“Here’s a love formula for you: those shoulders plus that jaw line plus oh, my word, what a mouth equals...”
Right as the band hit a crescendo of onerous drums, screeching sax and groaning bass guitar, Saskia turned and found herself looking right at Nate Mackenzie. He was making his way through the crowded bar, smiling at anyone who caught his eye, and unless it was a coincidence of the highest degree he was looking for her.
“What’s he doing here?” Lissy asked.
“I have no idea. I mean, I might have mentioned I’d be here tonight, but not in an invitation sort of way.”
“Well, he’s here—and he’s not alone.”
Saskia dragged her eyes away long enough to see Nate had an entourage: a collection of shiny gorgeous things behind him, looking around The Cave, taking in the mismatched chairs, the shabby old couches covered in faded velvet, the bad acoustics, the scratched and dented vintage signage.
Her heart thundered against her ribs as her hand went to her hair, which had long since gone to curl. Her skinny jeans, ballet flats and layered tanks were good only for dancing, which meant the likelihood was that her mascara had long since turned to panda eyes.
Finally Nate’s eyes found hers. Dark, blue, intense. She lifted a hand and his mouth cocked into a half smile which was different from the one he bestowed upon strangers. Gentler, warmer—just for her.
I know this man, she thought in a moment of wonder. I’ve kissed this man. I’d really like to kiss him again.
Lissy was right, she thought with a groan. She wasn’t one hundred percent pretending any more.
She stood as he approached; his suit was slick, he had not a hair out of place, and a beam of light slanted across his stunning face, picking out his sensuous mouth and sapphire eyes.
“Beautiful,” she thought. But before she could catch the word she realised she’d said it out loud.
Nate’s brow furrowed a moment, before it cleared and he laughed. As if hearing such a thing from her wasn’t so unexpected after all.
A loud clearing of the throat brought Saskia’s attention back to Lissy who was standing behind her batting her lashes. At Nate and at the big guy behind Nate.
“Nate,” said Saskia, “this is Lissy—my friend and business partner. Lissy Carmichael—Nate Mackenzie.”
“Love Formula research bunny, in the flesh,” Lissy said, giving Nate’s hand a good shake.
Saskia could have killed Lissy. She honest to goodness could have thrown her over the back of the chair for that one. But she had to put on a smile as Nate’s gaze skewed back to her.
“Better than a lab rat,” she said.
Thankfully that brought laughter which hummed across her chest. “True.”
Lissy sat down and grinned over her cocktail.
“More trouble than she’s worth?” Nate murmured against her cheek as he moved around behind her.
“You have no idea.”
When his entourage appeared through the haze like a band of perfection Nate placed a hand in the small of her back. There was no suppressing her shiver at his light touch. Nate must have felt it. Might even have liked it, if the way he spread his fingers around to her waist was anything to go by.
“Saskia Bloom, this is Gabe Hamilton—my friend and business partner.”
Saskia looked up—and up—and shook hands with about the biggest man she’d ever seen.
“Pleasure,” said Gabe in a voice as deep as he was tall. He drew an attractive blonde to his side. “This is Paige. My fiancée.”
“Next up we have Mae and Clint,” Nate said. “It’s they we have to thank for bringing us together.”
Mae grinned, while Clint seemed to be eyeing the bar.
Saskia waved them all onto ottomans and over-soft couches—whatever they could drag around the low coffee table.
Clint’s backside had barely hit a chair before Mae put in her drinks order. “After the dinner we’ve just had I need a big blue jug of something sweet and deadly.”
Saskia watched all this with Nate’s hot fingers pressed against her side, pretty much diffusing everything else to about half strength.
Then he said, “And you know Bamford, of course.”
Well, that got Saskia’s attention. She hadn’t even noticed the scruffy-looking gaming king off to the side of the group, sorting the M&M’S in his palm into colour blocks and then throwing them into his mouth one at a time. From the corner of her mouth, to Nate she said, “I’ve never met him before.”
Nate’s eyes widened. “But didn’t you say—”
“I said Lissy had worked on his website for a time. And found him a pain in the ass.”