Page 14 of Moonlit Colorado

Her gaze flew to mine. It was noisy in here, but I didn’t miss her quick intake of breath. She blushed again and took a hefty sip of her wine, then set it on the bar. She wasn’t walking away, though.

Instead, she slid her phone from her purse. Her thumbs moved over the lower half of the screen, and it looked like she was texting someone. Maybe that friend she’d mentioned.

“I didn’t think you recognized me,” she said as she put her phone away.

“Is that why you made the same joke?”

“Maybe. It was an experiment.”

“So you recognized me too?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Your voice and hair.” She faced the bar instead of me, but I felt her attention sweep down my frame to my Berluti dress shoes and back up my Tom Ford tux. “Your body. You’re fairly memorable.”

Fuck.

That body was flooding with endorphins. Her assessment had made all the cells in my body want to stand up and salute.

I rested my elbow on the bar, edging as close as I dared, and took a sip of bourbon. “You do look different tonight.”

She huffed an exhale. “Verydifferent. I doubt my own brothers would recognize me.”

“I disagree. It’s that Clark Kent/Superman thing. There’s no way Lois wouldn’t have recognized him without the glasses.”

Another sip of wine. “I’m Superman in this scenario?”

“Why not? Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and genders. I rescued you earlier. Next time, you can rescue me.”

“What if I don’t get there fast enough?”

“I’ll stall them until you arrive.”

She cracked a smile, and that felt like more of a victory than buying this entire resort.

“You’re far more beautiful than Superman, though,” I said. “With or without the glasses.”

That blush again. Irresistible. “You’re coming on a little strong.”

“Am I?” My voice was husky and low. It was an involuntary reaction to the chemicals running through my veins. Some of it was good old-fashioned attraction, but it wasn’t enough that she was pretty. It was the whole package. This woman stoked my curiosity more than anyone else had in a while. “Spend the evening with me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know you.”

“Not yet,” I reasoned. “Spend an hour with me, then.”

Those amber eyes widened again. “Youareforward. I’m not leaving here with you.”

“Not what I meant,” I said smoothly. “I’m new to Silver Ridge. I don’t know anyone here. Take pity on a guy.”

“You don’t seem like the type to need pity.”

“But Iamin need of rescue.” I held out my hands to either side of me. “Here I am, dateless, friendless. Just a guy, asking a girl for some hot tips on how to manage my spreadsheets. Bookkeeping pitfalls and how to avoid them.”

Her laugh started out small. She was trying to keep it in. But then it burst out with a joyful, musical sound. “You’re extremely persistent.”

“You have no idea.”

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