“It is,” he said.
Karen’s gaze flicked to her before she said, “I don’t think we’ve ever spent much time together, Hayden. We’d love to learn more about you.”
“I’m an open book,” he replied, amusement clear in his eyes. “What would you like to know?”
“Why don’t you tell us more about the history of this location?”
Avery silently saluted her friend. That sounded like a safe, boring topic that would fill up some time.
But Hayden’s open expression shuttered. “The island was selected from a narrow list of possible locations. We did all the due diligence to vet the opportunity and ultimately decided it would be a profitable investment.”
She blinked. His words had been rote and flat.
“The GM said you spent a lot of time here back when it first opened,” she said.
His clear blue eyes seemed darker than normal. “I did.”
“You must have loved it here.”
He shrugged. “I had a…friend who appreciated tropical locales. It’s always an easy vacation preference to accommodate when you own a few.”
Friend. One who’d stuck around long enough to come here multiple times?
“I wish I had a friend who’d whisk me off to the beach every now and then,” Karen said. “Sounds like the life.”
Hayden finished the last bite of his meal. “In moderation, perhaps.”
Avery studied their dinner date. If she were a betting woman, she’d would have placed money on Hayden Wexton having no idea what moderation was.
“Well, I, for one, haven’t been to an island in ages,” said Karen.
“Me, either,” she said, reaching for her wine.
“Not since your honeymoon, right?” Karen said.
She stiffened as Hayden’s surprised expression swung to her. His gaze immediately fell to her bare ring finger before she hid her hand under the table.
“That’s right,” she said, trying to keep her voice normal. “We went to St. Lucia. It’s an incredible place to visit.”
“I didn’t know you’d been married,” Hayden said.
“You never asked.” Setting down her wineglass, she met his gaze. “Until recently, you never took much interest in me.”
“A mistake I trying to correct.”
She winced. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
“Too late,” he said. “You love your puzzles. Well, you’re a riddle I want to solve.”
“Really, I’m not that interesting,” she promised.
“Oh, Ms. Clarke, you have no idea how fascinating you already are.”
She swallowed hard, unable to look away from the heat burning in his icy-blue eyes.
Say something. Guide this back to safe topics.
But instead she found she couldn’t turn away. It wasn’t fair that after all this time, Hayden would be the one to gaze at her with such need. Why couldn’t he be different?
But he was exactly the man she’d always pegged him to be. Beautiful, rich, callous. A love ’em and leave ’em type. He wouldn’t understand commitment if he stared it full in the face.
And that was exactly the sort of man Jon had turned out to be.
Her mind spiraled back to Jon’s smiling face as he’d caught her hand and pulled her into his world. He’d been her dream come true. And for years, she’d felt safe, secure, and indescribably happy.
Until her life had shattered.
And if she allowed herself to care for Hayden, it would happen all over again. How long would they have together before she found him in bed with someone else? A week? A month?
He might be able to separate sex and emotion, but she couldn’t.
She wouldn’t.
“What are you thinking about?” he murmured, his voice pitched for her ears only.
“Nothing important.”
Slowly, he shook his head. “We both know that’s not true.”
“Nothing I want to share,” she amended.
He reached out to her, his fingers stroking along her jaw until she stared up into his eyes. “I’m a patient man.”
“No, you’re not.”
His grin was quick. “All right,” he agreed. “I’m all for instant gratification.” The smile faded from his lips. “But I can learn to be a patient man.”
For me.
The breath caught in her lungs. Could he learn to be other things for her, too?
Like faithful?
A pointed cough broke through his spell. Avery reared back, turning to see Karen staring anywhere but at them.
“Thanks for dinner,” Karen said, pushing to her feet. “But I’ve got some notes to type up before bed. I’ll skip dessert.”
“Sorry,” Hayden said.
Karen waved away his words. “No need. I’ll leave you two alone. I’m sure you have things to sort through. Avery, I’ll see you in the morning.” With an encouraging grin, she pushed in her chair and wove her way out of the restaurant.