Читать книгу Her Unexpected Affair - Shea McMaster - Страница 11

Hand extended to her, Drew stood close enough she could feel the heat from his body.

It took strength pulled from her center of calm to nod coolly and accept his offer. With the support of his gentle grip, she slid from the seat and followed him, dodging the crowded tables to the packed dance floor. Wasn’t it just her luck the DJ chose to slow things down with the next song?

The fact Drew had been raised a gentleman was evident in the way he held her in a classic dance pose, one hand lightly resting on her waist, the other holding her right hand not too close to his body. A few inches separated them. Discreet. Respectful. However, both contact points tingled with awareness such that she wanted to press her body against his. The care with which he guided her to the rhythm of the slow tune indicated many hours of dance lessons. Better than most of the men she’d danced with. Following his lead was easy and comfortable. Rather it would have been easy and comfortable if not for the high voltage energy zinging back and forth between them. Not at all what she’d expected. Better than she’d ever dreamed a dance partner could be.

There, in the middle of the floor, she could better see the blue of his eyes. The blue pulled her in, much like a cool mountain lake on a hot day.

Ha! The ancestors and deities were having fun with her by throwing this prime specimen of man at her at this moment. He moved with athletic grace, his body talking to hers, the flexing of strong muscles moving under her hand, seducing more than the twinkle in his eyes. Eyes that held a faint shadow that looked suspiciously like exhaustion.

“So, you just completed your degree?” Anything to distract her from the surprising warmth purling around her limbs.

“International law. Everything was checked off this afternoon. I’m allowed to graduate with my class. Next stop is a ten week Chinese school. Guess I’ll have to unlearn everything Jack tried to teach me, won’t I?” A small smile played around the corners of his mouth.

“Not everything, I’m sure. Mostly you’ll have to work on your tones and inflections.”

He nodded. “I’ve learned that much. I don’t have the best ear, so that will be tough. Not all I’ve learned has come from Jack. I had a bit of exposure at school, although now I’m suspicious my roommate at Eton may have also been playing tricks on me.”

Meilin laughed lightly. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. So you’re entering this program where?”

“Stanford.”

“I know the program. Have even substituted on occasion. Why learn Chinese?”

“The family business. My father would like to be more confident in the interpretations when we do business in China. I’ll spend a few years over there learning my way around, expanding our contacts, gaining new contracts. Any chance you’ll show up at the school this summer?”

Meilin ignored his last question. Undoubtedly, Arnie, better known to the students as Professor An Cheng Chung, would call on her to sub at some point. Or help with tutoring. “And the business is?”

“Import. With an eye toward the higher end. Beyond tea and trinkets. I’m pretty sure my mother wants some authentic antiques in our catalogue.”

At her raised brow, he clarified himself. “My stepmother, Randi. But already she’s accepted me as if she’d given birth to me and I’ve adopted her back.”

“Indeed. I’m not sure many women would so readily accept a grown man as their son.”

“Is that a polite way of asking my age?” An elegant brow, slightly darker than his golden hair, rose enticingly.

Feigning disinterest, she shrugged one shoulder. “Making conversation. I’m not experienced with stepmothers and the like.”

“Well, for clarification, I’m twenty-three. I know better than to ask your age, but I would place you close to twenty-five.”

Meilin laughed. “Nice try, but no, I won’t confess. A woman who will tell her age will tell everything. And I never tell everything.”

The grin on his face widened. “That’s fine by me. I like a woman full of mystery. Makes the getting to know her much more interesting.”

“You’re young to have completed a law degree. Although it happens, Jack’s two years older than you and he’s considered young for a JD. I’m surprised.”

“I grew up spending school holidays working in the offices, and I skipped a few levels at school.” He shrugged as if it were nothing unusual. “My experiences and scores got me into the program a few years ahead of my peers. All the better to be here at this point in time.”

His grin created a longing to get to know him better deep inside, twisting her stomach at the words she had to speak. “I must disappoint us both, I confess; tomorrow I become engaged to a man who has been a close friend of the family for many years.”

“Sounds…arranged.” A slight wrinkle formed between his perfect eyes.

“Many marriages around the world are arranged for many reasons. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. My parents are quite happy with the arrangements made by my grandparents.”

“I wasn’t criticizing. My own parents were expected to marry from the time they were toddlers. Sadly, for them, it wasn’t quite the harmonious pairing many such arrangements bring about.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She really was. Most often it was the children who suffered when discord between the parents erupted. How had it affected him?

