Page 4 of Dr. Stone
“And I would’ve been insulted if you hadn’t taken that opportunity… Doctor?” I let the title linger, inviting him to fill in the rest.
He smirked. “Dr. Stone, but just call me Jace.” In old-school playboy fashion, he took my hand and brushed a kiss across the back of it.
I smiled, our gaze never once unlocking, “I’m Andie. It’s lovely to meet you, and thanks for the compliment.”
“Oh, that’s just the start, beautiful,” he said, making his corny line sound almost believable.
“I hope so, handsome,” I played back.
He cocked his head to the side. “Do you ladies mind if I steal your enchanting friend away from you for a drink?”
I glanced at Ash, who was scolding the guy with her eyes. They were all worried he’d chew me up and spit me out, shoving me back into the darkness I’d just escaped. But I knew better—my heart wasn’t running this show. I knew his type, and maybe that was exactly what I needed: a little fun, nothing more.
I’d only been burned when I let my heart overrule my head, and I wasn’t about to make that mistake again. I mouthed that I’d be fine to Ash and the girls, took his hand, and followed him to a more secluded part of the yacht.
If Dr. Jace Stone was a player, he’d finally met his match. I knew it was safer not to flirt, safer to stay invisible—but tonight, I didn’t want safe.
THREE
Jace
I ignoredeveryone else’s expressions and locked on the beauty who captivated me more with every step. Her green eyes glistened with a hint of mischief, lips glossy and flushed from the cosmopolitan she’d been sipping before I interrupted her.
I kept my cool, refusing to look like some desperate-to-get-laid fool, even as my mind drifted to how those full breasts would bounce beneath me. One look into her eyes told me she was hungry—whether she’d admit it or not—and I’d never been one to leave a woman starving.
If I had to guess the last time this woman had been laid, her expression told me it was at least a year ago. If I had to estimate the last time that she wasproperlyfucked…it would be never. And that’s because she’d never met me.
I grinned at Jake and John as I pulled a chair out in gentlemanly fashion and guided Andie to sit in it. I liked that name…Andie.
“Andie,” I said, ready to get this show on the road. “I love your name. It’s sassy and hot, like you.”
She eyed me like I was some school nerd trying to hit on the popular chick. “You’re going to have to come up with some better lines if you want this to go anywhere,” she chuckled. “But thank you for the compliment. Andie is short for Andrea, so I’m not sure how exotic it sounds now,” she eyed me and smirked.
I returned her smirk and took a sip of the scotch a waiter had set in front of me. “I think it’s a lovely name. It’s like Andrea Bocelli,” I answered. “Are you from an Italian family?”
She erupted into laughter. “Italian family? You know Andrea Bocelli is a man, right?”
“Yes, of course,” I said.
“So, is that your way of telling me that my nameandnickname are both masculine?”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant. I suppose I’ve never met another Andrea, that’s all,” I covered for myself. She wasn’t wrong to call me out on it, though. Comparing her name to Andrea Bocelli instead of a thousand other women was still pretty lame.
“Fair enough. Your turn,” she turned the questions on me. “Jace seems like the name of a sporty athlete or something like that. I wouldn’t pin the name Jace on a doctor.”
“How did we get on this topic of name associations?”
She made an adorable expression, “When you told me my name reminded you of a sixty-year-old Italian man.”
Okay. I was completely off my game. I needed to change the subject, but I didn’t want to discuss work with this woman. It was too personal, and apparently, because of work, I’d forgotten how to hit on women with my natural charm. I’d saved countless lives over the past three months, but saving my own life and reputation right now was an entirely different story.
Anyone who knew me knew that my looks alone could land me a night in bed with a stunning beauty of my choice, but I wanted more than that from this woman. I wanted her to wakeup tomorrow morning, craving one last round before she never saw me again.
“All right,” I held up both hands after taking a gulp of my scotch. “Let’s get off the names, shall we?”
“You’re the one who got on them, not me,” she played back.
“True,” I admitted. “Your name is cute, though.”
