“Disappointed?”
Lord no, she thought, and shook her head. “Of course not. Just surprised.”
His heavy-lidded gaze met hers. “So was I when I heard you’d moved here.”
“I bet.”
“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked.
She clutched her bathrobe lapels together, torn between doing just that and doing the proper thing. “Umm, I’m not exactly dressed.”
A grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “I don’t mind.” Those gorgeous eyes, green mixed with brown and rimmed by gold, traveled over her, from her bare legs to the short hem of the silk robe, up again to meet her gaze.
Sweet heaven, this man was potent. Unable to resist him, she stepped aside. “I haven’t had a chance to do much with the apartment yet.” Though she’d unpacked her clothes, she still needed the accessories and personal touches that would make the place feel like home.
He shrugged, obviously unconcerned. “I’m used to it. My brother lived here before you and he did nothing to it at all.”
She raised an eyebrow, surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yep. Then he married Cara, bought himself a big house by the lake, and settled down.”
“Do you like his wife?” she asked, because he didn’t sound happy about the settling-down part. His voice had turned grumbly over the words.
“She’s great. You remember her, Cara Hartley? The police officer who arrested your . . .” His voice trailed off awkwardly.
Nothing like the memory of Victoria to bring an abrupt end to any conversation, Nicole thought. “I remember Cara. She was decent to me.”
Sam openly studied her. “She had no reason not to be. You weren’t your sister.”
Nicole drew a deep breath and nodded. “That’s why I decided Serendipity would be a good place to start over. Nice town, people willing to give you a chance to prove yourself, not jump to conclusions or put you in a little box where they think you ought to be.”
Sam, being as perceptive as she remembered, narrowed his gaze at that.
She bit the inside of her cheek, realizing she was getting too deep. “I should get dressed and meet you downstairs.”
“I’ll wait.” He headed for the small dining set in the corner that came with the apartment, hooked one foot around the leg of a chair, and settled his very fine rear end into the seat.
He relaxed comfortably, as if he’d been here many times before and belonged. He had said his brother lived here before, which explained his familiarity—but not the sense of rightness she felt on seeing him in her personal space.
Uh-oh. She shook her head to dispel that wayward thought. No matter how strong the attraction between them, Nicole had just ended one engagement. She was not interested in anything other than getting her life together and on track. No emotional or sexual entanglements needed or wanted. No matter that her raging hormones and completely wired body said otherwise.
She quickly grabbed a pair of soft, faded jeans, a hot-pink fitted V neck, and a belt, and closed herself in the bathroom to change.
She dressed quickly. A glance in the mirror showed that her cheeks were flushed—thank you, Sam—so no need for more blush. She swiped on a light peach lip gloss, spritzed on some of her favorite perfume, fluffed her hair, drew a deep breath, and walked back out to face him.
His gaze raked over her and his mouth curled in a genuine smile of approval.
At his reaction, pleasure of every variety rushed over strategic body parts, and given the thin texture of her top and the darkening of those sexy hazel eyes, he noticed.
Oh yes, she was in definite trouble.
No sooner had Sam followed Nicole back down to the bar than Macy took over, hooking her arm through Nicole’s and stealing her away. Macy maneuvered her through the crowd, introducing Nicole to people as she went.
Sam told himself he was happy for the separation. It gave him a chance to catch his breath—because Nicole’s impact was even more potent the second time around. He’d barely taken in the fact that she was here and they’d come face-to-face, forcing him to call on a cool he didn’t feel.
He’d have liked to blame his over-the-top reaction on the silk robe she’d worn and clutched to her chest like armor. Still, he’d been unable to stop wondering if her skin would be as soft as the satiny material looked. If she’d feel soft and supple beneath him.
He groaned, knowing it wasn’t just the robe or the long bare legs beneath that captivated him. After the surprise of seeing him, it was the pleasure in those beautiful blue eyes that had floored him. Of course, she’d quickly composed herself and tried to hide her reaction. They had that in common, at least—a wariness of their combustible chemistry. He took heart in knowing she was uncertain too.