Wet: Whispering Cove, Book 2 (13 page)
Read Wet: Whispering Cove, Book 2 Online
Authors: Cathryn Fox
Then she angled her arm in a manner emphasizing her breasts beneath her pale yellow business suit, and, for a second time, he glimpsed minx.
His woman-on-the-prowl radar went on alert. “I’m not in your way, am I?” He set his drink on the bar.
“Not yet.” Her smile wavered. “But if you play your cards right, you could be.”
He chuckled at the horrendous pickup line. “And I take it you’d be more than happy to fall into my lap.”
Uncertainty flashed in those stunning blue eyes. She cleared her throat. Moved closer.
Was that tequila he detected on her breath?
“I’ve been watching you all evening,” she murmured. “Do you come here often?”
“You mean, what’s my sign?” Zach enjoyed their exchange of retro clichés. However, as much as he loved women and wasn’t unaccustomed to getting hit on, something about Miss Strawberry Surprise didn’t jive. “Look, I don’t want to embarrass you or sound like I’m not interested, but are you sure you want to be doing this?” If the tequila were responsible for the strange vibes floating off her, she might regret it tomorrow.
Her blue eyes rounded, making her look impossibly young and innocent, yet also guilty.
Damn, but she had the cutest tilt to the tip of her aristocratic nose.
“Yes, I want to do this. I have to.” She tensed, inhaled. “Um, I’d like a date. That is, would you like a date? Uh, just for the evening—uh, night—um, for a start?”
“You’re a hooker?”
Her hand jerked off her hip. “Of course not! I said ‘for a start’.”
“Whoops. Initially, you said ‘for the night’.”
“I know.” She winced. “I didn’t mean to. What I meant to say was that I’d like a date sometime. Not necessarily—uh, definitely not tonight.”
A smile tugged his mouth. “Definitely not tonight, huh?”
“No. I came with a friend, so I shouldn’t.”
Oh yeah, the security-in-pairs game.
She glanced away. “Damn it, I’m screwing this up. I’m nervous.”
Zach gazed at her. Why should she feel nervous? If she’d been watching him like she claimed, she’d have noticed he didn’t bite…unless the woman in question requested it. And tonight he’d done nothing but joke around and relax since entering the place with Ethan—
His brain snapped to attention.
Ethan. Of course.
His brother had organized tonight, choosing the bar, the time, where they’d sit, then had kept checking his watch as if waiting for something to happen. When Ethan left, maybe thirty minutes after they’d arrived, he’d specifically mentioned
wanting
Zach to stay.
Had Ethan known Miss Strawberry would be here? Had he perhaps even set it up?
Ethan’s work schedule would give most men angina, yet every few months he blew off steam by playing a practical joke on Zach or their dad, so it wasn’t impossible.
Zach would throttle the truth out of his brother tomorrow. In the meantime, he’d one-up the jackass by throwing Miss Strawberry a curve.
He remained standing. “Don’t be nervous. I’d love to take you out. What’s your name?”
Her gaze narrowed. “What’s yours?”
“Jack Halloran.” Let her stew for a bit, think she’d hit on the wrong guy.
The pad of her thumb bumped his palm as they shook hands. “Tess…S.,” she stammered.
Apparently, she didn’t want to use her real name, either. “Tess Ess?” he teased. “That Spanish?”
Her freckles nearly disappeared beneath another blush. She moistened her lips, stepped closer. “
Tess
,” she said, voice husky. “Tess
S
.,” she repeated. Like he’d ever forget. Her seductive gaze ensnared him as her soft smile whipped through his veins. His undisciplined cock sprang to life.
“Do you have a pen?” she asked.
“A—”
Think, Halliday.
“What?”
“Never mind.” She fetched a pen from her purse and a cardboard coaster from the bar. She scribbled on the coaster and passed it to him:
TESS S.
A telephone number followed.
“Call me.” She hiccupped.
He grinned. “No last name?”
“Not unless we actually go out.”
At least she possessed a few street smarts. He examined the scrawled number. “Is that a one or a seven?”
No reply. He glanced up.
She’d disappeared.
He surveyed the bar to see her threading back toward her table, her prim ass and long legs attracting several male glances. Her companion stood, and they headed for the washrooms—the refuge of every female he knew.
What the hell did women do together in the washroom? Would they talk about him?
His ego liked to think so.
“She works around here, you know,” the bartender said.
“Huh?” Zach climbed onto his stool. “Where?”
“Not sure,” the brawny man answered. “Doesn’t come in often. Always thought she was classy. Sure never seen her hit on a customer before.” He pointed at the coaster. “Maybe she’s gone whacko. Want me to toss that for you?”
“Nope.” Whacko or not, she fascinated him. Madonna or minx—which was it?
He looked at the coaster again, tapped it.
There was only one way to find out.
Wet
Cathryn Fox
A look, a kiss, a taste of melted chocolate...
Whispering Cove, Book 2
Celebrity chef Kathleen Wilson has returned to Whispering Cove for her high school reunion. Tired of big-city life, she’s looking forward to relaxing in the quaint fishing village. The one thing she’s not looking forward to is facing the boy from her past. The boy she turned her back on ten years ago. The same boy she has never gotten over.
Firefighter Trent Parker has never given up on reuniting with his Katy. When he hears she’s back in town, he figures the quickest way to show her where she really belongs is to launch an all-out, blatant campaign of seduction. An accident with a fire hose leaves her soaked—and ignites a firestorm of need in them both, with only one way to extinguish the flames.
Soon they’re burning up the sheets, but when morning comes and the smoke clears, Katy faces a choice she never thought she’d have to make again. To leave for another ten years…or admit that the heat between her and Trent isn’t about to burn out.
This book has been previously published.
Warning: A dash of chocolate, a celebrity chef and a sexy firefighter who knows as much about starting a fire as how to put one out.
eBooks are
not
transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Wet
Copyright © 2012 by Cathryn Fox
ISBN: 978-1-61921-166-7
Edited by Sue Ellen Gower
Cover by Lyn Taylor
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Original Publication: 2011
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: July 2012
Table of Contents
Look for these titles by Cathryn Fox