She glanced up to find a young man hustling through the tables toward her. His suit was wrinkled, and he’d obviously been worrying at his tie because it was loose and hanging cockeyed. She’d bet this was Kellen O’Neill. “I’ve got to go. I think my date is here.”
“He’s not worth your time.”
No, he wasn’t. She’d much rather stay on the phone, but this date was a necessary evil. “I’m not arguing that. Good night, James.” She reluctantly hung up and slipped her phone into her purse.
The guy stopped next to her table. “Carrigan O’Malley?”
“Yes.”
“I am so damn sorry. You wouldn’t believe the hell I went through to get here.” He dropped into the seat across from hers and scrubbed a hand over his face. “My car broke down two miles away and I had to hoof it.”
He wasn’t bad looking, though his red hair somehow made him look even younger than he likely was. Pretty blue eyes, though. She raised her eyebrows. His car broke down? It must have been some trek if he somehow managed to get lipstick on his collar in the process.
Another one bites the dust.
She sipped her drink. “You made it, though.”
“I did.” His smile was kind of sweet, and she was struck by the thought that her world would eat him up and spit him out without hesitation. A puppy, indeed. “Thank you for waiting.”
“I almost didn’t.” If she didn’t get this conversational ball rolling, they’d be reduced to commenting about the weather in thirty seconds flat. “So what is it you do, Kellen?” Why are you on my father’s list?
“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 genuinely nice, 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 for saying 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 date at all with another woman’s lipstick on you.” He turned back to Carrigan. “You seriously considering this 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?”