Mike remained silent. The dynamics at work in these relationships went way beyond anything he’d seen before. He doubted things were as simple as Peter made them out to be. But he knew for sure Pete was oblivious to anything that concerned Carly and her family unless it affected his career.
If Mike was smart he’d take his cue from his self-centered brother. He downed the rest of his drink, knowing where Carly was concerned he was anything but smart.
* * *
A small band played in the corner of the darkened dining room. Mirrors lined the walls and reflected light gave the impression of a larger room than the otherwise intimate atmosphere implied. With Carly beside him, Mike found relaxing all but impossible. The sweet scent of her perfume had him on edge, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. More than once he’d jolted himself out of a sensual daydream that had her writhing with passion beneath him.
With her father on his left side and his brother seated to her right, fantasies involving Carly Wexler were not only disrespectful but downright wrong. Peter, oblivious to everything, had involved Anne Wexler in a discussion about attorneys and their wives.
Those beautiful brown eyes had come from Anne, Mike realized, but Carly possessed an inner warmth. She seemed almost to glow from within. Dressed in an ice blue chiffon gown, her mother appeared cool and aloof. Although friendly, she lacked her daughter’s special sparkle, the elusive something that drew Mike so deeply.
“Mike,” Roger said, “Peter tells me you’ve been out of the country on assignment until recently.”
Mike nodded. “The Middle East,” he said by way of clarification. A place and a subject he was in no mood to revisit. “But I wouldn’t miss my brother’s wedding,” he said, returning to a topic he found more interesting.
“I can hardly believe it’s almost time to walk my only daughter down the aisle.”
Carly shifted, her bare leg brushing his for a split second before she realized and jerked away. Mike suppressed a grin and tried to concentrate on her father’s musings.
Beside him, she lifted a glass of water and brought it to her lips.
“It seems like only yesterday she was a teenager, and now she’s all grown up.” The older man sighed wistfully.
“It happens, sir.”
“I really miss those days.”
The glass slipped from Carly’s hand. Mike caught and steadied the crystal goblet before more than a few drops of water splattered onto the plate.
“Carly?”
“I’m fine.”
He doubted it. “No harm done,” he murmured. Beneath the table, he squeezed her hand in a token gesture of comfort before reaching to wipe the small mess.
“Thanks,” she whispered. One look at her ashen face had him questioning the depth of this father-daughter relationship. She wrung the linen napkin between her hands. Peter had been mistaken. Carly cared... too much.
No one except Mike appeared to notice her discomfort. He waited until they’d all ordered before turning to his brother. “Do you mind if I dance with your future wife?” Before getting that close to Carly, Mike needed to cement their status in his mind.
Peter leaned back in his chair and smiled. “My pleasure. I’ll just...”
“Spend time discussing business,” Mike finished for him. As if there was any other ending to the sentence, Mike thought. “Okay, then.” He pushed back his chair and rose from his seat.
“May I?” He extended his hand toward Carly.
If ever someone needed to get away from friends, family and all-around stress, Carly did. And he wanted to be her salvation, if only for the night. No one, including her parents or her fiancé, had realized how shaken she was. Another telling sign, he thought.
“I don’t think a dance is such a good idea.” She glanced around her for confirmation, but everyone else was already engrossed in conversation.
She looked at his outstretched hand. With the slightest hesitation, she put her napkin down on the table and rose from her seat, placing her warm hand in his.
Mike’s insides did a one-eighty. For a man who faced danger daily while on assignment without flinching, this sudden kick of adrenaline was a warning. Sexual chemistry was one thing. Caring another.
Carly followed Mike, unable to understand how he’d read her so well. He’d sensed her discomfort and offered her a chance to compose herself away from prying eyes. She already knew a dangerous attraction raced between them. She didn’t need or want an emotional connection with him as well.
As they approached the dance floor, Carly felt as though she were stepping over an imaginary boundary, crossing a path that would lead to nothing but disaster if she wasn’t careful. Yet with each step away from the table and toward Mike, her mood lightened. His grip tightened on her hand, prompting hers to do the same.