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With a sigh, she let the screen go black. She wasn’t going to worry about work right now. Zoe scanned the room, clenching her jaw at the smug faces looking her way. She hated that they bothered her. Blinking quickly to banish the frustrated tears, she looked out the window. All she really wanted to do was find the masked hunk and get friendly again. Her shoulders slumped and she sucked in a deep breath to try to reel in the irritating emotional overload. Although, if she was honest, she’d admit it was probably pointless. After all, he’d already rejected her when he’d taken off last night.
God, she was even irritating herself with this self-pity crap. Twenty-four hours back in town and her confidence was toilet-height. Just like her glorious teens.
“Excuse me, Mr. Drake?”
Zoe’s head whipped around, looking for Dex’s dad. Or better yet, Dex himself. Hey, any friendly face would do.
Her eyes rounded as she stared at the hot guy from the lobby. He was focused on signing something for the restaurant manager. His hair was just as untamed coffee-hued wild waves as it’d been yesterday. His butt just as nice close-up as it had been bent over that cart. And his shoulders. Oh, yeah, she still wanted to run her fingers over the naked breadth of them.
Zoe pressed her hand flat against her tummy, glad now that she hadn’t eaten anything. The food would have just gotten in the way of the horny butterflies dancing around in there.
Had the manager called him Mr. Drake?
Hottie with the nice ass from the lobby was Dex? Her old friend Dex? No way.
“Dex?”
At the sound of her voice, gorgeous guy turned to face her. Holy crap. That couldn’t be her old friend. Could it? Tall, toned and hot? This guy looked nothing like her geeky buddy. But the eyes, she saw for the first time, were the same. A deep intense aquamarine.
“Dex,” she repeated under her breath, her own eyes widening in shocked appreciation. He was definitely Dexter Drake, but my oh my, had he matured nicely.
He looked disconcerted. Tension flashed in his eyes, then with a visible shrug, Dex gave her a stiff smile. He said something to the manager before coming toward her.
Zoe’s shoulders drooped. What? Was her old friend as uninterested in seeing her as the rest of her graduating class? Nah. No way. This was Dex. They’d always stuck together. Besides, he’d sent her the e-mail, said he wanted to get together. Shoving her paranoia aside, Zoe slid back her chair, smoothed her black leather skirt and rose to greet him.
Her gaze wandered over his body again, taking in the fit of his jeans over slim hips. His lightweight navy sweater was loose, hiding his chest, but his shoulders were broad and inviting. Her eyes traced the strong lines of his jaw where his hair waved back off his face. Zoe’s heart thumped a little harder in her chest, reminding her to pull back her shoulders and be thankful for pushup bras.
Oh, yeah, she was definitely excited to see Dex.
“Hey,” she said when he was a foot away. “I couldn’t believe it when I got your e-mail. It’s so cool that you’re here.”
The last words were said against his shoulder as, unable to help herself, she pulled him into a hug. It was like wrapping her arms around a very large, very well-muscled wall. Her breath caught in her chest, excitement swirling in her stomach.
He didn’t even pat her shoulder, though. Zoe dropped her hands quickly and stepped back, trying not to look like plastering herself against his body had been a major turn-on.
She ignored the couple of catcalls and taunts from surrounding diners. Dex glanced around when one guy suggested she haul out the riding crop, but his expression didn’t change.
“Hey, Zoe,” he said, his words light, friendly.
“It’s so good to see you again,” she said, smile still hopefully bright. She inspected the face she’d thought she’d known as well as her own, amazed at how different he looked. Oh, the old Dex was there. Those intense, beautiful eyes with his lush, enviable eyelashes. The sharp angles of his face, just like his father’s. The full lips she used to tease him about. Now, instead of wanting to offer him her black lipstick, they made her wonder how they’d feel against hers.
The air between them suddenly sparked with awareness. Zoe met his shuttered eyes. Lurking in his ocean-deep gaze was a heat she recognized. The same heat curled deep in her belly. She wet her lips, trying to calm her breathing.
“I can’t believe how much you’ve changed,” she blurted out, trying to cover her lusty thoughts. “I mean, how many inches have you grown?”
Dex’s mouth quirked, the shutter dropping from his eyes as they lit with wicked glee.
“Maybe we should finish saying hello before we discuss that,” he said with a grin that made the horny butterflies in her tummy swoon.
