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The guy was Don Juan in blue jeans. Cassie knew the type. Impossibly handsome, with a chest that indicated he spent many hours in the gym, or doing some other physical activity. Judging by every uniform at the firefighters’ table, an exceptional physique may well have been a requirement—or an end result. Who knew putting out fires could shape a man’s body like an Adonis?
Mr. Muscles had phenomenal shoulders. He looked like a line-backer. And his eyes had penetrated hers when they met. His gaze seemed to be searching for secrets or waiting for … for what? For her to give him her phone number?
“You ladies be careful driving home.” His deep voice soothed and, at the same time, generated electric shocks dancing along her spine.
“I have to go. But Cassie does not,” Tammy stated firmly.
Cassie could have killed her. Tammy was the one who had drawn the guys over. Now she intended to go on her merry way and leave Cassie to the wolves? If Jared’s smile grew any bigger, she was sure fangs would emerge. Mike seemed less sinister, but her attraction to him screamed danger.
“Is that so?” Jared prepared to climb back into the booth, but Tammy pushed him as she climbed from her seat.
“Haven’t you ever heard, three is a crowd?” She grabbed his arm and tugged. “Gotta go.” Then the traitor held her hand up with thumb and pinky extended and mouthed the words call me.
If Cassie could have gotten her hands around …
She wanted to crawl under the table.
The sparkle in Mike’s eyes matched his teasing smile. At least he had the wisdom to slip into the seat on the opposite side. What kept him from bursting with laughter, she had no idea, because he looked like he was holding back. Her cheek suffered her embarrassment—she nearly chewed the inside of the damn thing off.
“If you could see your face,” he said before he laughed. A deep vibrating sound that sizzled her already sensitized skin.
“Don’t feel like you need to stay because of what Tammy said.” Gee, that sounded mature.
He spoke in a lazy drawl. “The funny thing is, Jared came over first and I’m the one still here.”
Funny? Not to her. At the moment, she was sweltering in a sea of embarrassment—part from Tammy’s obvious matchmaking and the other part from her own traitorous thoughts. The guy was seriously hot. She mentally shook herself. Was he making fun of her?
“Is this a contest? Am I some sort of prize?”
“What?” His brow scrunched up in a frown. “No. I only meant that Jared is usually the one who gets the girl. Now he’s gone. And before you say anything else, I know I don’t need to stay. But I want to.”
His eyes were a gorgeous shade of deep blue. She almost lost herself in them, until his gaze dropped to her cleavage.
Blood rushed to her face. Her looks had been a curse in high school. Others had told her she was pretty. At one point, she’d believed them. But she’d been cursed with big breasts, and girls with big boobs attracted all the jocks with only one thing on their minds. Being burned once was enough. She had no desire to repeat her mistake. She rarely dated and if a guy was focused on her chest …
“Do you mind if I stay?”
She raised her head and found his eyes locked on hers.
“Let’s start over. Hi. I’m Mike. I’d like to get to know you.” He leaned forward with his forearms braced on the edge of the table. His warm smile conveyed tenderness and held a hint of promised excitement. Add his actions, his voice and his kind eyes peeling away her barriers, she slowly dissolved into a puddle. Somewhere a little voice niggled the back of her brain, do not fall under his spell.
He must have read her thoughts or guessed her vulnerability, for he lifted his arms from the table and leaned back against the cushioned booth. Keeping his gaze on her, he took a sip of his beer. Transfixed, she watched the knot in his neck bob as he swallowed. Heat flared below her belly button. She resisted the urge to close her eyes.
A man’s physique had never affected her this way. Wasn’t there a saying that went, things that seemed too good to be true, usually were? This guy looked like sin, smelled like heaven, and made her want to jump into his lap.
She reached for her drink and hoped her hand would not shake.
“Okay. What would you like to know?”
“Everything.” His voice lowered to tantalizing pitch. She focused on his mouth as his lips tempted, beguiled.
This was getting too deep. She attempted to lighten things up. “How much time have you got?”
“Forever.”
Sensations swamped her that she’d never experienced before. On impulse, she wanted to tell him everything, give him everything. That knowledge frazzled her. She laughed to cover her nervousness. This guy was a smooth talker and probably had used the same approach with many women.
“Some pick-up line.”
