And right now, her body was screaming for Declan Price. She could imagine him touching her. Almost feel his palm caress her skin. Even her nipples tightened and tingled.
“So what do you want from me?” Declan asked.
“What I want,” she said, glancing at her watch, “is better timing.” Zoe looked at him. “My interview should be here any minute.”
“It ends here then,” he commented, his voice monotonous, but not his eyes. His eyes held disappointment.
“I suppose it does.” She glanced toward the door to find Marcus Alexander, the actor she was meeting, standing in the entranceway. Zoe waved him forward. “He’s here.”
Declan reached for his drink and drank it down in one long swallow before discarding it. He smiled. “I know my exit cue.” Declan reached forward and brushed his fingers down her cheek. “Too bad.”
The touch sent a shiver down her spine. “Yeah. Too bad.” And then he was gone.
* * * * *
Declan reached the exit of the bar and stopped. For some unknown reason, he had to turn back to the bar. Had to get one last look at Zoe. Women didn’t often get to him. He had too crazy a life to deal with complications. A hit-and-run fuck was all he had time for. Zoe didn’t strike him as looking for more. That should have been the reason she interested him, but it wasn’t.
Something about her…
Watching her now, she was a different woman than the one who’d flirted with him the past hour. Gone was the seductress. Now she was all business. A pad of paper in hand, she was taking notes, attentive to the man she interviewed. He watched her nod, silky blonde hair bouncing with the action. There was something familiar about her.
Perhaps, he’d seen her because of her job. On the news or in the paper. Or even at some big event. Lord only knew he was subjected to hell in a black-tie far too often. One of the many political obligations of his world he didn’t like.
Normally, Zoe’s job would bother him. She’d been honest about it, and that had value. Still, it couldn’t hurt to be safe. Checking her out might be a good idea. He was about to plead a huge case that would have the press hounding him. He preferred making the news on his own terms. If someone leaked anything to the press before he was ready, heads would roll.
Forcing himself to turn away from Zoe, he nodded at the hostess and exited the bar, decision made. He needed a newsstand. That should at least tell him if she really wrote for the entertainment section.
A few minutes later he searched the street vendor truck to find himself out of luck. The paper was sold out. “Damn,” he mumbled.
Three stores later, he found himself more than a little irritated to exit with no paper in hand. Without giving himself time to change his mind, he started back to the hotel. For some reason, he wasn’t willing to dismiss Zoe as a fun but over flirtation. Why? He wasn’t sure. But like his efforts to find a newspaper, he reached the bar only to find himself without luck. Zoe was gone.
Fitting of his personality he wasn’t willing to give up. He flagged the hostess and found Zoe had left only minutes before. With a healthy tip offered to the woman, he was directed to the bathroom just down the hallway. A smile on his face, he leaned against the wall and crossed his legs and arms, waiting.
He wanted Zoe, and he was going to have her. Tonight.
* * * * *
Zoe stood in front of the bathroom mirror and sighed. Going home alone wasn’t appealing. She was going through some sort of funk. Her best friend, Lucy, now happily married, had impacted her some. Though Zoe didn’t believe in happily-ever-after, she thought that Lucy had something unique and rare. So maybe she was a bit jealous. Still, she was no less happy for Lucy. She loved Lucy like a sister and if anyone deserved happiness, Lucy did.
Leaning on the counter, Zoe inhaled. Alone really didn’t sound good.
Several men came to mind. A phone call and her loneliness would be cured. Then her mind went to Declan and she knew, at least this evening, the others were no matches. She’d rather go without than settle. No. There was only one cure for her mood. A stop by the store for a pint of ice cream sounded like the best remedy. She’d order in pizza and then eat the ice cream. Or maybe she’d eat the ice cream while she waited on the pizza.
With at least something to look forward to, Zoe slid her briefcase strap over her shoulder and headed for the door. She made it to the hallway and stopped, blinking at the sexy man leaning against the wall, certain he must be a figment of her imagination. “Declan?”