boss will kill me if I don’t show up. Come on, let’s go.”
Once inside his car, Jay leaned over her to pull her seat belt out, snapping it into place. His hand brushed her breast as he did so, and they both drew in a breath. Their eyes met.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “If I kiss you now, we won’t make it to the party.”
She moved closer. “Then I guess you’d better not kiss me. Besides, you know what they say.” She sat back, folded her hands together, and waited.
He was staring at her with a slightly glazed expression in his eyes. “No, what do they say?”
Deliberately, she touched her tongue lightly to her lips. “Anticipation is half the fun.”
His pupils dilated and he sucked in a breath. “You’re a wicked woman, Gail. I like that about you.”
Fun, definitely fun, Gail thought as they drove away.
Still, it would be even more fun if she could shake that niggling worry that Roxy hadn’t finished trying to get her parents back together.
“N ICE ,” J AY SAID , as they walked into the gorgeous ballroom. Chandeliers sparkled, elaborately decorated tables stood laden with trays of seafood, crepes, andcanapés, arranged artfully around ice sculptures of leaping dolphins. “What’s the occasion?”
“Technically, it’s a party for my boss’s daughter and her new husband. Her third, I think,” Gail added with a mischievous grin. “But believe me, he’s schmoozing, too. I’m sure half the Corpus Christi business community is here. There’s my boss,” she said, pointing toward a group of people. “I’ll introduce you. Charlie’s a nice guy, you’ll like him, but watch out for his daughter.”
“I thought you said she just got married.”
“She did.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “There’s a reason she’s on husband number three.”
Gail introduced him to several people, including Charlie Wade and his daughter, Muriel. Gail had pegged the sexy brunette perfectly, he thought, withdrawing a piece of paper from his pocket. He ditched her phone number on his way to the bar.
“White wine spritzer and a Sam Adams,” Jay told the bartender. There was only one problem with bringing a beautiful woman to a party like this one, he thought, watching Gail from across the room. Every other man in the room wanted to know her, and about half of them hit on her. And he didn’t want to share.
Tonight she looked outrageously good. Part of it, he suspected, was the dress. Sexy as sin, it clung to her in a way that had him counting down the minutes until they could leave. Hell, he’d spent the last two days doing very little else beyond thinking aboutmaking love to her. If he didn’t have her soon, he just might die of frustration.
As he made his way back to Gail with the drinks, a distinguished gray-haired man slid his arm around her waist. Apparently, Jay wasn’t the only one who thought Gail looked good enough to eat. The man’s hand fell to pat her butt, with a hell of a lot more familiarity than Jay thought reasonable.
Gail said something to him and eased away. Jay reached them just as the man, apparently too stupid to understand no, tried again.
“Hey, buddy, you can take your hand off my date now,” he told the older man as he handed Gail her drink and, putting his arm around her waist, pulled her next to him. “I can handle it from here.”
Gail choked as he led her away. “Do you know who that is?” she asked, laughter lighting her blue eyes.
“No, but I know he’s a jerk.”
“Yes, he is. He’s also one of the biggest condo developers around here. My boss has been courting him for the last three months. He’s finally got him interested in a really big project.”
“Sorry,” he said, though he wasn’t. “I guess it would have really queered the deal if I’d broken his fingers, like I wanted to.”
Eyes dancing, she laughed. “Probably. His expression was priceless. I don’t think a lot of people turn him down, or call him on his obnoxious
Once inside his car, Jay leaned over her to pull her seat belt out, snapping it into place. His hand brushed her breast as he did so, and they both drew in a breath. Their eyes met.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “If I kiss you now, we won’t make it to the party.”
She moved closer. “Then I guess you’d better not kiss me. Besides, you know what they say.” She sat back, folded her hands together, and waited.
He was staring at her with a slightly glazed expression in his eyes. “No, what do they say?”
Deliberately, she touched her tongue lightly to her lips. “Anticipation is half the fun.”
His pupils dilated and he sucked in a breath. “You’re a wicked woman, Gail. I like that about you.”
Fun, definitely fun, Gail thought as they drove away.
Still, it would be even more fun if she could shake that niggling worry that Roxy hadn’t finished trying to get her parents back together.
“N ICE ,” J AY SAID , as they walked into the gorgeous ballroom. Chandeliers sparkled, elaborately decorated tables stood laden with trays of seafood, crepes, andcanapés, arranged artfully around ice sculptures of leaping dolphins. “What’s the occasion?”
“Technically, it’s a party for my boss’s daughter and her new husband. Her third, I think,” Gail added with a mischievous grin. “But believe me, he’s schmoozing, too. I’m sure half the Corpus Christi business community is here. There’s my boss,” she said, pointing toward a group of people. “I’ll introduce you. Charlie’s a nice guy, you’ll like him, but watch out for his daughter.”
“I thought you said she just got married.”
“She did.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “There’s a reason she’s on husband number three.”
Gail introduced him to several people, including Charlie Wade and his daughter, Muriel. Gail had pegged the sexy brunette perfectly, he thought, withdrawing a piece of paper from his pocket. He ditched her phone number on his way to the bar.
“White wine spritzer and a Sam Adams,” Jay told the bartender. There was only one problem with bringing a beautiful woman to a party like this one, he thought, watching Gail from across the room. Every other man in the room wanted to know her, and about half of them hit on her. And he didn’t want to share.
Tonight she looked outrageously good. Part of it, he suspected, was the dress. Sexy as sin, it clung to her in a way that had him counting down the minutes until they could leave. Hell, he’d spent the last two days doing very little else beyond thinking aboutmaking love to her. If he didn’t have her soon, he just might die of frustration.
As he made his way back to Gail with the drinks, a distinguished gray-haired man slid his arm around her waist. Apparently, Jay wasn’t the only one who thought Gail looked good enough to eat. The man’s hand fell to pat her butt, with a hell of a lot more familiarity than Jay thought reasonable.
Gail said something to him and eased away. Jay reached them just as the man, apparently too stupid to understand no, tried again.
“Hey, buddy, you can take your hand off my date now,” he told the older man as he handed Gail her drink and, putting his arm around her waist, pulled her next to him. “I can handle it from here.”
Gail choked as he led her away. “Do you know who that is?” she asked, laughter lighting her blue eyes.
“No, but I know he’s a jerk.”
“Yes, he is. He’s also one of the biggest condo developers around here. My boss has been courting him for the last three months. He’s finally got him interested in a really big project.”
“Sorry,” he said, though he wasn’t. “I guess it would have really queered the deal if I’d broken his fingers, like I wanted to.”
Eyes dancing, she laughed. “Probably. His expression was priceless. I don’t think a lot of people turn him down, or call him on his obnoxious
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