“You’re the black Stephen Hawking. I smell a Nobel Prize,” Lucas said.
“Whoa, let’s not get carried away.” Roarke held up his hands to his friend in protest. They were large, masculine hands with long, slender fingers, which could undoubtedly offer all sorts of pleasure.
Celeste swallowed, shocked at the thought that zipped through her mind. Why was she thinking about the pleasure this man’s hands could offer?
“There he goes being modest again,” Lucas said. “Your research was groundbreaking. We should take out a full-page ad in the paper so everyone knows what you accomplished.”
“One day we’ll say we knew him when.” Xander sniffed and wiped a nonexistent tear. “Don’t forget the little people.”
“What are you even doing here?” Roarke asked him. “Your wife let you out to play tonight?” His attention turned to Lucas. “How many times has she called him?”
Lucas held up two fingers. Just then, Xander lifted his phone from his pocket. He smiled sheepishly. “I gotta take this.”
Lucas held up three fingers. Roarke groaned, and they both rolled their eyes as Xander slinked off to a corner with the phone pressed to his ear.
“Come on, Lucas, let’s dance,” Gwen announced in a loud voice. She moved her shoulders in time to the music. Celeste wondered how many drinks she’d had already.
“I’d be happy to do the honors.” Lucas helped Gwen down from the stool. “You, too,” he said to Janet, whose head bopped in time to the beat.
She stopped her movements. “Oh, I can’t. I’m engaged.” Holding her hand upright, she showed him the ring. Every time an opportunity arose to mention her engagement, she took it.
“What does your engagement have to do with anything? I just want to dance, and it’s obvious you do, too.”
“Well . . .” Janet seemed uncertain, frowning at Celeste.
Celeste waved her away in an effort to ease her conscience. “I’ll be fine. Go dance.”
“Are you sure you can handle those ladies by yourself?” Roarke called as the three walked away. Without turning around, Lucas shot him the finger and squeezed his way through the crowd with both women.
With her friends gone, Celeste racked her brain for something witty and interesting to say. She glanced at Roarke and found him watching her. His gaze didn’t waver, and she shifted uneasily from one foot to the next.
“Your wife must be proud.”
She smothered a groan of embarrassment. Did the comment sound as bad as she imagined? She didn’t want to seem like she was coming on to him. He stood with his forearm on the high table and his left hand tucked into his pants pocket, making it impossible to see if he wore a ring or not.
Not that it mattered. I didn’t come here to pick up a man. Considering her history with men and the drama in her life, she had no interest in finding a man right now.
“I’m not married.”
A tingle of satisfaction replaced the embarrassment and piqued her curiosity. Good-looking and educated but no wife?
“How about you?” he asked.
“No, I’m not married.”
Divorced, but that was another story.
“In a relationship?”
His lips stretched into an innocuous smile. She suspected her answer to the question would determine how the rest of the evening went. The safe answer would be to say yes. She could tell him she was involved, and then he’d probably leave her alone, which was what she really wanted. But, she didn’t want to lie, and all of a sudden, she didn’t want to be safe.
“No.”
The change in him was subtle, but she saw it nonetheless. There was a shift in his eyes, and then he crossed his arms on the tabletop and leaned forward, offering his undivided attention. “Thanks to my loudmouthed friends, you know why we came out tonight. What brought you ladies out?”
“It’s my birthday.”