Dalton gave her the smooth grin that she was certain could make some women drool. “You should know by now that I’m a man full of surprises. I think I’ll mingle, as well. See you later.”
He moved to walk off but turned back and smiled. “By the way, nice party, Shana.”
*
“And how long have you been living in Charlottesville, Jules?”
Jules glanced over her glass at the man who’d sort of latched on to her a few moments ago. And he hadn’t wasted any time suggesting they take a stroll on the patio that overlooked a beautiful lake. His name was Gary Coughlin. He wasn’t bad to look at; in his late forties he was slightly older than the men who normally held her interest. But he was a man, and it appeared he had all working body parts. Hell, she’d even allow the blue pill if it came to that.
“A few years,” she said, deciding not to get more specific than that. No need to give or receive too much information. “Now, tell me again how you know Jace and Shana.” When she’d asked the first time, she recalled that he never got around to answering.
“I never met them before tonight, actually. I’m fairly new to town and came with a friend who’s a business associate of Jace’s. Ron is CEO of Zimmons Aviation Supply Company.”
Jules nodded. “And what brought you to Charlottesville?”
“Needing a change of scenery after a divorce. I started a retail company right out of college and recently sold it for a nice profit. Now I’m free to just kick back and enjoy life.”
And enjoy women. Jules smiled at the thought of that. “Good for you.” She took a sip of her drink and then asked, “So what are your plans when you leave here tonight?” Although she wasn’t one who made a habit of indulging in one-night stands, there were times a woman had to do what a woman had to do. Especially when her toys weren’t doing their job.
Gary looked at her and smiled, evidently picking up on her hint of what she had in mind. “I don’t have any plans for later. Any ideas?”
Do you want to see the list? Being in Dalton’s presence twice in one week had worked on certain parts of her body. And then last night, his rattling off all the places in his home where he wanted to have sex with her hadn’t helped. And what kind of man would tell a woman that whenever he looked at her he saw an orgasm just waiting to happen? Unfortunately, that’s all she’d been thinking about since last night. Orgasms. Multiple ones. Explosive ones. The beat-your-head-against-the-bedpost kind. She needed one of those quick, fast and dirty.
“So this is where you ran off to, Jules.”
She muttered a low curse and turned around. Why was Dalton pretending he’d been looking for her? She drew in a deep breath and intended to be pleasant even if it killed her. “I was enjoying a conversation with Gary. Gary Coughlin, this is Dalton Granger. Jace’s brother,” she said, introducing the two men.
They exchanged handshakes, and it was obvious they were also sizing each other up. She hated admitting it, but she was, too. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Dalton had taken over the show.
“So you’re the third brother,” Gary said, smiling.
“Yes, and you know Jace how?” Dalton wanted to know.
Jules rolled her eyes and fought to hold her tongue while Gary provided the same information he’d given her earlier. “Well, Gary, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to Jules privately for a minute.”
Jules was tempted to give Dalton a few harsh words then and there, but figured Gary shouldn’t be party to such a tongue-lashing, so she smiled sweetly up at him. “Gary, we will definitely finish our conversation later. What Dalton and I need to discuss should take less than a minute.”
Dalton’s piercing brown eyes turned on her, and the message she read in them all but said he’d be damned if that was true. With a lot of effort, she tightened her lips until she was sure Gary was out of hearing range. Then she turned on Dalton. “You’ve got one minute.”