as he moved through the crowded ballroom with an animal grace, cutting through the clusters of guests with ease.
Time suddenly seemed to speed from slow mo’ to double time, and in an instant he was right in front of her.
“Would you like to dance?” He held out a broad, smooth hand in invitation. She didn’t know him, had never met him, and yet as she stared into the golden liquid depths of his eyes, she felt an instant connection, as if they’d known each other forever.
“Not right now. Thanks.” It wasn’t just the dance. She sensed that touching him would be the start of something she wasn’t going to be able to control. Walk away from him, she told herself firmly. Having a fling with any of the firm’s clients or their associates would backfire drastically. Her disastrous relationship with Kevin had taught her not to even attend this kind of function.
When it had come to talking about marriage, she’d been honest with him about her past and her destiny. He’d thought she was making
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