“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t know, and they died a long time ago.” He seemed to force himself back into a lighthearted mood. “Are you having fun on your birthday?”
She pretended not to notice the abrupt change in conversation. “I haven’t been here long, but . . .” She let her voice trail off. “Well, to be honest, this isn’t what I wanted to do tonight. I would much rather go somewhere quiet and listen to a small ensemble play jazz or something.”
“Really? I wouldn’t mind doing the same thing.” He edged closer, and her skin warmed to his nearness. His voice lowered to a warm purr. “Xander and Lucas got me a room at the Ritz-Carlton for the night and invited me here. Since they’re paying for everything, I thought I’d better stick around, but . . . I think you and I may be victims of meddling friends. Am I right?”
Celeste nodded. His conspiratorial tone made her curious.
A speculative look came into his eyes. “You know, there’s a spot around the corner. They serve tapas and have a small band that plays jazz. Would you like to check it out?”
She hesitated. What did she know about him? He seemed harmless, but looks could be deceiving. The battle scars crisscrossed all over her heart served as a reminder.
He leaned closer. Their eyes locked, and she held her breath against the attraction that crackled across the short distance between them. His direct gaze and flirtatious half smile caused tiny pinpricks of heat to surface along the back of her neck.
“I’m one of the good guys. I promise.”
A good guy. Did they really exist? After years of disappointment, she had dismissed the thought of finding one, treating the idea like an urban legend, or a unicorn or some other mythical creature.
Nonetheless, here was a man who claimed to be good, and the spicy scent of his cologne made him smell delicious. Real delicious. The manly fragrance coupled with the inviting sound of his voice made her second-guess herself. Maybe, just this once, she was correct in her assessment.
“What about our friends?” she asked.
“They’re welcome to come, too.”
That wasn’t what he was offering, and they both knew it. He knew she was attracted to him, and he observed her with unabashed interest.
Her mother’s words repeated in her head. “You’re young. It’s okay to have fun every once in a while.”
This could turn out to be a harmless flirtation. She wouldn’t go anywhere alone with him. They would be walking down a public street to their next destination, a public restaurant. She made a decision to shift into fun mode and closed the door on anything less.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Chapter Two
Roarke felt a twinge of guilt at ditching his friends, but all he wanted to do was go somewhere quieter where he could further engage Celeste in conversation. He couldn’t believe his luck when he walked up to the table and saw the caramel-skinned beauty he’d bumped into near the door.
Her friends protested when they told them they planned to leave, but in the end, they offered to meet up later. When they stepped out of Avery’s Juke Joint, the cool breeze of late spring whispered over them and stirred the naturally curly tendrils of her shoulder-length hair.
Cars drove by at a slow crawl. Retail stores, condominium high-rises, and restaurants lined either side of the street. Men and women dressed in their weekend best passed by on the sidewalk.
“This way,” Roarke said.
“How do you know about this place?”
“Just because I live in Athens doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on in the big city,” he joked. He directed her down a side street toward the open door of Tito’s Lounge. “The drive’s not bad, so I come to Atlanta every so often to take a break, but I don’t get to do it much.” What an understatement. He’d kept a busy schedule for as long as he could remember.