Читать книгу Tycoon's Temptation - Katherine Garbera, Allison Leigh - Страница 10

Chapter Four

Stu Golightly didn’t just phone with the estimate for the repairs to Dane’s car. He brought it by himself that evening during dinner. When the man shook his head at Hadley’s invitation to stay and eat, Dane excused himself from the dining room table and followed Stu from the room.

The other man didn’t stop until he reached the front door, and then he looked as if he’d have preferred to shove Dane through it, than discuss the estimate.

Dane didn’t particularly begrudge Stu his attitude any more than he did Shane’s. He knew what it was like to feel protective. After all, he was in Montana in the first place because of that very trait. So he looked down the detailed list. “You can get a better deal on the parts. By ten percent, at least.”

Stu visibly bristled. “I don’t pad my charges.”

“I didn’t say otherwise. Call—” Damn, he very nearly said Wood Tolliver, and blamed his unusual distractedness on the pain in his head, rather than the brunette who’d been the cause of it. “Call RTM out of Indianapolis. I’ve done a lot of work with them.”

Stu’s gaze narrowed, obviously recognizing the name of the company. “They’re pretty high end.”

R & T Motor works was high end. It was also the business Dane and Wood started when they were in college and making names for themselves on the circuit. Wood may have been in charge of the day-today operations for years, now, but Dane still kept his hand in.

Some days he thought it was one of the few ways he stayed sane—focusing on something that wasn’t part of Rutherford Industries. “Ask for Stephanie,” he said. “I’ll let her know to expect your call. If she doesn’t beat your prices, don’t use RTM. Simple enough.”

The man looked as if he was trying to come up with an argument. In the end he nodded and settled his ball cap back on his head. “Tell Had that she needs to fill in for Riva on Monday morning.” He stepped out the door, hurriedly closing it against the cold evening air.

Dane slowly folded the estimate, tucked it in his pocket and returned to the dining room.

Mrs. Ardelle was chattering away again. The woman never seemed to run out of things to say. In a way she reminded him of Marlene. The new guest, Nikki Day, had arrived shortly before dinner. The auburn-haired newcomer was beautiful and well dressed and probably about Hadley’s age, he guessed. She was also pregnant, though not as far along as Joanie. Nikki sat beside her, and he gave the new guest credit for getting Joanie to lighten up enough to actually smile a little. Vince was nowhere to be seen.

Dane sat down again. He was sitting across from Hadley. Suited him. The view of her was as fine as her cooking. “Your brother said Riva needs you to work for her on Monday morning.”

She immediately nodded her head.

“Thought you said you’d be filling in at your dad’s church in the mornings for a while.”

“Right.” She passed a platter of roast beef to Joanie, murmuring that the girl needed to eat more protein. “I’ll just have to do a few hours at the garage, then a few hours at the church. Hopefully, it won’t inconvenience either one of them too much.”

Dane wondered if her father or brother had ever considered whether she’d be inconvenienced. Not that any of it was his business anyway. He deliberately focused on his meal, letting the various conversations roll over him.

“Wood Tolliver,” Mrs. Ardelle said. “The more I think about it, the more that name seems familiar to me, somehow.”

Dane smiled noncommittally. Unless she had some insight into the world of custom racing, she wouldn’t have been likely to have heard of Wood Tolliver. “Tolliver isn’t an unusual name.”

Joanie snorted a little at that. “Please. It’s not like people call you Bob Smith.”

Hadley laughed. Dane looked across at her, smiling despite himself. “I’m not the one with the unusual name,” he said. “Not compared to Ms. Golightly here.”

“And your mother’s name was really Holly?” Nikki Day asked, resting her elbows delicately on the edge of the table. “My, um, I had a friend whose parents stayed here at Tiff’s for their wedding night,” she explained. “Your mother had just recently opened for business. They were charmed by her.”

“Most people were,” Hadley agreed. Her gaze flicked to Dane, then she pushed back from the table. “Dessert coming up.”

Dane immediately rose to assist her. She looked ready to protest, but obviously had learned her lesson from earlier that day. In the kitchen she arranged the dessert plates on an enormous silver tray and settled pretty crystal cups of chocolate mousse on them.

Marlene couldn’t have done better herself, and he knew she’d studied way back when in France. “Your mom teach you to cook?”

