Only one thing marred the perfection of her face, and that was her eyes, where he caught the slightest hint of sadness that didn’t seem to fade, even when she smiled.
He glanced down at her feet again, then rubbed his hand across his jaw when he realized what a complete fool he was. Damn it, he wanted her as he’d never wanted anyone before—except her, of course, all those years ago. At the same time, he wanted to lash out at her and demand to know why she’d left him, why she’d betrayed him, why she’d broken his heart ten years before.
But he would never say those words aloud. She didn’t need to know how ridiculously vulnerable he was in her presence. Hell, she’d been driving him crazy ever since she walked into his office last week. He’d thought about her all week, at every hour, no matter where he was or what he was doing. She didn’t have to be in the same room with him or, hell, the same city. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. But he would. Once they’d slept together again, Connor would be able to rid himself of these lingering feelings and get on with his life.
Maggie had circled the room and was now standing in front of the ice bucket holding the bottle of expensive champagne. She turned to him. “What’s this for?”
“Us,” he said, crossing the room to open the bottle. “Champagne. I thought we’d celebrate.”
She blinked in surprise. “Celebrate what?”
He thought quickly. “This is the first time you’ve attended the festival, right?”
“Right.”
“So we’re celebrating.”
“Okay. Let me get rid of this first.” She took the damp towel back to the bathroom and returned in seconds. “So, what’s the plan tonight?”
“I thought we could dine here in the room.” Connor pulled the chilled bottle out of the ice and wrapped it in a cloth. “Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind at all. It sounds perfect.”
“Good.” He removed the metal cover and wire cage, then carefully twisted the cork until it popped. After filling two glasses with the sparkling liquid, he handed one to Maggie.
“Cheers, Mary Margaret.”
“Cheers,” she murmured, and took her first sip. “Mm, nice.”
“I hope you still like steak,” he said.
“I love steak.”
“Good, because I’ve taken care of ordering dinner for us.”
She swallowed too fast and began to cough. Setting her glass down, she breathed in and out a few times and coughed to clear her throat.
“You okay?” he asked, ready to pound on her back if necessary.
“I’m fine.” She folded her arms tightly across her chest and pinned him with an angry look. “You had no right to do that, Connor. I can order my own food and pay for it, too.”
He shrugged. “I guess you could, but I already took care of it.”
She stomped her foot. “How dare you?”
“Dial it back a notch, will you?” he said, his annoyance growing. “It’s just dinner. Besides, how did you plan to pay for it? You came to me for money, remember?”