"Why?"

His brows rose. "Why can I live with that?"

She smirked. "Why were you waiting for me?"

The corner of his mouth curved up, and she saw the answer in his eyes. A flare of heat. A spark of desire. There was a world of seduction in that look, and she felt the power of it curl through her, warm and enticing.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

She wasn't sure what she expected him to say, but considering the way the air was currently crackling between them, it wasn't that.

Amused, she looked back over her shoulder to the windows of The Fix. "I think you just did."

"Good point. You're welcome."

Laughing, she nodded. "And yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome, and I can offer other options. Whiskey, for example. Or Amy's Ice Cream."

"Tempting," she admitted, laughing at the juxtaposition.

His eyes caught and captured hers. "Or we could simply talk. Just name your pleasure. What do you say?"

She drew in a breath, aroused by the innocent words and the not so innocent tone in which he'd delivered them. She slid her hands along her skirt, drying her palms . "Why?"

His lips twitched. "If you don't know, the answer is probably no. Too bad for me."

She considered lying. After all, this guy was too appealing--she could tell that right away. It would be too easy to enjoy his company. To get twisted up in something inconvenient and complicated that she neither wanted nor needed right now.

But then he smiled, and she found herself smiling back. "Yeah," she said. "A drink sounds great."

He nodded toward the door. "After you?"

As much as she loved the drinks at The Fix, she was tight with too many people there. By the time she and Mr. Glasses parted ways, Reece would have undoubtedly called Jenna, and Amanda would have half a dozen texts or voicemails.

"Got another suggestion?"

"I do," he said. "How about the Winston Hotel?"

"Perfect." The Austin location of the Texas-based international chain of high-end hotels was only a short walk from The Fix and boasted an elegant bar. "I'm Amanda, by the way." She extended her hand.

He took it, and a coil of pure lust curled through her. Yeah. There was definitely chemistry. "Derek," he said, and from the tone of his voice she couldn't tell if he'd been equally affected by their connection. But he held her hand a little longer than etiquette required, and when he finally pulled away, Amanda had to fight a tangible wave of disappointment.

"Are you local?" she asked as they walked down Brazos toward the river

He shook his head. "No, but I love Austin. I come here a lot for business. That's why I'm here now, actually." He paused long enough to catch her eye. "I leave for Dallas tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Most women wouldn't perk up when they learned their date for the evening was geographically undesirable. But Amanda was not most women. And as far as she was concerned, Mr. Derek Glasses's appeal had just spiked up a notch or two.

She smiled at him. "Then I guess it's lucky we met."

"Yeah," he said, looking at her with the kind of undeniable heat designed to make a woman melt. "Very lucky, indeed."

Chapter Two

"So are you some sort of movie star?"

Amanda asked the question as a joke, but she would've believed him if the answer was yes. They'd been seated at a secluded table in the small bar for only fifteen minutes and from the reaction of the staff and a few of the customers, he seemed to be the main attraction. Couple that with those sultry, heavy-lidded gray eyes and the sensual way his body moved, and Amanda figured her guess couldn't be too far off.

Tags: J. Kenner Man of the Month Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net