In an attempt to deflect the conversation from herself, she asked, “So, Mandarin school for you, then a place in the family business? This is what you want?”

“Absolutely. Many generations have paved the way to expanding the business globally. But I’m sure you don’t want to hear those details. I’m more interested in you. Interior design?”

Sure, it was immodest to speak of her successes, but few people in her family were kind enough to pretend interest. “I keep busy. If your mother is interested in some fine antique pieces, she is welcome to come by my shop when she’s in the area. I’m guessing your parents are based in England?”

“Until last December, Randi lived just across the Bay. That’s where my sister was born and raised. In a nice, upper middle class suburban neighborhood. Randi’s father does business with the vineyards up and down the entire west coast and until recently she worked for him. She and my father are flying in tonight not only for graduation, but to repeat their vows for the friends who live here.”

“That’s very sweet.” Just the idea of saying vows with Shan once was enough. Repeating them? Not likely. Unless it was several years down the road and they were truly in love.

Although she’d already committed to the path, the faint vision she’d had of taking vows and living with Shan wavered like a fine mist on a foggy morning.

Enough, she told herself. Tonight was about a final fling celebrating freedom. It wasn’t the time to change the path she’d chosen. The future wasn’t yet here and she didn’t want it to intrude on her fun. Besides, Drew wouldn’t be around for long. Here tonight, gone in six weeks or so.

* * * *

Drew watched the emotions playing in Meilin’s eyes. If only the light were better so he could see their true color. Something told him her eyes were a rare shade of green.

Pragmatically it was an indication of his frazzled self, but something about holding this woman ever so lightly in his arms brought a sense of calm, despite the way his blood raced through his body. Even when the music picked up speed again he had no desire to let her go. Nor did she seem to notice the energy once more pulsing from the speakers loud enough to block conversation. Palm to palm, one arm about her waist, they didn’t need words. Their eyes, their bodies, communicated quite well without the distraction of talking.

In heels, the top of Meilin’s head reached his chin, making her tall enough to be comfortable in his arms. Her frame was slight and delicate, her features classically Chinese, her skin pale and smooth, much like pearls. He liked the way her straight, thick, black hair fell to her shoulders like a rich, silk curtain. The soft cloud of scent surrounding her was light, yet rich and exotic. The way she held herself brought to mind the images of ladies of the Chinese court he’d seen in the books in his father’s library in Sussex. He’d had plenty of time to sit and gaze at examples of beautiful women painted by the masters of many centuries and many countries depicted in those art books. At odds with her modern, short, lacy, sleeveless dress, he could easily imagine her draped in thick silk robes, her hair arranged to support an elaborate headdress of gold, framing her finely boned features. Better yet, the image of Meilin reclined on a bed of silk sheets, one small finger crooked, inviting him to join her, now there was a fantasy he’d like to bring to life.

“Okay, you two!” A firm hand landed on his shoulder, startling him out of the trance he’d fallen into. Meilin flinched in his arms and pulled away, an enticing flush coloring her cheeks.

“Jack,” she scolded. “That was rude.”

Unrepentant, his friend laughed. “You two are looking far too serious out here! We’re here to party, not gaze deeply into the eyes of strangers.” Jack’s hand fell on his cousin’s shoulder, not at all subtle about putting distance between the two of them. “Did I tell you Meilin is getting engaged tomorrow night? She’s taken, man. Let me introduce you to some very nice single ladies. All from good families.”

Scowling at this time wouldn’t be polite, so Drew forced a genial smile onto his face. One he’d learned at a very early age. The one that diffused tense situations better than anything else he’d ever tried. Part of that stiff upper lip business his mother had drilled into him. Well, his father, too, but not as adamantly as his mother.

Jack drew forward another woman. “This is Yuahua, another, far more distant, cousin of mine. She’s a career girl like Meilin, but four years younger, much closer to me in age.”

Yuahua flushed, and gave Drew a shy smile before glaring at Jack. “Our Jack, he’s too rude by far. But I am pleased to meet you, Drew from England. I adore your accent.”

“Thank you. I’m rather enamored with the California accents around me.” From his peripheral vision, he caught Meilin being pulled into a circle of her friends who danced to the fast beat. “Dance with me?” he asked the woman Jack practically pushed into his arms.

