“What the heck are you talking about?”
“He’s too intense. Too charismatic. Too distracting and unnerving and—”
“He’s handsome and tall and fantastically popular among women, and he’s not too whatever. Just relax and enjoy him while you can.”
“Only ’til you’re back in the States. The day after tomorrow, right?”
She nodded. “We should totally do something fun.”
“Absolutely.”
“You don’t have to go back for at least a week or so, right?”
“Nope.” I don’t have to go back for, like, forever.
“Good. See you soon.”
Chapter Three
KERRI TOOK A SHORT NAP and then started rummaging through her bags, getting increasingly antsy. What was she supposed to wear for dinner? Nothing s
eemed exactly right, and Ethan hadn’t said a word about what kind of restaurant they were going to.
Good lord. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten herself roped into what was starting to feel like a real date. Both Ethan and Natalie had made it sound like he was just “amusing” her for a couple of days, but Kerri couldn’t shake the feeling that it was turning out to be more, at least as far as Ethan was concerned.
She finally fished out a pale champagne-colored top and put it with black trousers. The sleeveless tunic was plain except for some sparkly beads around the bust, which made the outfit just fancy enough if Ethan decided to take her someplace really upscale.
She took a small bottle of foundation and a dark eyeliner and applied them. Both were samples she’d gotten a while back, then stuffed in her makeup bag and promptly forgotten about. Who would’ve thought she’d ever use them?
Twenty minutes and a pair of three-inch stilettos later, she was ready.
Almost.
Putting on her pearl earrings, she stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t usually give this much care or thought to her appearance. She wore things that looked good and made her feel strong, and she didn’t usually bother with more than a little powder, mascara and lip gloss.
Kerri contemplated her reflection. The careful makeup made her eyes pop and her mouth look moist and inviting.
Did she want an affair? Well…not really an affair since she wasn’t planning to spend much time in Virginia, and it sounded like Ethan was very much needed here to man the fort at Global Strategies. She’d always wanted to spend some time in California. See what kind of jobs were out there. Unlike a certain friend, she didn’t have a billionaire husband and needed a steady paycheck to afford the little luxuries she liked to indulge in, like pretty non-work clothes and cute shoes she’d never find an occasion to wear. But most importantly, she needed a long-term distraction, something to keep herself busy with.
A repeat of their one-night stand wasn’t totally out of the question. It’d be hot to spend another night with a man as attractive and physical as Ethan.
So what would that make it? A two-night stand?
Her doctor had told her to take it easy and avoid alcohol, stress and anything strenuous—good lord, his instructions had made her sound ready to keel over any minute—but he’d never said that she had to abstain from sex. She was overstressed with poor blood work, not dead.
A part of her wanted to know if Ethan was as good as she remembered. She’d occasionally thought her boyfriends had been lacking in the bedroom department, particularly when compared to Ethan. But she could be romanticizing the memory, making it more intense and satisfying than the reality. The night she’d succumbed to Ethan hadn’t been just any night. The emotional impact of playing at an event celebrating a newborn child had left her unusually vulnerable and most likely magnified her feelings.
So do him again and find out for sure.
Not a bad plan. Once she proved to herself that Ethan was just like any other man in bed, she’d regain her equilibrium and control over the situation. The words out of his mouth would no longer feel like they dripped with innuendo.
There was a knock, and after peeping through the hole, Kerri opened the door. Ethan stood before her, looking relaxed in a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of crisp khakis. He gave her a slow once-over, the weight of his gaze grazing her like a kiss. As her nipples stiffened, she was glad she’d chosen one of her more conservative outfits.
“What happened to your hair?” he asked.
She sighed. “It was a wig.”
“Is this a wig too?”