She was seriously tipsy on both the wine and Ian’s attention. He was surprisingly easy to be with. So much so, he almost made her forget about the dilemma facing her.
“Okay, I give up.” A half hour had passed by the time he pushed the platter of fajitas away, drained the last of his beer, and braced his elbows on the bar. He looked into her eyes with the kind of focus she lavished on a congressional brief. “What do you do for a living?”
Tessa sobered a little and braced for the conversational tone to shift. “I’m, um, an attorney.”
Surprise drifted through his eyes. His mouth flickered between a smile and disbelief. “An attorney?” His gaze drifted over her face, down her neck, and rested on the front of her blouse. Tessa swore her breasts tightened under his gaze. “That’s…fucking impressive.”
“It is?”
“Hell, yeah. Holy shit. That’s why you were pissed about my shark comment.” He thought that was funny. When his laughter faded, he mused again, “Personal business with an attorney? I hope everything’s okay with his family.”
It would be if she could just get his signature on a few pieces of paper. But she wasn’t feeling so upset over the fact that would have to wait. Tessa’s brain was floating in a little halo of happiness, and she didn’t want it to end. At least not until it absolutely had to. “I can’t… I mean, it’s…”
“Personal.”
“Right.”
“I get it. Confidentiality and all that.”
His gaze turned to the bar, where their hands almost touched. He lifted one finger and stroked it across hers. The touch created a sizzle in her gut, and when he looked her in the eye again, she wished she could see the heavy-lidded look he wore now while he had his arms wrapped around her, sweat beading on his face, his hips driving between her thighs. The thought made her sex clench, and she shifted on her stool to relieve the ache.
“Makes sense, I guess,” he said. “That guy probably needs a few attorneys on retainer.”
“Why do you say that?”
Ian shook his head. “I don’t want to cause any problems—”
“I’m not his attorney. I just need to see him on personal business.”
Ian’s gaze sharpened. “Are you two involved? Or were involved?”
“No. I’ve never even met him. And it looks like I’m not going to meet him on this trip either. So go ahead, give me your opinion.”
He dropped his gaze to their hands and curled his fingers around hers. The small show of interest, in this setting, with these people around them, electrified her.
“He’s not the nicest guy,” Ian said. “In fact, he’s an ass who pisses people off everywhere he goes. He’s a condescending, arrogant prick, which I realize is a shitty thing to say about someone, but it’s not exactly a secret.”
Something released in Tessa’s chest. “Yeah?”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“That’s the impression I’ve gotten too. And to tell you the truth, I’m glad.”
He lifted a brow, and one side of his mouth quirked in tandem. “Glad?”
“Yeah. That makes what I need to do a little easier.”
“Oooo, that’s cryptic.” He slipped his other hand beneath Tessa’s until hers was sandwiched gently between his. The possibility of something actually happening between them flashed in her head—just a quick, passionate image of naked bodies. God, it had been so long.
“So if he doesn’t come back,” she said, “will you see him again? I mean, will you work with him again?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s not coming back, but no, I have no interest in either seeing him or working with him again.”
That was good news and bad news. If he wasn’t coming back, Tessa would have to hunt him down. But that also meant that one-on-one time with Ian wouldn’t get back to Zach and cause problems down the line.
“Now, tell me about your daughter,” he said. “What’s her name?”
A hot spot burned in her heart. “Sophia…” She glanced at her watch and found it after eleven. “Oh, wow. How did it get so late?”