Because she was seated between Brad and Jordan, Dana angled herself toward Brad and spent as much of the meal as possible ignoring her other dinner partner.
“What did you do to makeZoe mad?”
Brad flicked a glance across the table. “Apparently, I breathed.”
“Come on.” Dana gave him a little elbow poke. “Zoesnot like that. What did you do? Did you hit on her?”
“I did not hit on her.” Years of training kept his voice low, but the acid in it was still evident. “Maybe it annoyed her that I refused to muck around in her engine, and wouldnt let her muck around in it either, as we were both dressed for dinner and were already running late.”
Danas eyebrows rose. “Well, well. Seems she got your back up, too.”
“I dont care to be called high-handed and bossy just because I point out the obvious.”
Now she smiled, leaned over and pinched his cheek. “But, honey, you are high-handed and bossy. Thats why I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” But his lips twitched. “Then how come weve never had wild and crazy sex?”
“I dont know. Let me get back to you on that.” She speared another bite of lamb. “Guess youve been to a lot of snazzy dinners like this, in snazzy places like this.”
“There is no other place like this.”
It was easy for her to forget that her buddy Brad was Bradley Charles Vane IV, heir apparent to a lumber empire that had built one of the countrys largest and most accessible home improvement and supply chains,HomeMakers .
But seeing how smoothly he slid into this sort of sophisticated atmosphere reminded her that he was a great deal more than just the hometown boy.
“Didnt your dad buy some big castle place inScotland a few years back?”
“Manor house,Cornwall . And, yeah, its pretty incredible. Shes not eating much,” he murmured and gave a little nod towardZoe .
“Shes just nervous. Me too,” Dana added, then cut another bite of lamb. “But nothing kills my appetite.” She heardJordan laugh, and the deep male sound of it cruised along her skin. Deliberately, she ate the lamb. “Absolutely nothing.”
* * *
SHE was spending most of her time ignoring him, and taking swipes with whatever time she had left over. That,Jordan thought, was Danas usual pattern when it came to him.
He should be used to it.
So the fact that it bothered him so much was his problem. Just as finding a way to make them friends again was his mission.
Theyd once been friends. And a great deal more. The fact that they werent now was his fault, and he would take the rap for it. But just how long was a man supposed to pay for ending a relationship? Wasnt there a statute of limitations?
She looked incredible, he decided as they gathered back in the parlor for coffee and brandy. But then, hed always liked her looks, even when shed been a kid, too tall for her age and with thatpudge of baby fat still in her cheeks.
There was no baby fat in evidence now. Anywhere. Just curves, a lot of gorgeous curves.
Shed done something to her hair, he realized, some girl thing that added mysterious light to that dense brown. It made her eyes seem darker, deeper. God, how many times had he felt himself drowning in those rich chocolate eyes?
Hadnt he been entitled to come up for air?
In any case, hed meant what hed said to her before. He was back now, and she was just going to have to get used to it. Just as she would have to get used to the fact that he was part of this tangle shed gotten herself into.
She was going to have to deal with him. And it would be his pleasure to make sure she had to deal with him as often as possible.
Rowena rose. There was something in the movement, in the look of her, that tickled something at the edge ofJordan s memory. Then she stepped forward, smiled, and the moment passed.
“If youre ready, we should begin. I think its more suitable if we continue this in the other parlor.“
“Im ready.” Dana got to her feet, then looked atZoe . “You?”