They had some time, he figured. He was pretty sure that no one had seen him pause to talk to Zoë. From a distance, it would have appeared that he’d merely stopped to look over the restaurant, perhaps checking for empty tables. And Zoë had been quick to follow. At the end of the second block, he turned left onto a residential street and then slipped into the shadow of a tall hedge and waited.
The street was quiet. Leaves rustled overhead, and a short distance away a dog barked. A dark-colored SUV pulled around the corner and then speeded up. Halfway down the block, it turned into a driveway.
Jed heard her footsteps, and that was all it took to have him turning and his whole body tightening. He swore at himself silently. This was not the time for indulging in fantasies. He was here to get the envelope and to get Zoë safely home. How much should he tell her? That was what he should be concentrating on.
The less she knew the better. He’d already involved her too deeply in his problems.
The moment that she came into view, he spoke in a whisper. “Zoë, over here.”
She started, then turned and walked toward him, stopping when she was just out of his reach. He found he had to put some effort into not closing the distance between them.
“First, I’m warning you that I’m a black belt in karate. So don’t try anything.”
Surprise shot through him, and for a moment he couldn’t think of anything to say. It was the second time that Zoë McNamara had rendered him speechless. Was that why she fascinated him so darn much? Jed studied her for a moment, while she studied him right back.
Her flat but carefully worded warning, along with the determined look in her eyes told him that she definitely hadn’t recognized him. Yet she’d followed him into the night. The realization gave him an odd and very exciting thrill.
“Okay. I won’t try anything.” He used the same British accent he’d used in the restaurant. “If that’s first, what’s second?”
She lifted her chin and met his eyes steadily. “How did you know my name?”
This was his chance, Jed thought, to tell her who he was. Instead, he said, “I asked the maître d’.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, in surprise, he thought. But she recovered quickly. “Who are you and why did you ask me to follow you?”
He should tell her now. But once again, he ignored the opportunity.
“Well?” She crossed her arms in front of her, and he could hear the soft sound of her foot tapping.
He very nearly had to smile. She was just so damn cute. Then the moonlight suddenly shifted on her skin, and he became very aware of just how much it reminded him of fine porcelain. But it wouldn’t feel anything like cool, hard porcelain. He badly wanted to draw a finger along that lifted chin and feel the mix of warmth and softness and strength.
Her brows lifted. “I’m waiting.”
For a moment, Jed said nothing. This was where he should simply tell her who he was, ask for the envelope and take her home. But in the moonlight, he could only think of doing one thing. It wasn’t rational, but the desire to kiss her again, taste her again, possess her again had been growing ever since he’d turned and realized that she was there in the Blue Pepper watching him. In spite of his promise to himself not to go near her again, and in spite of the possible danger right now, he wanted to prolong the moment. He wanted her here with him.
“I’m Ethan Blair, and I asked you to follow me because I want to kiss you.”
She blinked first and then swallowed. In the silence that stretched between them, he noticed the way the pulse at the base of her throat had quickened.
“If you don’t want me to kiss you, you’d better say so now.” Unable to prevent himself, he put his hands on her arms and drew her closer.
She lifted one hand to his chest and he stilled. “It’s not that. Because I do want you to kiss me. Very much.”
When he tried to draw her closer, she pressed harder against his chest.
“I’m just trying to understand it. I don’t know you from Adam,” she said with a frown. “And I’m sort of involved with another man.”
“Sort of?” he asked.
“It’s complicated. But I’m not sure I’ve given up on the idea of pursuing something more with him.”
A mix of feelings streamed through him. She was talking about him. He was sure of it. Once again, he passed up his chance to tell her who he really was.
“So why did you follow me if you’re sort of involved with this other man?” he asked.
Her frown deepened. “Because from the moment I saw you sitting at that table, I felt this…connection. And desire.”