In Your Eyes (Man of the Month 6)

With a shiver, she pulled her robe tight around her, trying to ward off a sudden chill. No such luck, mostly because the room was warm and the chill was in her blood, a bone-deep shiver that she wouldn't be able to quench with a down-filled mountaineering jacket, much less the thin robe she'd picked up on sale at Target.

She forced herself to step away from the window. Because this was nothing. No big deal. Just one black car on the street below her bedroom window. There was no reason to think it was a menace to her or anyone else. Maybe it was looking for parking. Maybe it was marking time until one of the other residents hurried to meet their ride. There were a million possible reasons why a car would be on a street, and most every one of them was innocent.

Besides, there was no way to know if she'd actually seen this particular car before. Heck, it probably wasn't even the same model she'd noticed on Sunday. And even if it was, so what? A slew of people lived in The Railyard condos; there was no reason to think the car had any connection to her, right? Right.

Annoyed by her lingering fears, she moved back to the window. All clear. Not a black car in sight.

Her shoulders sagged with relief, reassured that Carlton hadn't somehow found her. That he hadn't come all the way from Los Angeles to Austin just to mess with her.

Honestly, she was being ridiculous. She'd been in Austin for over three months now, and she hadn't heard a peep from him. It was over. It was done. She'd moved on.

Moved? Try ran. And, yes, maybe that had been an over-reaction, but as far as Megan was concerned, better safe than sorry. Her sister, Leslie, had waited too long to get away from Jerry, and while Megan was relieved that Leslie had come out okay in the end, she had no desire to repeat her sister's mistakes.

And, no, maybe Carlton's weirdness wasn't really pointing that way, but there'd been signs. She could have overlooked the increase possessiveness while they were dating, labeling it as a protective streak. But it was after she'd broken it off with him, that she'd started to get twitchy. The late night calls from blocked phone numbers. The cars that parked outside her apartment. Flowers delivered with sensual notes and no signature. And that horrible, persistent sensation of being watched.

So she'd cut and run. Left LA for Austin, a town to which she'd had no prior connection, so why would anyone look for her there? A town with enough wealth and entertainment types to ensure that a freelance make-up artist could squeeze out a living.

Except it turned out that squeezing out a living thing was harder than it sounded, not in small part because Austin was freaking expensive.

Thank goodness for The Fix.

She drew in a breath, her circular thoughts finally coming to rest on what was really important at the moment--getting dressed and getting to the club.

With one final frown toward the window, she pulled on the yellow sundress with the fitted bodice she'd picked out for tonight. Simple and flattering and paired with jeweled sandals and a thin cotton sweater. It was the most versatile thing in her wardrobe. Casual enough to wear to The Fix, and flirty enough to pass if Parker took her somewhere nice for dinner. And since Parker hadn't given her a clue, it was just going to have to do.

She didn't see any sinister vehicles during her short walk to The Fix, but even so, she was thrilled when she stepped inside the bar and saw Griffin waving her over.

"You look nice. What happened to the usual jeans and The Fix T-shirt for contest night?"

"Just changing things up," she said, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Mmm." He signaled Eric to bring him a fresh drink, then ordered her a water since she was technically on the clock until the contest wrapped. "I saw that Parker Manning's still on the contest line up," he added. "How'd you convince him?"

"Oh, we're turning his participation into a whole charity thing. You'll hear about it when Bev does the intros."

"Uh-huh," he said, once again looking at her outfit. This time when he met her eyes, there was a knowing look in his. "Christ, Megan, you didn't--"

Thankfully, she was saved by the exuberant arrival of Amanda Franklin, a local real estate agent and a regular at The Fix. She was also one of Jenna's best friends, and that connection had spilled over onto Megan.

"Amanda!" Megan gave her a friendly hug, a little more exuberant than necessary, but she was just so grateful that Amanda's arrival had waylaid Griffin's questions.

"Hey, girl! Jenna told me everything you've done--"

Megan rolled her eyes at that, making Amanda laugh.

"Yeah, she told me everything," she admitted, with emphasis on everything. "But she also said that you fixed it. So good job."

Amanda glanced around the crowded bar, that was becoming more crowded by the second. "You know, I think this may be the best night yet. Your flyers definitely upped the interest, and what's on the flyer's not too bad either. I mean, Parker? Holy hell, that man is hot."

Griff rolled his eyes, but Megan just laughed. "Seriously hot," she admitted, enjoying the nice warm buzz of her secret. He was hot. And tonight, he was her date. Assuming she could stretch the definition of date, that is.

"Honestly, if this were a bachelor auction instead of a calendar contest, I think I'd have to bid." Amanda started to fan herself, and Megan had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, because Parker had come up right behind her, and even with the din, there was no way he could have not heard her.

"Hey," he said, his attention focused entirely on Megan. "I'm looking forward to tonight."

In front of him, Amanda twisted, her eyes going wide when she saw him, then widening when she caught sight of his companion, a man with dark hair cut short, pale gray eyes that looked like they hid a thousand secrets, and a wide mouth that was curved into the slightest hint of a smile.