Hadley nodded. “And I read cookbooks and stuff. A lot.” She grinned, a quick, mischievous little grin that snuck down inside him and plucked hard.

He picked up the heavy tray and jerked his head toward the dining room. “Don’t know when you have the time,” he said hoping his bluntness would dull the sharp desire he suddenly felt. “Considering how you’re always helping out someone else.”

She just lifted her shoulders and pushed open the swinging door to the dining room. “They’re my family,” she said simply.

Dane exhaled and followed her. He loved his sister fiercely. And he loved his mother, though he freely admitted that she was an acquired taste. He loved his stubborn-ass father, too, though Roth had only ever been proud of Dane for the work he’d done at Rutherford Industries.

But he could hardly fathom the simple acceptance that Hadley exhibited.

After dinner Mrs. Ardelle headed for the piano and everyone else headed for their rooms. Dane had plenty of calls stacking up on his voice mail to take care of, but when Hadley pulled on an ancient-looking flannel coat and gloves and said she was going out for a load of wood, he went after her.

“You need to learn the art of relaxing.” He yanked on his jacket as he caught up to her in the rear of the house.

She jerked, dropping the split logs she’d selected and pressed her gloved hand to her chest as she turned to see him. “Well, you know what they say. No rest for the wicked. Or something like that.”

He snorted softly and picked up the wood she’d dropped. “If there’s anything wicked about you, I’ll eat this wood.”

Her shoulders heaved a little and she leaned over, picking up more logs. “That’s kind of my problem, if the truth be known. Everyone in this town knows me.”

He was counting on it. “And the problem in that is what? Wait. Stack those logs on top of mine. You don’t need to carry in the wood yourself.”

It was too dark to see her expression, but he felt the amusement in her smile, nonetheless. “If I don’t, who will?”

He hefted the logs a little higher in his arms. “Hello?”

He could hear bewilderment in her soft laughter. “You’re much too nice to me, given the situation,” she said.

“Then go out with me.”

She bobbled the logs in her arms again, but saved them from falling. “I… excuse me?”

“You need to learn how to relax. I know how to relax. I will teach you how to relax. Over a drink. There’s gotta be a watering hole in this town somewhere.” He knew of one, quite specifically.

“Several, but—”

“It’s just a drink, Hadley. Your virtue is safe.”

She turned away, muttering something under her breath.

“What was that?”

Her shoulders lifted, then fell. She turned around to face him again. “I said that was a pity,” she blurted. “If I were less virtuous, then maybe Wendell wouldn’t be so anxious to fall in with my brothers’ plans for me. He’s called me four times just this afternoon. Four times! The man doesn’t know how to take no for an answer any more than Shane or Stu.”

“So tell them all you’re not interested. Nobody can force you to go out with someone you don’t want to go out with.”

“Go out with? Oh, believe me. If that were only as far as it goes. I told you before. They want to marry me off, and Wendell Pierce is the intended groom.” She shook her head and her dark hair bounced, gleaming in the moonlight. “Wendell knows me from way back. He knows I’m settled and quiet and, and uninteresting!”

“You settled and quiet?” He couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Sweetness, you drive like a bat outta hell, and you have more energy than a swarm of ants.”

She eyed him. “Gosh. Flattery indeed.” Then, as if she regretted the impulsive words, she ducked her chin and hurried toward the house. Dust and bits of wood rained down from her armload as she went.

Dane was an expert in negotiations. He ran a billion-dollar corporation. He could sure as hell manage not to offend one twenty-something small-town girl, couldn’t he?

He found Hadley inside, stacking her wood in the iron bin in one corner of the long kitchen. He crouched down beside her and began unloading his own burden. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

She dusted her hands together and pushed to her feet, putting distance between them, and he regretted that. It was painfully obvious that—between her spurts of tart humor—he made her nervous.

“What kind of deal?” Her tone was suspicious enough that had her brothers heard it, they’d have applauded.

“I’m going to be stuck in this town for a while. You introduce me around, and if your Wendell gets the wrong idea about you in the process, we’ll both be happy.”

“Introduce you around to whom? Women?” Her lips twisted. “A man who looks like you doesn’t need introductions from me.” Rosy color filled her cheeks.

It wasn’t like him to be sidetracked by anyone, much less a blushing young brunette. “But then Wendell wouldn’t get word that your interests might lie elsewhere,” he pointed out. “And I didn’t say anything about introducing me to other women.”

