She was at the Dunmore Country Club out of a sense of obligation. After all, the bride, Lorie Hammonds, was her sister-in-law’s best friend and the groom, Mike Birkett, was her brother’s best friend. Lorie and Mike had gone through hell to earn their second chance at love. Their reunion was like something out of a fairy tale, albeit an adult fairy tale. Against all odds, they had fallen in love again, nearly twenty years after their teenage love affair had left them both broken hearted. Maleah certainly would have bet against their ever making it to the altar.
Okay, so maybe happy endings were possible. For other people. Not for her.
“Come on.” Her sister-in-law Cathy motioned to her. “They’re leaving. Did you get your little bag of birdseed?”
Groaning inside, Maleah forced a smile and held up the tiny net bag tied with a narrow yellow ribbon. Following the other wedding guests, she went outside and took her place in the crowd awaiting the bride and groom’s departure. The groomsmen had attached tin cans to long streamers that they had tied to the bumper of the groom’s restored antique Mustang. A handpainted sign announcing JUST MARRIED hung precariously from the same streamers.
A roar of excitement heralded the couple’s exit through the double doors that opened to the front lawn of the country club. Lorie wore a pale peach tailored suit with matching heels. Mike had changed from his tux into a sport coat and dress slacks. Arm-in-arm, huge smiles lighting their faces, they hurried along the pathway. They laughed as handfuls of birdseed sailed through the air and rained down on them.
Maleah glanced across the brick sidewalk at her brother Jackson, who stood behind his wife, his arm draped around her and one big hand resting possessively over her belly. Cathy was three and half months pregnant.
When the bride and groom drove away, the crowd dispersed, many returning to the ballroom where the band still played. Maleah felt someone beside her and knew exactly who it was, even before she saw his face.
Derek Lawrence!
She turned, glanced at him, and did her best to maintain a pleasant expression. Despite his devastating good looks and undeniable charm, Derek Lawrence was pure poison as far as Maleah was concerned. From the moment they met several years ago, she had intensely disliked him. But she had to admit that after working with him on the Midnight Killer case for the Powell Agency earlier this year, she now disliked him less. And much to her dismay, she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive.
What woman wouldn’t?
He was tall, dark and dangerously handsome. And he possessed the kind of striking looks attributed to matinee idols of her grandmother’s generation. If Derek had one flaw, it was his physical perfection. He was too damn good looking.
Being attracted to Derek—the last man on earth she should be attracted to—was why she thought of him as pure poison.
“Nice wedding,” he said.
“Yes, it was a very nice wedding,” Maleah replied. “Lorie and Mike seem happy, don’t they?”
“They say that marriage agrees with some people.”
“I’ve heard that.”
“But you don’t believe it?”
She shrugged.
“Jack and Cathy seem blissfully happy,” Derek said.
“Okay, I concede that a small percentage of couples somehow manage to get their happily-ever-after, but most don’t.”
“Not willing to risk it yourself, are you?”
She looked at him, slightly puzzled by his question. “It’s a moot point. I’m not even dating anyone right now.”
“I wasn’t aware that you ever dated. I’ve known you for quite a while and—”
“I date,” she told him emphatically. Too emphatically. “I’m simply selective about whom I date.” She gave him a condescending glance. “Unlike you, my tastes are more discriminating.”
His oh-so-perfect lips lifted at the corners in an amused smile. “Are you implying that I’m some sort of Romeo who romances every woman I meet?”
“Oh, I’m not
Before Derek could respond, Jack and Cathy joined them. He still wore his best man tux and she wore her matron of honor gown, a floor-length creation in light aqua silk.
“You two aren’t arguing again, are you?” Cathy looked pleadingly from Maleah to Derek.
“No, of course not,” Maleah assured her sister-in-law. “We were just discussing dating.”
Lifting his brow inquisitively, Jack grinned. “So, who finally asked who?”
“Huh?” Maleah said.
“What?” Derek asked.
Cathy draped her arm around Jack’s. “I don’t think they were discussing dating each other.”
“God, no!” Maleah said.
Derek chuckled. “You thought I asked Maleah for a date or that she asked me? Where would you have gotten such a far-fetched idea?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jack said. “Maybe the fact that—”
When Cathy gently punched him in the ribs, Jack grunted and instantly shut up.
“We’re heading out,” Cathy said. “I’m exhausted. It’s been a wonderful day, but a very long one.”
“I’ll see y’all at home in a little while,” Maleah said.
“Stay as long as you’d like,” Cathy told her. “The band will be here until midnight and there’s still a ton of food.”
Maleah felt Derek’s body heat as he moved in closer. When he slipped his arm around her waist, she tried not to gasp at the unexpectedness of his touch.
“Come on, Ms. Perdue, let’s dance the night away.” Derek’s black eyes sparkled with a definite challenge. “Since neither of us brought a date tonight . . .”
“You two have fun,” Jack told them as he led Cathy away and herded her toward their car.
As soon as Jack and Cathy were out of earshot, Maleah jerked away from Derek. “It’s late. I’m tired. I have to get up early and drive back to Knoxville in the morning.”
“Excuses, excuses.” His grin widened. “What are you afraid of, Maleah?”
“I’m certainly not afraid of you, if that’s what you’re implying. You should know by now that I’m immune to your charm.”
He held out his hand. “I don’t doubt that you are. So . . . ?”
From the first moment they met several years ago, Derek had seen Maleah Perdue as a challenge. She had disliked him on sight, a reaction he was unaccustomed to getting from women. In the beginning, he had tried to charm her, and when that hadn’t worked, he had ignored her. They had managed to steer clear of each other for the most part, more or less ships passing in the night, although they were both employed by the Powell Private Security and Investigation Agency. Maleah was a Powell agent. He was a consultant. His background as a former FBI profiler had proved to be a valuable asset to the agency. Three months ago when they had been assigned to work together on the Midnight Killer case, they had entered into the partnership reluctantly. Oddly enough, they had made a great team.
When she slid her small, soft hand into his large hand, he felt as if he had won a prize. The lady was not an easy conquest and because of that fact, he found her all the more appealing. Common sense cautioned him to keep their relationship strictly professional and not dip a toe into personal waters. But Derek had never been able to walk away from a challenge—or from a beautiful woman.
As he led her into the country club and straight into the ballroom where dozens of wedding guests remained, he subtly scanned her, out of the corner of his eye, from blond head to pale pink toes. Maleah had the type of wholesome blond beauty that once would have won her the title of All-American Girl. Five-four. Trim, nicely rounded figure. Peaches and cream complexion that tanned to a golden hue. Sun-streaked, shoulderlength blond hair. And