“Love to!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper into the mass of writhing, hopping bodies.

He danced the entire set with one woman after another, all from Meilin’s group of six, not a one of them touching his senses as Meilin did. Three were married, judging by the rings weighing down their fingers. Not one of them a shy flower. Not one of them as enticing as Meilin.

Meilin. Soon to be engaged. The very thought disturbed his peace of mind. He wanted to growl in a way he’d never experienced before. No matter who he danced with, some internal string had attached itself to her and each second he knew precisely where she was. It didn’t take much effort to dance near the group of ladies around Meilin, all of them laughing, showing off their moves, dancing with the random men who gravitated to their group. Despite the ball of lead weighing him down, he laughed enough to find himself having fun.

Once or twice he looked around to find Birdie.

And found her dancing, closely, with Jack.

Now that didn’t sit right with him. Truthfully he just didn’t like any guy being so close to her. A totally irrational, but logical, big brother reaction he tried to shrug off. Hell, Jack didn’t fit in with Birdie’s plan and that fact guaranteed she’d keep the flirtation light. As she told Drew frequently, she was a big girl and could watch out for herself.

Meilin claimed his attention with her sensual moves. The night became a blur around him as his focus grew tighter on her face. Her joy at dancing and laughing with him and her friends, the way her gaze flirted with him, the expressions on her face, all the little details drew him to her.

He forgot she was all but engaged. He forgot they were surrounded. Nothing else held his attention longer than a half second. She was beauty and grace personified.

Eventually the dance floor began to clear, and the DJ played slower tunes. Meilin came into his arms easily enough and the distance between them closed until they swayed, their bodies synchronized, heartbeats aligned. When the last call went out, as natural as breathing he touched his lips to hers and discovered the true origin of lightning. Forget Mr. Franklin and his kite string. Forget Los Alamos and their mega bombs. Her kiss leveled his heart with a jolt of pure fire, igniting his body in ways he’d never experienced before.

By her gasp of surprise, he deduced she felt it too. The trembling of her slight frame shook him to his core where he trembled as well. Just touching his mouth to hers wasn’t enough for him. Parting his lips, the tip of his tongue found hers. Need burned deep, although he fought to keep the kiss gentle when he wanted to ravage and conquer. Meilin melted against him, both her hands sliding up his chest to circle around his neck. The world dropped away, and blind instinct strained at the leash he’d put on it. Just one night…

“Enough of that!” Jack startled them from the moment. “Meilin, you’re practically a married woman. Don’t take advantage of the young lad that way. You’re killing him.”

Heat rushed to Drew’s cheeks and he wanted nothing more than to plant his hand over Jack’s face and push.

Blushing as well, Meilin stood before him, hands brushing away imaginary wrinkles from her flawless red dress. A light sheen of perspiration coated her pearlescent skin, glowing with smooth perfection under the swirling lights. A shaking hand pushed her hair from her face. “Jack, you’re a pig.”

“No, I’ll be dead if word of that little scene gets back to your parents.”

One of her friends stepped up and smacked Jack upside the head. “Leave her alone. It’s her last night as a single woman. Let her have a little fun.”

Rubbing his head, Jack turned on the woman. “You condone this?”

She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. It’s some dancing and a kiss.”

Drew resisted the temptation to clear his throat, although he rubbed a hand over his chest, right in the center where a funny little pinch formed. Was it just a harmless flirtation on her part? It sure felt like more. A hell of a lot more. Had the kiss not been interrupted, he had the feeling he might have seen the future. He tried looking to confirm it, but Meilin kept her eyes lowered and directed anywhere but him.

“Let it go, Jack. I’m a big girl and it was just some fun. As Suhua said, tonight is just a last chance to party like a single woman instead of a corporate wife. Things will get much duller from here on out. Endless events and such.”

Drew forced his patented, calming smile to his lips. “Exactly, Jack. Everyone here was just blowing off a little steam tonight. No need to make a case out of it.” He slapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. Possibly landing a little harder than intended. Easy enough to blame on the alcohol.

Jack’s gaze sharpened as he searched Drew’s face for any indication of a lie. Jack could spin with the best litigation lawyers, but Drew had confidence in his perfected poker face. The tension drained from Jack’s shoulders. “Yeah, okay, but no more of that stuff. Shan and my uncle would both have my beautiful golden hide up on their walls if they learn about it.” He shot a glare at Meilin’s friends now gathered around them.