Her eyebrows skyrocketed. “You want me to introduce you to men?”

He exhaled, torn between laughter and aggravation. “People,” he clarified. “Just people. Come on, Hadley. I’m a sociable guy.” He felt an unexpected pang of conscience at that particularly bald-faced lie. He knew the social games that went along with his place as CEO of Rutherford Industries, but that didn’t mean he particularly enjoyed them. “It’ll help pass the time while my car’s getting fixed. You remember the car, right?”

Remorse filled her eyes. “I’m not likely to forget,” she assured.

“Well then.” He rose, too, and stepped closer to her. She held her stance, which was surprising, but good. “We go out. Have a few drinks.” To please no one but himself, he drew a long lock of hair away from her face and settled it against her wood-dusted flannel shoulder.

Her hair felt just as silky as it looked, and it took more effort than it should have to move his hand away.

“But… but aren’t you tired? You were in an accident yesterday, for pity’s sake. You surely don’t want to be going out.”

“I don’t offer to do things if I don’t want to. Agree. You learn how to relax,” he murmured. “I meet some new people. And maybe your problem with Wendell will solve itself.”

Her eyes were impossibly wide. “You talk people into doing lots of things, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Now that was true. Only person he’d never been able to talk into something was Roth.

She exhaled. “I suppose we could go to the Tipped Barrel. It’s fairly popular with some people.”

The Tipped Barrel was exactly where he wanted to go, only he’d intended to go there alone until Hadley began bemoaning her small difficulty with Wendell.

“And you?”

“Oh, I’ve never been there. Never been to any bar in my entire life, for that matter. When people see me there, they’ll be certain you’re corrupting me.” A glint sparked in her eyes and she smiled suddenly. Brilliantly. “Okay. I’ll do it. Let’s go.”

“You don’t want to change clothes or anything?”

Her enthusiasm visibly faltered and he felt like kicking himself when she looked down at herself. “Right,” she muttered. “Of course. How silly of—”

He caught her chin in his fingers and lifted. “You don’t need to change,” he said gruffly. He figured he wouldn’t win any awards by telling her he was used to dealing with far more high-maintenance women. “You’re perfect the way you are.”

She didn’t look convinced. And standing there touching her face—satin smooth and velvet soft and, if he wasn’t mistaken, completely devoid of artifice—wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever done in his life. Because he definitely wasn’t soft. At all.

He lowered his hand. “It’s cold out. Do you want to get a warmer coat?”

Hadley nodded. She would probably never have an opportunity like this again. To dissuade Wendell by his own choice without her ever having to tell him she had absolutely no interest in him and hurting his poor feelings. “We’ll, um, need to walk,” she reminded him, ignoring the little voice inside her head that mocked her for not admitting that the appeal here had nothing whatsoever to do with Wendell. “Are you sure you want—”

“Get your coat, Hadley.”

She didn’t wait around for Wood to come to his senses and change his mind. She went and got her coat.

And if she ran a brush through her hair and spritzed on a little perfume that Evie had given her for Christmas to compensate for the sexless bulky parka she donned, then only she had to know.

Wood was waiting by the front door in his leather jacket.

Her steps faltered. She might be warmer, but he wouldn’t be. “You need a coat, too.”

He shrugged, unconcerned. “I’ll be fine.”

“We could stop by Shane’s and borrow one.”

“And give the good sheriff a chance to talk you out of this?” Wood opened the door and nudged her through. “Don’t think so.”

He had a point. She snatched the black muffler from her own neck though, and held it out to him. “At least use this. If you end up catching pneumonia or something, I’d never forgive myself.”

He took the long scarf and looped it around his neck. “Satisfied?”

“I would be if you had gloves, too.”

He smiled and grabbed her hand, then tucked them both, her mitten and all, in his pocket. “This’ll do.”

She gulped a little, and concentrated hard on not falling down the steps beside him.

The night was clear, the dark sky studded with stars, easily visible despite the glow of the streetlights as they walked toward town. Hadley gathered herself enough to point out different places as they walked. “That’s church row.” She gestured to a tree-lined turnoff. “My dad’s church—Lucius Community—and two others are on that street. It’s really called Poplar Avenue, but with the town’s only churches located there…” She shrugged. Even through her mitten she could feel the warmth of his long fingers wrapped around hers. The sensation was causing her to babble.

