"Wow,” he said when he drew back a moment later, his breath choppy. He met her gaze again and saw that her eyes were darker with arousal, too. Her hand came up to cover his on her face, and then she turned her mouth into his palm and pressed a kiss there. That undid him. “Christ,” he groaned. “Let's go.” He slid off the stool as she picked up her purse and, holding it under one arm, followed him out of the bar.
Out on the street, they paused. The bar was in a busy nightlife area in Rocky Harbor, California, so traffic filled the streets while people lined the well-lit sidewalks. A cool breeze off the ocean drifted over them.
"So where do you live, Blondie?” Zach put his hands on her waist and faced her. She smiled and gave him the address. He nodded.
"My car is around the corner,” she said. “How about you?"
"In the parking lot over there, but I'll walk you to your car."
She shook her head. “That's okay,” she murmured. “There are lots of people around.” They stood there, looking at each other, sexual tension snapping between them. The urgent hunger he felt for her made him lean down for another kiss. This time, standing face to face rather than sitting on barstools, he could put his arms around her and pull her against him. God, she felt good in his arms, all warm and soft, her curves fitting his harder body perfectly, her fresh fruity scent filling his head. He kissed her, a long, deep, swallowing kiss, open-mouthed, tongues sliding, body pressed to body. Everything inside him drew up tighter until he thought he was going to combust right there on the sidewalk. He pulled back to stare at her. Ashlyn, too, was breathing in shallow pants, her eyes drownin-me liquid and hot.
She touched his cheek. “I'll meet you at my place."
Zach nodded, brushed his mouth over hers again, and then smiled as she slowly, almost dreamily moved away from him. He watched her walk down the street and around the corner.
And that was the last he saw of her.
Chapter Two
"She gave me the wrong bloody address,” Zach growled to his brother the next day in his office.
"You think on purpose?” Connor asked, lounging back in a leather chair.
"Hell yeah. Nobody makes a mistake like that. ‘Oops, I forgot what street I live on.’ Jesus.” He shook his head. “I go up to the house like an idiot and wake up this old guy who doesn't know her, doesn't know anybody like her, swears she's not a neighbor. Shit."
He looked down at the papers clenched in his hand and shook his head. “She was my dream girl,” he complained, throwing himself into the chair behind his desk. Papers, folders, magazines and test tubes lay scattered from one corner of the desk to the other. “The perfect woman."
Connor laughed. “Only you would know the girl of your dreams after an hour. And try to get her into bed after an hour."
"I know, you think I'm too..."
"Impulsive? Rash?” Connor asked, still grinning. “At least you didn't ask her to marry you, like ... what was her name?"
"Okay, that was a mistake. But seriously,” Zach said. “I'm telling you—smart, gorgeous, a pool shark, and...” he paused. “She loves beer. She even knew our brewery."
Connor's brows lifted, and he appeared reluctantly impressed. “Can you find her?"
Zach scowled. “I only know her first name and that she's a student at UC Rocky Harbor. That's it."
"Uh ... maybe the bartender knows her, if she plays pool a lot. We could go back there and ask him."
Zach nodded. “Yeah. And you're buying. This is all your fault for not showing up. Where the hell were you, anyway?"
"Sorry, man. I had a meeting with those potential investors from San Francisco. They wanted to continue our meeting over dinner, and it went late."
"You could have called instead of just leaving me there waiting."
"My phone died.” Connor grimaced. “And I kind of lost track of time. You think you're mad, Jess is really pissed off."
Zach winced. “How late were you?"
"Pretty late. But they're on board now with the financing. Definitely interested. So it was all worth it. You and Jess will get over it."
"I will. Hopefully your wife will too. You've been working so much lately, I know she's not happy about it."
"I know.” Connor sighed. “But this expansion is important. We have to get everything in place. And this crap with Steinbrau hasn't been helping."
Zach rubbed his face. Yeah, business was complicated lately. Last night he and Connor had planned to cut loose a little, play some pool, drink some beers and let off some steam. Instead he was more wound up than ever.
He wondered what Ashlyn's deal was. Had she chickened out? He couldn't blame her for not wanting to take a perfect stranger home, no matter how hot they were for each other. Yeah, he was attracted to her, but he didn't just want to sleep with her. They'd had so much fun, talking, laughing, playing pool.
If only she'd said something ... if she'd changed her mind about going back to her place, he would have been fine if she'd just given him her name and phone number. He would have called her, asked her out, played by the rules.
Connor was talking business again. “So Friday night it's your turn to go schmooze with investors,” he said. “There's a big shindig at the Bonaventure."
"Great.” Zach rolled his eyes. That meant a suit and tie, not his scene at all, but he'd do it for the business.
Ashlyn handed the envelope containing a three-page typed report and a DVD to her client, Jessica Montgomery. They sat at a small table at the back of Java Jack's, where the growl and hiss of the espresso maker made talking difficult for a moment.
Ashlyn eyed Jessica's expensive-looking suit enviously. The raspberry color set off her dark hair and eyes. The woman was intimidatingly elegant, with her sleek hair, diamond earrings and slim gold watch. A pair of killer pink pumps flattered her long legs.
Ashlyn sighed. She'd never been a girly girl who was into clothes and shoes, but right then she felt scruffy and very ... student-like in her jeans, T-shirt and ponytail, carrying a backpack instead of a Coach leather purse. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind one ear.
But despite Jessica's style and elegance, her eyes were red and puffy, and she swiped a tear away.
"I'm sorry,” Ashlyn said, feeling a little stab in her heart. Jessica seemed truly heartbroken. It was never enjoyable to confirm to a wife that her husband was willing to cheat on her. But since all men were lying, cheating pond scum, it seemed to happen pretty much all the time. In this case, Ashlyn was struggling with her own emotions because Jessica's husband had seemed so nice and genuine—not to mention heart-scorchingly, panty-meltingly hot. Ashlyn had been forced to fight her own attraction to him, which was so, so wrong.
"It's better to know,” Jessica replied stoically. “Better to know for sure than to keep wondering, worrying.” Her voice broke on the last words, and she choked back a sob.
Ashlyn picked up her cardboard cup and took a sip of the hot brew. The rich, dark scent teased her nostrils. She could never tell Jessica that she totally understood why her client was so devastated. With a husband that sexy, that funny, that warm and attentive...
Low-life scum, Ashlyn reminded herself. She finished her coffee. “The invoice for our services is in there, too.” She nodded at the unopened envelope on the table.
"I have the cash,” Jessica said. “I didn't want to write a check that Connor could trace ... just in case...” Her voice trailed off miserably. She handed an envelope of cash over to Ashlyn, who tucked it into her backpack.
"Thank you,” she said as professionally as possible. “Please let us know if we can be of any assistance again."