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Which was why Chuck had been so appealing. Fun, easygoing Chuck, who never took anything seriously or made demands of anybody, including himself. He certainly hadn’t taken the concept of fidelity to heart.
Last year had started with her dumping him the moment she learned of his cheating. And, as the longtime manager of his band, she’d not only lost the only boyfriend she’d ever had, she’d also been forced to quit her job. At first she hadn’t been worried, confident she could find decent employment on her own. But over time her luck hadn’t changed, until she’d finally admitted defeat. That was when she’d called Dan.
She’d needed to hear the reassuring voice of her brother, the only one in her family who’d never tried to change her.
Dan had told her of her parents’ anniversary plans. He’d also offered her help with a contact, the owner of several Boston clubs who needed assistance looking for new talent and booking bands. But after all she’d accomplished since leaving home, she couldn’t bear to return to the role of being the kid sister who needed bailing out. And then her beloved, beat-up Volkswagen Beetle had died.
So…here she was, forced to return to her parents’ home to regroup.
It was as if last year had called up this year and left specific instructions on how to continue the suckfest.
“Happy New Year,” Wes said, appearing amused as he handed her a coffee.
“Hardly.” She shifted to sit cross-legged on the bench and accepted the paper cup with a grateful smile. She inhaled the deliciously fortifying scent. “Last night I rang in the New Year alone.”
“Any resolutions?”
She paused to sip her latte, knowing this was as good a lead-in as she’d get. Because she really needed to find out the extent of her loose-lipped behavior on board that flight.
“Just one,” she said, eyeing him carefully. “I swore I’d never get involved with another man ever again.”
She waited, holding her breath.
“Seems like an ambitious vow for someone so young,” he said drily. His eyes looked as cool as ever, but after a pause, they took on a faintly amused twinkle. “And it didn’t take you long to break that vow.”
She barely managed to keep her eyes from bulging. “Did I just gain membership into the mile-high club?”
And why did the thought of making love to Wes leave her so breathless?
“Not that I know of. But you did hit on me,” he said easily. “I said no.”
Evie had a hazy memory of wondering if she could convince him to change his mind and sleep with her. She might even have spoken the words out loud. And if that was as bad as her mouth had come up with, she considered herself lucky.
But then Wes went on. “You made several passes, actually.”
Evie mentally winced, shifting nervously in her seat. “I’m sure you didn’t take me seriously.”
Wes had never taken her seriously, and the barely restrained humor in his expression was proof enough that things hadn’t changed. It was the same look he’d had on his face when he’d come to the police station that fateful prom, trying to smooth things out with the cops.
She hadn’t asked him to come. Instead, petrified and in need of support, she’d called her brother, because she’d long since given up on her father. But when she’d gotten no answer, she’d phoned Wes’s cell to find out where Dan was. Wes had been the one to show up first and wait with her, lecturing her about the dangers of drinking too much. Keeping her company until her furious brother had arrived.
And she’d hated that she’d disappointed Dan so thoroughly.
She pushed back the memory and slowly let out a breath. “How hard did I hit on you?”
Wes’s expression revealed nothing. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Let’s see.” He set his paper aside and shifted on the bench to face her, unmistakably enjoying the current state of affairs. The tension in her stomach increased. “You praised my ‘finely honed athletic body.’”
She refused to cringe, although the memory of squeezing his biceps resurfaced, and she hoped to God that was all the touching she’d done.
He shot her a mock serious look. “And in answer to your question: the pool.”
She lowered her brow, staring at the gorgeous eyes, the beautifully masculine face. “What question?”
The most unusual place he’d ever made love to a woman? How she could best put an end to her current humiliation by drowning herself?
