‘You don’t know?’ His voice sounded unfamiliar.
She shook her head. ‘I need to research more.’ She blinked back at him and smiled. ‘I have some firsts.’ She looked down at her dress and scowled. ‘But there are a lot of nevers too.’
‘Nevers?’ Adoni’s English was excellent but he’d never heard of that before.
‘Absolutely.’ She lifted one finger. ‘Never had luck with the opposite sex.’ Then a second finger. ‘Never had a kiss that blew my socks off.’ Her gaze narrowed. ‘You look like a man who could blow a girl’s socks off with a kiss.’
Adoni choked on his coffee. ‘Is that a proposition?’ He was torn between amusement and a dark, fast-running channel of temptation.
Devoid of that tacky lipstick, Alice Trehearn had the most alluring mouth he’d ever seen. He swallowed hard and reminded himself this was the drink talking.
‘As if a man like you would kiss a girl like me.’ She leaned her head back against the sofa, her eyelids drooping. She lapsed into silence and he wondered if she was falling asleep.
‘Never driven a car either.’ She sighed. ‘I bet you have alovelycar.’
‘Yes, I do.’ And there was no way he was letting this inebriated woman near it, despite her eager smile. ‘But I’m not letting you drive it.’
She looked so ridiculously disappointed, her mouth turning down at the edges, that he almost wished he could bring back that sunny smile of hers and the twinkle in her fine eyes.
‘Is there anything else on your never list?’
Alice opened her mouth then closed it again. A flush of pink rose to her cheeks. Instantly his interest piqued.
‘Alice?’
She shook her head. ‘It’s nothing.’ She leaned forward, reached for her coffee and, seeing the mug empty, sank back.
‘You might as well tell me what it is you haven’t done. I promise to keep it to myself.’
Was he really so curious about her?
To his surprise, Adoni discovered he was.
She fidgeted. ‘I’m doing all the talking. Shouldn’t you tellmesomething?’ Just as if she hadn’t barged uninvited into his private suite. Yet Adoni hadn’t enjoyed a woman’s conversation so much in a long time.
What did that say about the women he dated?
‘What do you want me to say?’
She shrugged, melting even further into the sofa. ‘Anything you like. Tell me something you haven’t told anyone else. I promise to keep it to myself.’
The idea was absurd. Why share with a complete stranger? Yet as he sat in the mellow lamplight, watching Alice Trehearn’s easy smile and expectant look, he found himself tempted.
Because he wasn’t accustomed to sharing anything truly personal?
Because she was a stranger he’d never see again?
That, and the surprising tug of attraction, must be why he even considered playing along. And why he’d allowed her into his space when he was notoriously private.
His mood had been odd all evening. Restlessness had kept him on edge. Remarkably, it was only since she’d inserted herself into his presence that he’d begun to relax.
‘I don’t like weddings.’ The words came suddenly. Adoni was surprised how good it felt to admit it.
‘Really?’ One fine eyebrow arched. ‘Any particular reason?’
He took another mouthful of coffee. It didn’t taste as rich this time. ‘I was nearly married once. I suppose weddings bring back memories.’
Of rejection, disbelief and disappointment. But he’d been young enough to learn his lesson well. These days, apart from his hand-picked managers, he didn’t put his trust in anyone but himself. It was safer that way. When those closest to you could turn so viciously against you, trust was the first casualty, along with love.