Her sister was playing with fire, thinking it was safe because she believed she was the one in control. How quickly would she get burned?
Annie knew this was her last chance to say her peace, to warn her sister before Gabe would start listening in on every conversation she had. “Just be careful. Don’t get in too deep with him.”
Tessa exhaled roughly, nodding slightly in relief that her sister backed off the uncomfortable subject. “I don’t get in too deep with men.” She smiled. “You should know that. You used to be the same way.”
Six
By the time Nate looked down at his watch, the cocktail party had been going strong for over an hour. Certainly Annie was here somewhere. Fashionably late had passed quite a while ago. He’d kept an eye out while glad-handing all of his VIPs, but there’d been no sign of her. At least not from his side of the bar. He’d thought there was no way he’d miss that blue dress, but he’d underestimated how many people would be here tonight.
Then he saw her.
Annie came charging from the bathroom, leaving her befuddled sister in her wake.
Nate’s breath caught in his chest at the sight of her. The dress was like a dream, the bright blue playing beautifully against her tan skin and jet-black hair. The high, firm breasts he’d seen earlier moved tantalizingly beneath the fabric as she walked, reminding him that they were free beneath it. The short cut of the dress highlighted the sculpted muscles of her calves and rhinestone-covered sandals.
In that instant, the last of his resistance was blown to pieces. He would have Annie in his bed tonight, consequences be damned. He could no longer convince himself otherwise.
She looked gorgeous...and agitated. Her skin was flushed, her brow furrowed, her delicate jaw tight. That was unusual for her. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. It made him wish he could listen in on the sisters’ conversation. It was a shame she wasn’t wearing the wire tonight, but that dress left no place to hide it. It barely hid what it was supposed to.
Nate signaled for a refill on his vodka tonic and a Diet Coke from the bartender and carried the drinks to where she’d stopped. She was leaning against one of the high-top bar tables, her beautiful face buried in her hands.
“Here’s your soda.” He leaned over to her. “I can have Mike add a shot of rum if you need it.”
Annie stood up with a start, her face quickly composing into her usual cool demeanor. “Oh! You startled me.” Whatever was bothering her was rapidly compartmentalized and put away. She eyed the glass in his hand and accepted it with a forced smile. “Thank you. The rum won’t be necessary.”
Nate came to her side, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek and slip an arm around her waist. To his surprise, his hand came in contact with her bare, smooth skin instead of fabric. Thoughts of her earlier agitation vanished as he let his fingers travel across her skin, searching for where the dress began. He was forced to stop short of public fondling.
“You should’ve told me,” he murmured into her ear over the buzz of the crowd.
A slight look of panic widened her eyes for a moment. “Told you what?”
He let his warm palm press into the small of her back, the heat of her skin almost burning him. “That you could only afford half a dress. I would’ve bought you a whole one if I’d known.”
Annie sighed, wrinkling her nose and sipping her drink. “You don’t like it?”
Nate chuckled. “Of course I like it. The problem is that so does every other man in this place.”
“Ahh.” She smiled. “You’re jealous.”
He had every damn right to be. Everyone knew the Barracuda used her looks to distract her opponents. She’d developed a long list of admirers over the years as a result. The mere thought of another man looking at Annie like that was enough to send his blood pressure skyrocketing. Even after all this time there was a primitive part of Nate that still considered her to be his.
“I am not jealous. Simply territorial.” He picked up his glass and sipped.
“Are you going to piss on me?”
Nate nearly choked on his vodka tonic. Annie was unpredictable. He had to give her that. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” He coughed.
“Good. I don’t think this fabric is washable.” Annie smiled, taking another sip of her drink. The worries of just minutes ago were so far buried Nate wouldn’t know they were even there if he hadn’t seen her upset.