Halfway through the meal, the waitress came over and said, “Ladies, the gentleman over there sent you this bottle of champagne with a wish for you to have a happy new year.”
They all turned toward the bar, to the man sitting smoking a cigar. He smiled in their general direction, but Eva noticed his eyes lingered on her a fraction longer than the others. Feeling her cheeks get hot, she quickly looked away.
The waitress started pouring the expensive sparkling wine into glasses. “Let him know we said thank you,” cooed one of her friends, Bev.
“He’s hot,” Kallie murmured. “Maybe we should invite him over.”
Their animated conversation changed to whispered speculation about the man at the bar. A few minutes later, the waitress returned.
“He said he would love it if you come thank him yourself.”
“Really?” Bev smoothed her fingers over her hair while her girlfriends gasped and whispered in excitement.
A pang of jealousy worked its way through Eva’s stomach at the thought her friend would get to meet him. His cool stare had intrigued her, and his handsome face had made her heart thump a faster beat.
“Not you,” the waitress said. “You.”
It took a minute for Eva to realize she had spoken to her. She’d been focused on her plate. “Me?” she asked in shock. “I didn’t say anything.”
The waitress shrugged. “He asked specifically for you, honey.”
He’d asked for her. Her belly flipped over itself.
She cast a glance over at the bar again, but he wasn’t looking in their direction. He and the man next to him were engrossed in conversation. He nodded, and then tipped a tumbler toward his mouth. Even from this distance she could tell he had nice lips.
Kallie’s excited voice broke through her shock. “Eva, go!”
“All right. Shush.”
At the urging of her friends, Eva walked over to where he sat, wiping her sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress. “Hi.”
His eyes drew her in. Blue, but not blue, gray, but not gray—an interesting combination of the two. His skin, the color of sand, had golden undertones, and the thick, wavy hair on his head made her fingers tingle with the desire to play in the strands. Like she’d noticed from afar, he had inviting lips that curved upward in a most seductive way when he smiled. She could tell he had money, despite being casually sexy in a black turtleneck and black jeans. He had an air about him.
“Hi yourself.” His warm voice sent a shiver down her spine.
“Thank you for the champagne. That was very nice of you.” She groaned inwardly at the sound of her voice. She sounded nervous, and her stomach muscles trembled in response to her heightened awareness of him.
He lifted one shoulder as if it were no big deal. “I saw a beautiful woman having dinner with her friends and wanted to impress her.”
His open flirtation made her feel out of her depth. He reeked of confidence, and she found it both sexy and unnerving. “Mission accomplished.”
He smiled. “Good to know. By the way, I’m Derrick Hoffman. What’s your name?”
“I’m Eva. Eva Jacob.”
She extended her hand for a handshake, but instead of shaking it, he lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. Tremors shot through her body, and she suddenly had the burning desire to remove all her clothing so he’d have the opportunity to place the same type of kiss on every inch of her skin.
Once he’d lowered her hand, he didn’t let go. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her knuckles, which caused heat to suffuse her skin. Her instantaneous attraction to him overwhelmed and excited her. With her heart racing, she felt on the verge of a new adventure, unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
“Eva, I’m about to leave, but before I go, I’m going to give you my number. I hope you use it.”
He released her hand to pull out a card containing his name and phone number, then handed it to her.
He stubbed out his cigar and rose from the barstool. Even though she wore heels, his broad-shouldered body towered over her. “It was nice meeting you, Derrick.”