“Is there a hospital here?”

“A very small one. And we seem to have enough doctors and dentists to serve the town, fortunately. We even have a chiropractor.” She eyed him. “Stu got laid up a while back after he tangled with an ornery cow. Up to then, he’d never been to a chiropractor in his life. Now he’s a believer, though. I can give you his number if you’re sore from the accident.”

“I’m surviving,” he assured.

“But how does your forehead feel?”

His gaze slanted her way. “Like it tried to go through a windshield.”

She bit her lip. “I’m so sorry.”

His fingers squeezed hers a little. “Forget it.”

But, of course, she couldn’t. Their accident was the sole reason he was stuck in Lucius, and there was no point in pretending otherwise. Just because he’d chosen to pass the time helping her out of her situation with Wendell didn’t change anything, other than to prove what a really nice man he was.

They passed the sheriff’s office. The windows were dark. Shane was undoubtedly working on the house at the edge of town that he’d been building himself. In contrast, when they reached it, the Tipped Barrel was lit up like the Fourth of July. There was a spill of vehicles parked in front of the lively tavern. Her feet dragged to a halt, though, when she recognized one of them.

“What’s wrong?”

Hadley wished she could pretend she hadn’t seen her brother-in-law’s truck. “My sister’s husband is in there,” she said after a moment.

“Judging by the number of cars, it looks like half the county is in there. Popular like you said.”

“Yes.” She tugged her hand out of the warm safety of his pocket. “The last time Charlie went to the Tipped Barrel, he got in a bar fight. My sister and he are still paying off the damages. He’s not supposed to come here, at all.”

“Then call your brother. He’s the sheriff.”

Hadley started through the parking lot. “He is, and he’d probably have to lock Charlie up, and Charlie would lose his job, and Evie and my niece and nephews would be the ones to suffer the consequences. It’ll have to be me. I’ll just see you back at Tiff’s.

He snorted, and caught her arm. “Whoa. Hold on. You think I’m going to let you go in there on your own? You’ve never been in a bar, remember? What was your brother-in-law fighting about?”

“Who knows? If he was drinking, and why else would he have gone there—” she pointed accusingly at the tavern “—other than to drink? Then he wouldn’t need much reason. He’s not really pleasant when he drinks.”

“And your sister stays with him because he’s a great guy when he’s not drinking?”

Hadley sighed. She stepped around a pile of slushy mud. “I really wish you’d go back to Tiff’s.”

“Why?”

She stopped. Flopped her hands to her sides. “Because this is embarrassing, okay? You’re a nice guy, and there is probably nothing but trouble waiting inside that place. I’m not going to… to relax, and you’re not going to meet anyone but Charlie,’ cause I can’t let him stay in there! I think I’ve caused you enough problems. For heaven’s sake, the last thing you should concern yourself with is my problems with my brothers and Wendell Pierce or Charlie

Beckett.”

“How old are you?”

She faltered. “What? I’m twenty-seven. And no, you don’t have to tell me how pathetic it is that I’ve never been into a bar at my age.”

“Your concern for me is commendable but unnecessary,” he said, his voice flat. “I’ve got ten years on you, sweetness, and a lifetime of managing my own way. If you’re foolish enough to think I’ll let you go in there to deal with your brother-in-law alone, then you’re not as bright as I thought.”

“I wish we’d never come out tonight,” she muttered. “Well fine, Mr. In-Control, have it your way. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She marched toward the entrance, not daring to think beyond getting through the front door.

Wood closed his hand over the back of her neck as they went inside. Instead of shivering from the contact, though, she found it comforting.

A couple Hadley had never seen before brushed against them as they hurried out the door, and Wood stepped even closer to her. She could feel the steadiness of him all down her spine, and it gave her enough courage to stop praying that Charlie wouldn’t be inside after all and to start looking around for him.

There was a long, dark bar across the rear of the room. Smoke hung in the red-tinted air, and music blasted from the live group playing on a raised platform, not entirely disguising the clink of balls on the collection of pool tables or the voices from the people bellied up to the bar.

Wood lowered his head next to hers. “Do you see him?”

His cheek had brushed against hers, a hint of rasp in the contact. She shivered inside her coat. “No. I can’t believe how many people are here.”

