He set his briefcase on the table and stared at her, his expression shocked. “What are you talking about? You know we shouldn’t go out to eat. We need to stay in your condo. Where I know you’re safe. Go to a crowded restaurant? Where we have no control over who sits next to us? No control over who walks in? That would be stupid, right?”
“Yeah, I know. But I was thinking about a smallish pub. They have a band tonight, and one of the guys I work with told me they’re really good. We could get something to eat, listen to a few songs, then go back to the condo.”
He sank onto the edge of the table, staring at her. “Small is better than big and crowded, I’ll grant you that,” he said. “But it’s still exposure. You’re still in public. And I don’t have any control over who walks in. What if Davies follows us there?”
“We could watch for a car with Illinois plates behind us,” she said. “Can’t be a lot of those in Seattle. Even if we’re only suspicious, we could turn around and go home. As far as the pub goes, I’ve never been there, so I have no idea what the place is like. But we could check it out. See if the setup would let us see anyone who walks in the door. If it doesn’t, we leave and go home.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Finally he said, “I figured you’d want to go straight home tonight. Play some games. Go to bed early.” His voice lowered, and he stared at her, his pupils dilated. Desire tightened the planes of his face. Spread a flush on his cheeks.
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I absolutely want to do that. And I love the idea of games. Can’t wait to hear what you have in mind.” She held his gaze, her own desire stirring. “Okay, forget the pub. We’ll go straight home.”
She’d go to that pub after Ethan was caught. Her stomach clenched. After Spence was gone. It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without him, but she knew Spence was right about tonight. They’d be taking a chance, and it was a foolish thing to do. And they could order dinner from Julia’s restaurant and have it delivered.
“You really want to do this, don’t you?” Spence said quietly.
She shrugged one shoulder. “My life has been turned upside down since I got that first charm from Ethan. I feel like a prisoner right now, but…” She smiled, need for Spence tugging at her. “One with great benefits. So, yeah. I wanted to get out of the ‘condo to my office and back to my condo’ rut. But you’re right. We’d be taking a huge chance.”
He swallowed as he studied her. “Maybe we could make it safe,” he finally said. “Is there another exit from the parking garage in this building?”
“Yeah, there is,” she said. “I always take the one that exits toward the front of the building because it’s easier to get to my condo. But there’s an exit on the other side of the building.”
“If Davies is watching for your car, he’d watch that front exit. If we took the other exit and watched closely for that Subaru of his, I think we’d be safe. As long as there’s a way we can see everyone who walks into the pub. Let’s check it out.”