Royal Holiday Baby. Leanne Banks
“It’s just ice cream.”
“Well, you did rescue me from that creep,” she said, caught in indecision. She squished her eyes together for a half beat then opened them. “I really shouldn’t get into a car with a man I’ve just met.”
“I can get you a cab,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, disappointment leaking through her tone. He escorted her to the door of the private club and waited with her while the valet waved a car forward.
He opened the door and just before she stepped inside, she glanced over her shoulder. “I could still meet you for that ice cream float if I knew the address.”
“Calahan’s Diner on 54th and Poplar,” he said to the driver and her. “See you soon.”
Forty-five minutes later after Tina removed her mask, she sat across from the rugged man with the magnetic eyes. “I can’t remember the last time I had one of these,” he said as he drained the last drop.
Her gaze slid down his hard jaw, taking in the slide of his Adam’s apple, then lower to his broad shoulders. Watching him drink the float was the most seductive experience she’d had in a long time.
Tina wondered if that was just plain pathetic as she took another sip of her own float. She liked the way his bedroom eyes crinkled at the corners. The fact that he was knocking back an ice cream float made him seem a little less dangerous than if he’d been swilling whiskey. She supposed that if she were ever going to do something wild and impetuous with a man, he might be a good choice. Not that she ever would.
“You never mentioned where you live,” he said.
“Out of the country, right now,” she said. “But I attended college at Rice.”
“Is that where you met Keely?” he asked.
Tina blinked, digesting his comment and what it meant. She felt a rush of self-consciousness. “You were the one Keely asked to look after me.”
He nodded and his lips tilted into a half smile. “My pleasure.”
She resisted the urge to fan her heated face. “This is a little embarrassing. I didn’t know you were assigned to look after me. I shouldn’t keep you any longer—”
His smile fell. “No,” he said. “When I said it was my pleasure, I meant it. I haven’t been out in awhile. Being with you has—” He broke off and shrugged those broad muscular shoulders. “It’s been great. I haven’t felt this good in a long, long time.”
His eyes darkened with emotion, and she felt a visceral tightening in her stomach.
“I don’t want it to end,” he said.
His words echoed her own feelings. She sucked in a quick breath, determined to clear her head. She had responsibilities. Her duty was most important. Always. “I don’t either, but it must end.” She closed her eyes for a quick moment, trying to stiffen her resolve. Opening her eyes again, she shot him a smile that she knew was weary. “Grown-ups have to be grown-ups.”
He nodded, giving a slight chuckle as he slid his gaze over her from head to waist, heating her from head to toe. “Damn shame, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said, wishing she were a little less responsible, wishing she could be impetuous and follow her heart … or hormones….
“I’ll get the check, then get you a cab,” he said.
Moments later, she sat in the back of a cab driving her toward Keely’s house. Damn chivalry, she thought and gave a dark laugh at herself. It would have been so much easier if he’d taken advantage of her. Oozing his sexy Texan charm, it would have been sooo easy. Instead, he’d given her a choice, which meant she’d had to take the chaste high road when she’d wanted to be a bad girl. Just once. She’d always been the good daughter. At the moment, that halo she wore felt way too tight.
The taxi stopped at a red light. When it turned green, the vehicle sputtered and stalled. Great, she thought. She was accustomed to riding in perfectly maintained limousines. Riding in a taxi was an adventure. Under a torrential downpour, she looked outside her window and hoped the cab would start.
The driver cranked the engine again. And again. And again. To no avail.
Darn it, she didn’t even have an umbrella with her. Her staff usually provided that. Tina sighed. Perhaps she should call her security. Heavens, she hated the idea. There would be a fuss from the head of security and her brother and maybe even her father.
She waited several more moments, her cell phone ready in her hand. An SUV pulled alongside the cab. A moment later, a knock sounded at her window, startling her. Frightened, she stared into the rain, reluctant to open her door.
“Tina,” a male voice said. “Open up.”
Recognizing the voice of Zachary Logan, she opened the door. “Zach,” she said.
His Stetson dripping with raindrops, he swung an umbrella toward her. “Need a ride?”
“To where?”
His gaze gave a dark flicker. “Wherever you want. I can take you to Keely’s or I can take you to my place in town.”
Tina stared into his eyes and felt as if she were balanced on a precipice. She could be sensible or cautious or for once, give into her passions. She saw a ravenous need in Zach’s gaze that called to something inside her. She’d been taught to ignore her needs. But somehow, the tug she felt toward Zach was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.
Tina rose from the cab with all the grace she’d been taught since she could walk and accepted his hand. “Your place,” she whispered.
Chapter Two
Tina stepped across the threshold of Zach’s apartment, her heart hammering in her chest. When Zach flicked on the light behind her, she stared into the spare, generically furnished living space and felt her stomach dip with reticence. What was she doing?
“Let me get you something to drink,” he said, walking past her and removing his hat. “Sorry I don’t have much to offer. I spend most of my time working when I stay here instead of at my ranch.”
She followed after him and watched as he stared into a near-empty refrigerator. “Juice, water.” He craned his neck. “Beer and chardonnay.”
“Water’s fine,” she said, licking her lips.
“Sure you don’t want wine?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.
“Maybe just one glass,” she said. “Besides ranching, what kind of business do you have?”
Zach grabbed a beer, then opened the bottle of wine and poured the golden liquid into a glass. “My brother and I own some companies together—information-sharing systems and upgrading equipment for mid-size companies. We also offer consultation for trading futures and trade them ourselves.”
“Sounds busy,” she said and accepted the glass of wine.
“What do you do?”
“I work in public and international relations,” she said, not wanting him to ask any further questions. She took a quick sip and stared into his gaze, feeling her stomach dance with nerves.
He skimmed his gaze over her, then took a long drink of beer. “Listen, if you’d like me to take you to Keely’s—”
“No,” she said, quickly, breathlessly. “Unless you want me to go.”
“No,” he said just as quickly, but his voice was rougher with a sensual edge to it that affected her on a visceral level.
She took another sip of wine and willed herself to be more brazen. She took two steps forward then stopped. “I’m not accustomed to making the first move,” she whispered.
He