“Friday night,” Wood dismissed. “Maybe he’s at one of the tables.” Even as he spoke, he was moving forward. Hadley moved with him. They skirted the pool tables. Four in all, and all being used.

“What’s he look like?” His cheek rasped against hers again.

How quickly her thoughts could scramble. She focused with an effort. The cigarette smoke was nearly choking her. “Shorter than you. Medium-brown hair. Kind of a husky build. I can’t believe Charlie would come here again after—” She jumped when the smash of glass sounded nearby.

She’d barely had time to look in the direction of the fracas before she found herself firmly tucked behind Wood, his hand unrelentingly strong on hers as he held her there.

She peered around his wide shoulder to see three men scuffling near the bar, and sagged against Wood with relief. None of them were Charlie.

“Had? What the hell you doing here?”

She whirled around and nearly yanked her arm out of her socket thanks to Wood’s grip. “Charlie.” She tugged at Wood and he turned with her. “I could ask the same thing of you. Does Evie know you’re here?”

Charlie made a face and lifted his drink. “What makes you think she’d care? Your sister doesn’t remember what the word fun even means.”

Hadley stepped closer to him, steeling herself against the stench of alcohol emanating from him. “She’s busy at home taking care of your children,” she reminded, raising her voice over the noise, higher than she’d have liked. “Come on. We’ll drive you home.”

Charlie laughed at that, his bleary eyes looking from her to Wood. “In what? Evie told me you’d busted up your truck again, along with someone else’s. Nosy idiot, is what you are.”

“In your truck,” she said tightly.

“Who says I wanna go home now, anyway?”

“What are you going to do when you do want to go? You’re drunk. You can’t drive.” Frustration filled her. She reached out for him, but he pushed her back. His drink spilled over the front of her coat, and he stumbled.

Wood steadied her and caught Charlie up by the scruff of his neck in one fell swoop.

“Lemme go,” he groused.

Wood ignored Charlie and looked at her. He still held her arm. “You okay?”

She nodded, swiping at the liquid. Now this coat would need cleaning, too.

“Lemme go, I said! Who are you, anyway? Sure in hell couldn’t be a friend of Had’s. She’s buttoned down tighter ’n a nun. Doesn’t even know how to kiss a man, much less spread her legs—”

Wood grabbed Charlie’s arm and leaned forward, speaking softly in the man’s ear.

Charlie’s mouth dropped. “Mind your own damned business.” He shoved out at Wood, as if to hit him, but Wood easily sidestepped it, and Charlie tumbled forward, knocking into the table before him, scattering the occupants and sending glasses flying. He scrambled to his feet and launched himself at Wood.

Hadley cried out. “Stop it!”

But Wood did something fancy when he caught Charlie, halting the other man in his tracks.

He tried shrugging off Wood’s grip and failed. “You pushed me!”

“I should have decked you,” Wood said cuttingly, “instead of letting you fall on your face. You offended your sister-in-law. We’re going now.” He began marching Charlie toward the entrance, weaving around tables and customers without hesitation.

Hadley had a fleeting thought that Charlie would have been better off tangling with Shane’s temper than Wood’s. She eyed the people from the splintered table, offering a hurried apology as she watched Wood and her brother-in-law progress through the tavern. Wood’s only hesitation was to stop and speak briefly to a blond cocktail waitress who was watching them all with a surprised expression. At the door, Wood looked back, clearly seeking out Hadley, and she hurried after them.

Outside, Charlie’s attitude subsided considerably and he handed over his keys to Hadley without a quibble, making her wonder just what Wood had said to him. She half expected some comment from Wood when she got behind the wheel of the slightly battered SUV, but he didn’t speak at all except to tell Charlie to shut up when he started complaining about Hadley driving his precious truck.

Lurching only slightly with the unfamiliar vehicle, she drove out of the parking lot and headed toward Evie and Charlie’s home. When they arrived, Evie came out of the small house, a blanket wrapped tightly around her.

She took one look at Charlie and her expression went tight. Then she glared at Hadley, as if it were all her fault. “I’ll have to get the truck from you tomorrow,” was all she said before she hustled her husband inside and slammed the door shut.

