Jed’s mind raced. In another few minutes, Zoë, Sierra and their friends would leave, and Bailey Montgomery would follow Zoë. The woman was good at her job. She might even approach Zoë and try to talk her out of the envelope. At the very least, she would have Zoë watched and followed.
He had to get the information Gage was sending him before that happened. But how? Through the gap in the screens, he saw Zoë rise from the chair. She was getting ready to leave. He strode forward out of the shop entranceway and crossed the street. As he reached the curb, Zoë glanced his way and their eyes met. He felt the power of the connection like a punch in his stomach. For a second, it stopped him in his tracks. No other woman had ever affected him this way. Only Zoë. Gathering himself, he moved quickly and quietly toward her.
ZOË BLINKED, but the man didn’t disappear. He wasn’t an image she’d conjured up in her mind. He’d come back. And he was walking toward the restaurant with that same purposeful stride that she’d noticed earlier. A thrill of excitement moved through her. In the glow of the streetlights, he looked more dangerous than ever.
Through the small gap in between two screens, she tracked his progress as he stepped up on the sidewalk. Had he come back for her? Another little thrill streamed through her.
No, of course he hadn’t. What was she thinking? Being swept away by a mysterious stranger was just a popular fantasy—a very popular one with women, according to her research. She’d never quite understood it herself. After all, the days of pirates and highwaymen were over. And surely, no one wanted them back. No woman wanted to be swept away by a total stranger in real life. Did she?
As he drew closer, Zoë realized that a very real part of her did want that to happen. Now that she’d indulged in her more passionate side, she seemed to be having a little trouble controlling it.
She wanted to run, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to run toward this man or away. Not that it mattered, because she couldn’t move. She could barely breathe. Her heart was pounding so hard that it was blocking out all other sounds, and all of her senses were heightened.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the Gibbs sisters were engaged in a lively conversation. The discussion about whether or not they should take in a movie before they called it a night seemed faint and far away. No one was paying any attention to her. And why should they? She’d barely contributed anything to their conversations all evening.
She’d been too busy thinking about this man and the magnetic pull he seemed to have on her. Was this her payback for giving in to desire and making love with Jed Calhoun? Was she going to feel this way about every man she met? But it wasn’t every man who affected her this way.
Just this one and Jed Calhoun. Even the fascination she’d had with Lucifer for six months paled in comparison.
Though the other women couldn’t see him behind the screen, he was close enough that she could almost touch him. And she was shocked by the greed she felt rising in her to do just that. In the dim light, his face was shadowed, but she could feel his eyes on her, and she could imagine him touching her. An arrow of heat pierced her, and her hand rose and reached—
“Zoë, we have to talk.”
He spoke so softly that Zoë wasn’t sure she caught the words. Then he was striding soundlessly toward the corner. Loss streamed through her in the same way that it had when Rad had told her the Brit had left.
No. Zoë drew in a breath and lifted her chin. She wouldn’t let him walk away again. This time she’d follow him. She had to discover why he had this effect on her.
A quick look around assured her that no one was paying any attention to her. Glancing back through the gap in the screens, she could see that the Brit was already turning the corner. Saying goodbye to Sierra and the other women would only waste precious minutes, so Zoë squeezed between two screens and raced after him. It was only as she reached the corner and saw that he was nearly a block ahead of her that it struck her.
The mysterious stranger she was following into the night had known her name.
JED RISKED ONE LOOK BACK as he turned the corner. Relief flooded through him when he saw that she was following him. Thank heavens. In spite of his disguise, she must have recognized him in the same way that he’d known on some level whose eyes had been on him in the Blue Pepper.
Still, he didn’t slow his pace. Because he couldn’t discount the very real possibility that Bailey Montgomery or someone she may have stationed outside the restaurant was even now following Zoë, he wanted to put some distance between them and the restaurant.