“I’m an interior designer,” Jessica answered. “I put all of this together.” She waved her hand in the general direction of the room and then plucked two cards out of a small purse.
Shawna didn’t take them, leaving Jessica’s hand hanging in the space between them because Ryan distracted her. The way his mouth looked. The way his eyes remained focused on her. Too late, she realized her faux pas, but Jerome mitigated the awkward moment and took the cards.
“How have you been?” Ryan asked.
“Well. You?”
“Same.”
“I thought you weren’t coming back for a couple more days.”
“I decided to cut my trip short.”
The intimate tone of their voices suggested they were sequestered in a corner somewhere instead of standing in the middle of a room with dates and other guests. Shawna’s pulse started an unrelenting beat in her throat. She wanted to pull him away from the other woman. She wanted to go somewhere and run her fingers through his hair, stake her claim by straddling him and peppering his skin with kisses.
Swallowing hard, her cheeks flushed with heat, Shawna lifted the hair off her neck. The room had become unbearably warm. She groaned aloud, the sound leaving her throat before she could do anything to stop it.
“You okay?” Jerome asked.
“I’m feeling a little out of it.” She fanned her face. “I’m going to run to the restroom. Excuse me.”
She hurried away as quickly as she could.
Chapter Twenty
Ryan scrubbed his hand across his jaw as he watched Shawna leave. He hadn’t intended to come to the party even though he’d received an invitation. His family had wanted him home and he’d agreed to visit while his sister was on spring break. Unfortunately, he’d barely slept a wink in Oklahoma and had not been the best company. Over his mother’s protests—and with a promise to make it up to them—he’d cut his trip short to sit at the airport on standby for hours, waiting for a flight back to Atlanta.
When he arrived at the party, Shawna had been easy to spot in a room full of dark suits and dresses because by contrast, she wore a powder-blue strapless cocktail dress. The color was striking against her beautiful dark skin and punctuated the indentation of her waist and curvature of her hips. It looked fantastic on her.
“Ryan!” Jessica’s voice sounded loud and irritated, as if she’d said his name more than once. He and Jessica had struck up a friendship about a year ago and referred business to each other from time to time. “Could you—”
“In a minute. I’ll be right back.” Without a backward glance at either Jessica or Jerome, Ryan set out in the same direction as Shawna.
When he found the ladies’ room, he pushed the door open, not caring if he startled the women who might be inside. Enough of this nonsense about space and taking things slow. Not seeing her had simply confirmed her necessity in his life.
He walked through the sitting room and pushed the other door that took him inside the bathroom. Stopping at the entrance, he saw Shawna and another woman standing in front of the mirrored wall. The woman was washing her hands and Shawna was patting her face dry, as if she’d splashed water on it.
Her wide-eyed gaze met his in the mirror. “You can’t be in here.”
Again, warm tingles rippled down his back at the sound of her voice. “I came in here to talk to you.” Actually, he wanted to do more than talk. He didn’t plan on leaving without touching some bare part of her body. He wanted a little skin-to-skin contact.
The other woman cleared her throat and muttered an “Excuse me” before walking out.
Shawna’s gaze darted to the door as it swung shut. She tossed the paper towel in the trash. “This isn’t exactly the best place or time to talk.”
“You’ll have to adjust because I want to talk now.” He walked closer and was overcome with the need to hold her. “Jessica is a friend.”