"Mine were so lonely," Ari said softly, then shook her head as if ridding her mind of the past. "But no longer." She stepped back and grinned. "I've got my family, I've got you, and I've got Quinn. And you've got the hottie social worker who isn't a social worker," she said, lowering her voice. "Be careful, Zoe."
She nodded, appreciating her twin's concern. Despite their time apart, Ari still knew Zoe well and she obviously sensed the truth- that her attraction to Ryan was potent and overwhelming, even though the fact of his presence alone could have a negative effect on the family.
Zoe drew her tongue over her lower lip. "I'll watch myself. I have to." She only hoped she'd heed her words when faced with temptation, she thought, glancing at the man himself.
He waited off to one side, standing by himself, a man alone in a crowd of people. Not an easy feat in her family. Just watching his solitary presence caused her heart to skip a beat. She wanted to help ease his discomfort and assimilation into the clan. The attraction was strong, but so was the emotional pull.
Unable to explain it and unable to ignore him and leave him suffering alone, Zoe told Ari she'd catch up with her later and headed to join Ryan.
"Hi there," she said, coming up beside him.
"Hi." He shoved his hands into his pants pocket.
Sexy khakis that, although neatly pressed and probably expensive, still gave him a more casual look than usual and she couldn't help but admire the fit. Wondering if his thighs were as strong as she thought or how they would feel pressed hard against her own.
At her thoughts, she didn't just swallow hard, she gulped. "I guess some thanks are in order," she said, opting for the safe subject of his role in bringing her to the party.
Though aware all prying eyes of her family were on them, she stepped closer, anyway. His musky scent enveloped her, reminding her of the sensual dreams he'd inspired lately.
He grinned. "If you want to say a proper thanks, I can't say I'd stop you," he said, his voice husky and deep.
Zoe was so far gone with thoughts of being alone with Ryan that she immediately took his words as sexually charged innuendo and her body responded. Heat spread through her belly, and dampness pooled between her thighs.
"You're cute, Baldwin, but I'm not dumb enough to make out with you in front of the whole clan."
"Not even a quick peck on the cheek?" he asked.
"How about later?" She spoke quickly, before she could think it through or change her mind.
"Be sure," he warned her, sounding like a man on the edge.
"I am." The man might be trouble of the deepest kind. He might represent a heartbreak to her family. Yet Zoe was so drawn to him, so mentally involved already, she couldn't control what she now believed was inevitable.
In her mind, she was making a promise she absolutely intended to keep.
At her reply, a low groan reverberated from deep in his throat, cut off because at that moment the jukebox began to play and her family began to clap and dance, drowning out any chance at conversation.
She exhaled hard, aware of the break they'd just been given, knowing it was just a temporary reprieve. Still, she wasn't about to let the relatives separate her from Ryan. He'd asked her out on a date and she wanted to spend the evening with him. Before one of her cousins could drag her off, she grabbed Ryan's hand. They spent the night in true Costas style, eating, dancing and eating some more.
Her male relatives pulled Ryan aside and although she pitied him, she decided to let them have some fun. Ryan could handle any question they threw at him and since they believed him to be Sam's social worker, he wouldn't be subjected to questions about his manliness, as Zoe's and Ari's past boyfriends had been, she thought wryly.
Stifling a laugh, she turned to find her mother standing by her side.
"It's so good to see you happy," Elena said.
Zoe shot her mother a sideways glance. "I'm always happy." She paused. "Aren't I?"
Her mother shrugged. "I suppose, but you have a light in your eyes I haven't seen in quite some time. Maybe never. I like to see it and I bet that nice Mr. Baldwin has something to do with putting it there."
Zoe shuffled her feet and did her best not to look around for Ryan, lest she give credence to her mother's innuendo. "Maybe it's just turning thirty. It's a good age."
"Ha." Elena waved a hand dismissively. "Now come with me. I have something special for your birthday."
She followed her mother to the back of the restaurant where there was a small party room. "What's going on?" Zoe asked.
"Just a game to make the party more fun."
Zoe rolled her eyes. "Ari and I are too old for games."
"Not this kind." Elena held a scarf in front of Zoe's face.
"Isn't that from Sam's party? Orlando Bloom's not quite my speed, Mom."
"That's because he was too flat." Her mother wrapped the scarf around Zoe's eyes. "Your surprise is real."
Zoe tried to pull the scarf off, but her mother slapped her hands, then turned her around three times, making her dizzy by the time she stopped.
"Okay, now go." Elena kissed Zoe's cheek and pushed her forward.
From behind her, Zoe could have sworn she heard Elena tell her to "Go pin the hard-on Ryan Baldwin."
ZOE'S AUNT KASSIE had walked Ryan into the back room in the guise of showing him the rest of the restaurant. She left him there and asked him to wait a minute and she'd be right back because she needed his help with Zoe's birthday gift. Enough time had gone by that he figured he'd been had, when a blindfolded Zoe stumbled inside and the door slammed shut behind her.
He grabbed Zoe before she could fall, then he heard Elena and Kassie's voices beyond the door. And finally, one of them opened the door, flipped off the light and closed them inside once more.
He shook his head and laughed. "They can't be serious."
"Oh you don't know the half of it," Zoe said as she pulled the blindfold off and shook out her hair. "They're over the top to begin with, but add me turning thirty to the mix and I think they've lost their collective minds."
"Don't they realize that the light switch is inside the room so we can turn it on ourselves?"
She laughed.
"Or that it's not quite dark out yet and there's light coming through the window?"
She laughed again. "You don't get my family, Ryan. They really just want you and me together. Scratch that. Me and anybody together."
"Now that hurts my feelings."
She stepped closer, her body language and sultry tone making it clear she was fully aware of the sexually charged air around them. They had been set up by her family yet Zoe obviously didn't mind.
"I wouldn't want you to feel insulted," she murmured. "Especially when you could be feeling so much more."
She had a point and the bulge in his pants and desire pulsing through him proved it.
He met her gaze and let his hand caress the soft skin of her cheek. "I think we should get out of here."
"You're reading my mind." Her gorgeous green eyes sparkled with desire, but her serious expression indicated the time for jokes was over. "Unfortunately I live with my parents. The same people we're looking to avoid."
He chuckled at the reminder. "Fortunately I've got a motel room," he said, knowing full well the step they were about to take. Zoe Costas was many things, but a one-night stand wasn't one of them.
"You know you're the first guy who could use that line on me and not end up flat on his back."
"Can I take that to mean you're sure about this?" There were too many issues and feelings for either of them to take this lightly.
She nodded and he released the breath he hadn't been aware of holding. "Think we can get out the front door without too much of a fuss made by the posse?" he asked.
"No chance in hell." She stepped on the chair and then climbed onto the tabletop and unlocked the window. "I know you're a by-the-book kind of guy, but how would you feel about sneaking out the back way instead?"