I probably should have been offended. I mean who was this guy, that he suddenly thought he knew me? Making jokes about my shoes and now assuming that I’d had a hard day and that I needed to go out and get drunk? Assuming that I’d just jump at the chance to have drinks with him, like he was some Greek god and was such a gift in my life that I’d just fall right into his arms, some swooning damsel?
Well, he had another think coming. I had a daughter, for one thing, and responsibilities, for another. I had places to go and things to do and…
And actually, I realized, I didn’t. Rhea, my daughter, had robotics club after school today. She wouldn’t even be available until five o’clock, and it was—I glanced at my watch—only two in the afternoon. And even after she was finished, we’d made arrangements for her to spend the night at her best friend’s house tonight.
Which meant I’d have the house entirely to myself. It had sounded like such a good idea at the time, when I was just thinking about having some peace and quiet. Time in which I could really get some work done. Now, as off-balance as I was after that meeting, and with the thoughts I’d been having earlier still floating around in my head…
I suddenly realized that I didn’t know if I even wanted to be alone. Alone meant too much time to think. Alone meant coming up with problems that had to be solved—or problems that I couldn’t solve. It meant delving deeper into whether my life was going the way I wanted it to, and whether I actually wanted to do anything to change that. It meant second-guessing myself and my choices up to this point. And second-guessing myself was one of my least favorite activities. It led to regret, which was, for the most part, a complete waste of time.
And with all that in mind, I realized that now that it came down to it, being alone felt like the last thing I wanted.
Besides, hadn’t I told Zoe that I was going to come to the park to try to re-center myself? Maybe this was a chance to do just that. A chance to let loose and have a little fun.
“You’re on,” I said with a smile. I stuck my hand out to shake his. “My name’s Alice, by the way.”
He took my hand, the touch of his skin sending waves of goosebumps up my arm. “Jack,” he said, smiling softly in return.
Hell, I thought, for a smile like that, I might even go all out and spend the whole night with him. Who knew?
Chapter 4
Jack
I watched her smile back at me, her thoughts practically screaming at me as she thought them, and found my grin growing even larger than it had been.
Alice was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, all curly chocolate-colored hair and rich, almond-shaped brown eyes. She had smooth, pale skin that clearly hadn’t seen the sun in quite a while, but would have tanned to a beautiful light bronze. She looked like she’d get cute freckles if she’d let herself sit out in the sun for long enough. If she’d actually taken the time away from her computer or her office for long enough to give herself a day off.
She was, in short, gorgeous in a way that was approachable and completely knowable—and begging to be kissed by the sun.
It was one of the most bizarre thoughts I’d ever had, and I shook myself a bit, then dropped her hand.
Because she was also way out of my league. Like, way out of my league, in ways I hadn’t even started to consider yet. This woman was clearly smart and successful, someone little girls dreamt of being. She was the epitome of a self-made businesswoman.
I would never in a million years have had a chance with someone like her. I shouldn’t have even been talking to her. And normally, on any other day, I wouldn’t have.
Today, however…
“What’s wrong?” she asked suddenly, and I realized belatedly that I’d gone for about the last full minute staring at her rather than replying or moving the conversation forward. God, she probably thought I’d lost my nerve, or that I was some sort of creeper who lurked around in the rose garden and asked women out at the drop of a hat but then didn’t come through with anything else.
Talk about suspicious. Some guy picks you up in a rose garden and then stands there staring at you like an idiot after you introduce yourself?
For all I knew, she was on the verge of calling the cops already. And I definitely, definitely couldn’t afford that.
“So, you were saying…” she prompted, both her eyebrows rising up toward her hairline.
I gave myself enough time to wonder at what it would feel like to wind one of those glorious curls around my finger. And then I got a hold of myself and moved back into the real world.
“Sorry,” I muttered, laughing at myself. “The, uh… the sun got in my eyes.”
Hey, it was very close to the truth. I was dazzled enough for that to have been exactly what was wrong.
“Yes, a drink,” I continued. “And some food, if you’re hungry. I’ve had a hell of a day myself, so I’m thinking dive bar, a couple of beers, some loud music and good conversation…”
I lifted an eyebrow of my own, leaving it to her to decide whether we were going to move forward with this or not. Leaving it to her to call the shots—as I suspected she liked to do.
She gave me a smile that said she certainly did like to call the shots. And that she’d already decided how she was going to call this one.
“Dive bar sounds perfect,” she said. “Though I’m going to stick with something a bit tastier than beer, if you don’t mind.”
“Tastier than beer?” I asked, shaking my head. “Woman, if you think that’s possible, then you just haven’t met the right beer yet.”
She leaned in and gave me an up-and-down look that said she wasn’t going to let me or anyone else boss her around—and my body responded by giving me a shot of adrenaline so heavy that I shuddered. Those eyes were not only richly brown, they were also extremely sexy, and when she looked at me like she was going to actually eat me right up…
“I’m from Southern California, originally,” she said quietly. “Believe me, I’ve met all the beers. I’ve taken them out for the weekend, gone on road trips, and had one-night stands with them. I’ve even dated some of them for months. It’s just that none of them have ever lived up to my high expectations.”
I snorted with laughter at that, unable to stop myself.
I’d known that she was intelligent and powerful and was sure of exactly what she wanted. I hadn’t known, though, that Alice was also beautiful. And charming. And with such a sharp wit.
Which meant that I was going to have to rework the tools I was playing with—and provide myself with a whole lot more protection than I’d originally come into this fateful meeting with.
Chapter 5
Alice
The man who called himself Jack—though I hadn’t decided yet whether I believed that was his real name or not—took about thirty seconds to go from staring dazedly at me like I’d just cut out his tongue, back to the grinning, dimpling charmer I’d almost run into. After that, there was no stopping him. He recommended that we walk to the dive bar he had in mind, which was evidently right around the corner, but then cast a doubtful look at my heels.