He reached for the catsup. "Damn right. I would have. But," he said, aiming his finger toward the ceiling to emphasize that he was about to make the most important point of his argument, "I probably wouldn't have followed you afterward. I wouldn't have stretched out on your bed." He lowered his voice and leaned across the table, bringing them nose to nose. "I wouldn't have wanted you to go on blowing on my belly forever, and I wouldn't have woken up later wanting to blow on yours."
For a moment she was too stunned to move. Then she grabbed her purse and scooted toward the opening of the booth. Lucky raised his booted foot beneath the table and propped it on the opposite bench, blocking her escape.
"Hey, you asked, remember? I was just being honest, Devon."
"Spare me your honesty from now on. I want to leave. Now."
"Uh-uh. We've still got a lot to talk about."
In no apparent hurry, he took another bite of his cheeseburger and dunked a French fry into the blob of catsup he'd poured into his plate. "Why'd you get mad when I intervened?"
"Because I wanted to handle the situation myself. Part of my research was to see how a woman could get out of a situation like that if forced into one. You took away my opportunity of seeing it through."
"I took away your opportunity of getting to know Little Alvin and Jack Ed better."
"Possibly," she admitted with chagrin. "They were a bit more than I bargained for. I had expected wolf whistles, perhaps a pass or two. I hadn't expected to be manhandled.
"And I'll tell you beforehand," she went on, "that you're mentioned in the article, too. Not by name, of course. You're referred to as a man with the White Knight syndrome."
"What's that?"
"He makes it his personal crusade to rescue damsels in distress."
"Hey, I like that." He sucked on the straw in his milk shake. "Why'd you use the phony name to check into the motel?"
Apparently she hadn't intended him to take the White Knight reference as a compliment. Dropping her forehead into her hand, she began massaging her temples. "I don't know. Whim. Sometimes people recognize my name and want to take issue with one article or another. I didn't feel up to conversation that evening."
He polished off the milk shake and pushed aside the glass, along with his empty plate. The waitress passed with a carafe of fresh coffee and refilled their cups before taking his dishes away.
"You never thought it would matter what name you used," Lucky said softly.
She raised her head. "No. I never thought it would matter. I never expected to see you again."
"That's because you don't know me very well."
His simple statement caused a worried frown to appear between her brows. "What do you want? Why have you come here looking for me?"
"You know what I want, Devon." His eyes slowly moved from the top of her head, over her face and throat, to her breasts. When his eyes reconnected with hers, he said, "I want another night in bed with you. This time we'll both be naked. I'll be looking at you with two clear eyes. And I won't waste any time sleeping."
"That's impossible." Her voice was so husky it was barely audible. "I'm telling you now, so you'll know and won't waste my time or yours. It is impossible. If that's all you came for—"
"It isn't."
"Then what? Hush money? Do you plan to blackmail me now that you know my name means something in this city?"
He ground his teeth in an effort to control his temper. "Don't ever say anything like that to me again, Devon. My name means something in my own town. The Tylers don't need anything or anybody badly enough to resort to blackmail."
"I'm sorry I offended you and your family name."
She said it as if she meant it, as if it was out of character for her to deliver such a low blow unless she was terribly upset. Lucky believed she was. Her original anxiety over seeing him had returned. It showed on her lovely features and in the depth of her green eyes.
"Just please tell me what you want, so I can go back to work and you can leave."
"You weren't just another pickup, Devon."
"Am I supposed to be flattered by that?"
"I'd like for you to be."