One woman held up her hands and nearly lost her balance. Clearly she’d freely imbibed. “No one here will say a thing. We all know exactly what’s she feeling and facing. Meilin doesn’t play much, and after tonight I doubt she’ll ever get a chance to play like this again. Give her a break. Shan doesn’t own her yet.”

Drew was beginning to hate the name of this Shan guy.

But there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He had no time for a serious romance. Not even time for a light one. Not with a woman already established, as Meilin was from what he’d been able to get her to talk about.

“Meilin!” The call came from the bar. “Your cab is out front.”

“Thanks, Bastion.” She waved back. “That’s it, ladies, time to head home.”

Drew held out his arm. “Let me walk you out. We’re leaving as well.”

Meilin nodded and Drew hung back with her. He helped the women gather their purses and wraps if they had them, and made sure the tabs were settled. He and Jack tossed down handfuls of bills. Meilin signed a slip while her friends tossed smaller bills on the table. The waitress was well compensated in tips as far as he could gauge. At last they had little excuse but to follow their friends to the street. Jack, he noted, ushered Courtney with a hand on her lower back and an eye over his shoulder to make sure Drew and Meilin followed.

“Is there a way I—or rather my mother—can reach you?” he asked.

Meilin paused just outside the club door. A mixture of exhaust, common street filth, and a hint of salt in the misty air teased his nostrils. He wanted to smell nothing but her, the rich scent clinging to her hair and skin.

Letting his hand drift to her lower back, he once again experienced the jolt of electric awareness.

“Um, sure.” She dug into her small purse. “I’m pretty sure I have a card in here somewhere…” A smile curved her lips upward as she pulled the small rectangle of cardstock from her purse. “Here it is. My cell phone is also on there, so if, um, she misses me at the office, she can try there. What’s her name again?”

“Randi Robinson. Formerly Ferguson.”

“Oh, I think I know her. Absolutely do”—Meilin’s breath hitched—“have her give me a call at any time.” Drew suspected Meilin had just given him permission to call her, rather than his mother. Did he dare hope?

The card slipped between his fingers as hers brushed his for a moment. “I’ll do that.” He looked as deeply as the dark night allowed and saw an answering heat flare in her eyes. “You get home safely.”

“Thanks. I will.”

“Meilin!” her friends called from the packed cab. “Meter’s running, let’s go!”

She waved at her giggling friends. “I must go. I’ve enjoyed meeting you, Drew Robinson. Best of luck straightening out your Chinese.”

And if she’d really given him permission to call, he wanted to be sure. “May I call you if I need help studying?”

For a very long moment, she gazed into his eyes. “That might not be a good idea,” she finally said quietly, the roar of Jack’s SUV pulling up behind the cab almost covering her voice. The hand she held out was delicate, just like her. “Although it’s possible your professor may call me for teaching assistance. We may yet meet again in the few weeks before the class moves to Peking University. Give my best to your sister. She’s lucky to have you.”

While his heart pounded at the thought of seeing her again, even if only for tutoring, Meilin turned and ducked into the front seat of the cab. The rest of her friends were piled two deep, one sitting on the laps of the others in the back. The driver pulled away with a screech of his tires to the squeals of his passengers. Meilin’s wave was tiny and it left Drew’s soul feeling empty as he watched her cab disappear around a corner. The sight of her face turned to the window, her green eyes looking back at him before being whisked down the street.

He had to let her go. One did not find true love at a bar the night before her engagement party.

The blast from Jack’s horn broke him from his reverie and his feet dragged and stumbled against the ancient cement sidewalk as he made his way to the vehicle.

Drew had never considered himself a romantic, but something had shifted in his world tonight. Inside he knew he’d finally learned the secret to the poems written by men over the centuries. The aching loss of the possibility of a glorious future. Some of the sparkle went out of Drew’s generally golden life. Meilin was one of a kind. Exotic and extraordinary. Lord, he must be more exhausted than he’d thought. It felt as if he’d never find another like her if he lived a hundred lives.

Climbing into Jack’s SUV, he shook his head. Exhaustion, plus alcohol, dizzying lights, and deafening music, all combined to metaphorically dump him on his arse. A rare moment of fancy, that. Surely he’d manufactured the whole drama in his own head. Besides, in six weeks he was leaving for China. Where would he have time to fit in a seduction? Suddenly what had felt like an endless amount of time seemed far, far too short.