Hadley sank back against the side of the SUV. “Well. That went well. I should have just left Charlie alone.” She looked over at Wood. He was eyeing the small house, no particular expression on his face at all. “Why’d you have to go and make him mad like that? He’ll probably try to sue you or something.” It’d be just like Charlie. Always trying to make a quick buck that didn’t involve an honest day’s work.

Wood spread his fingers, looking at his hand, as if he were wishing he’d punched Charlie just as he’d said. “He’s put the moves on you before?”

She opened her mouth to deny it. “It was a long time ago,” she dismissed. He and Evie hadn’t been married too long. “And nothing happened, believe me.”

“How long ago?”

She glanced nervously at the brick house, but the door was shut tight, the drapes drawn in the windows. “I don’t know. I was sixteen I think. I don’t know why I even admitted it to you. Nobody else knows about it, so I’d appreciate you not saying anything to—”

“Did he hurt you?” His hand curled.

“Lord, no. And he didn’t try again.” It was humiliating even recalling the event. “Not that he’d want to. You heard him. He doesn’t find me appealing at all, fortunately.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “You know there’s only one man in town who does find me appealing. And fighting that doesn’t seem to do anything but cause problems. My accident with you. Going out together tonight.” She pulled open the truck door and climbed in again.

After a moment Wood rounded the vehicle and got in, as well. She started the engine, but didn’t put it into gear. She sighed after a moment. “Would you prefer to drive?”

“Yes. But I’ll live with the disappointment.”

She exhaled on a bewildered laugh at his dry assurance. “I don’t understand you at all.”

“Is your sister happy with him?”

Under any other circumstances, Hadley would have choked before she’d discuss family business with a stranger. But, even after such a short time, she couldn’t view Wood Tolliver as a stranger.

If that made her foolish, so be it.

“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “She used to be. They were college sweethearts. But Evie doesn’t share much these days. All I know is that she hasn’t seemed happy about a lot of things for a while now.” She shook her head. “Trying to talk to her hasn’t done much good. She’s always busy with the kids, or trying to fix something around that house, or telling me how I should be running Tiff’s. I haven’t seen her smile in a long time, and she has a beautiful smile. Her birthday is next week, and it just seems a sin that she’ll be celebrating another year without that smile on her face. She isn’t even having a party or anything. Says she’s too tired and busy.”

“Throw one for her. Just lose Charlie’s invitation.”

“If only.” Hadley finally put the truck into gear. The vehicle rocked and jolted over the rutted drive before she turned onto the smoother, paved road. But Wood had a point. Maybe a surprise for Evie—one where she didn’t have to do a single thing but sit back and enjoy—would be good for her. They could probably use the fellowship hall at her dad’s church. Hadley would have to enlist Charlie’s help in getting Evie there.

The parking lot outside of the Tipped Barrel was still clogged with cars when they passed. “What did you tell the cocktail waitress when we were leaving?”

He looked a little surprised that she asked. “How to reach me if Beckett doesn’t pay any damages for tonight’s episode.”

She gave him a quick look. “Why?”

“I pushed him,” was all he said.

She absorbed that as she drove the rest of the way through the quiet town. She made a U-turn on the street to park in front of Tiff’s, and winced a little when one of the wheels bumped up over the curb and then back down again. So much for impressing the man.

The evening was officially a total bust.

She turned off the engine and climbed out, joining Wood on the sidewalk. He took her arm as they walked toward the house. Probably because he was afraid she’d fall on her face or something.

The front door was unlocked, as it always was, and she pushed it open. But Wood didn’t release her arm right away when they entered, and she looked up at him. The porch lights behind him set off auburn glints in his hair. “Something wrong? Other than a genuinely unpleasant evening, I mean?”

He pushed the door shut until it latched softly. “Don’t go back to the Tipped Barrel,” he said. “The place is a complete dive.” Then he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers.

She went stock-still. Shock, surprise, amazement. All three whisked through her with lightning speed. Then his hands—cool against her skin—cradled her face. Heat, want followed.

A soft sound rose in her throat and she leaned into him, nothing else existing but the feel of his lips softly caressing hers. “Wood—”

He broke the kiss with a soft oath. “For the record, Wendell Pierce isn’t the only one to find you appealing.” Then he stepped back from her. “Good night, Hadley.”

Thank heavens for the wall behind her. It held her up. “Good night, Wood.”

But he probably hadn’t heard her shaking response. He’d already disappeared down the hallway.