Page 35 of Heated Rivals
“I’m in software engineering.” He launched into the description of some kind of technological mumbo jumbo that she could barely follow.
She could actually feel her eyes glazing over, but she tried to focus. He might be a puppy, but this guy seemed genuinelynice, even if he was a damn fool for showing up for this date with evidence of another woman on his collar. There was no shark lurking beneath his skin, and she doubted he’d have the idiocy to shove her against a wall and force his tongue into her mouth.I could manipulate a man like this. With some careful planning, I could have him eating out of the palm of my hand.
But he wouldn’t be faithful.
Who am I kidding? None of these men are going to be faithful. This is a business arrangement, not a love match.
She sipped her drink again. “That’s fascinating.”
He grinned. “It’s really not, but thanks forsaying so. I’m sure you have much more interesting stuff to talk about than my boring company.”
She might, but him nattering on about his company gave her the distance to let her thoughts wander. Carrigan started to ask another question, but movement near the front of the restaurant made her look over. She stared. She was seeing things. She had to be. There was no way that James was now shouldering past the harried-looking hostess and stalking toward her, intent in every line of his body.
He wore a pair of faded jeans and a black shirt and,holy shit, an obviously well-loved leather jacket. She pressed her legs together. It was all too easy to imagine what it would be like to swing up behind him on a motorcycle, with his big body wedged between her thighs, and hang on for dear life as he gunned the engine and they took off. She’d felt free flying down the interstate in his car. How much more so would she feel on the back of a motorcycle?
“Do you know that guy?”
“Huh?”
“He’s looking at you like… uh, like he knows you.” Kellen sounded uncomfortable, but Carrigan couldn’t tear her gaze away from James.
He stopped next to their table and took the seat next to Carrigan. “Hey, lovely.”
“Hi…” She finally looked at Kellen, whose mouth was hanging open. “James, this is Kellen. Kellen, James.”
James barely glanced at him. “You don’t show up for a date with a woman like this with lipstick from another woman on your collar. Fuck, man, you don’t show up for a dateat allwith another woman’s lipstick on you.” He turned back to Carrigan. “You seriously consideringthis guy?”
No, she wasn’t. But there was something like jealousy in James’s face, and she couldn’t help poking at him a little. “I don’t know. He seems nice.”
“I’m sitting right here.”
“That’s your first mistake. There’s no such thing as a nice guy. We’re all dogs, lovely. Every single one of us.” He jerked his thumb at Kellen. “This one just pretties up better than most. Didn’t your brothers tell you that it’s the so-called nice guys you have to watch out for?”
Shehadhad that conversation with Aiden many years ago. It made Carrigan smile to think about. Her oldest brother might be making choices right now that she hated, but once upon a time they’d been close. “I think I remember hearing something about that.”
“Stillsitting right here.”
“Pipe the fuck down, kid.” James shot him a look. “As I was saying, you don’t really want to marry this guy, do you?”
She didn’t really want to marryanyguy—especially the ones her father had chosen. But wailing about it wasn’t going to do a damn bit of good and they both knew it. “I’m doing the best I can with the options I have.”
“I know. Hell, I know better than most.” Abruptly he grinned and held out his hand. “You want to get out of here?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
She looked at Kellen, who didn’t look all that nice now. Not that she could blame him. He was a mottled shade of red that didn’t go well with his bright hair, and he looked about ready to burst a blood vessel in his forehead. “I—”
“Go back to whatever woman you left to come here, kid. This onedoesn’t want you.”
“Jesus Christ. Fine. Whatever. She seems like a stuck-up bitch anyway.” Kellen shoved to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair, and gave them one last disgusted look before he marched away.
James snorted. “Now, where were we?”
“That was mean.” A laugh bubbled up inside her, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to keep it inside. She should yell at him for his high-handedness and showing up uninvited, but the truth was that he’d saved her from another hour of boring conversation with a man who was barely more than a child. “Really mean.”
“You like me mean.” He motioned her forward with his fingers. “What do you say?”
She could go home, climb in a bath, and hope that would be enough to soak away her misery. Or she could take this man’s hand and run away from reality for a while. Really, it was no contest. Carrigan slipped her hand into his. “Where we going?”
