Why Not Tonight?

Adam groaned. “Tell me again why we’re working and not at the beach?”

Instantly images of them together at the beach flipped through her mind like a tormenting slide show. Hot bodies submerged in cool ocean water. Touching, rubbing, caressing, his hands sliding beneath her swimsuit, her fingers exploring through his.

Had he purposely mentioned the beach to trigger memories? She glanced at him, but his expression was innocence itself. Too innocent? Maybe. Well, if he wanted to play “Let’s Reminisce,” she was game.

“The reason we’re not at the beach is because clearly we’re insane.” She pointed to the building on the next corner. “How about the diner?”

Their gazes locked, then a slow smile curved his lips. Her heart seemed to lurch sideways. Was he thinking about the one time they’d gone to that diner? He satisfied her curiosity by saying, “The Stardust Diner. For old times’ sake. Sounds great.”

Less than five minutes later they were seated in a booth near the rear of the bustling diner, ensconced in blissful air-conditioning with frosty glasses of ice water and leather-bound menus set in front in them. Mallory took a much-needed sip of her drink, noting with annoyance that her hand gripping the glass wasn’t quite steady.

Ridiculous. It was simply ridiculous that she felt this…unraveled in his presence. But there was no denying she did, and that annoyed her. As did the Greg-induced guilt that kept nudging her. It’s just lunch, she told her overactive conscience. She’d enjoy the meal with an old friend, reminisce, catch up, and that would be the end of it. Nothing wrong with that.

Feeling better after her quick mental pep talk, she didn’t open her menu, just pushed it to the end of the table.

“Already know what you want?” he asked with a smile.

You. Naked and sweaty. The inappropriate thought popped into Mallory’s mind with the sudden shock of a cobra strike and she barely contained the horrified Ack! that rose to her lips.

Oh, boy, this was not good. She should not have accepted this invitation. And for a few seconds after he’d issued it, she’d considered saying no. But her idiotic pride had shot her better judgment aside with a well-placed arrow. If you refuse, any excuse you give will sound like just that-an excuse. Then he’ll wonder why you really didn’t want to have a simple, innocent lunch with him. Yes-and she certainly didn’t want him to think that the real reason was that she’d been thinking about him all week-in ways she shouldn’t have been thinking about him. Remembering him naked and sweaty. Wondering if his skin still felt the same. Tasted the same.

“You okay, Mallory?”

His concerned voice yanked her back to reality. “I’m fine. Just a little…overheated.” And she sent up a mental prayer of thanks that it was July and not January or else he’d think she was nuts.

“So what are you going to order?”

If only he’d phrased his question like that the first time, maybe she wouldn’t be in this painfully-aware-of-him situation. She heaved a mental sigh. No, she’d still be in this same situation. “I’m getting the usual.”

“A bacon cheeseburger, side of onion rings and a chocolate shake?”

A wave of unwanted pleasure washed over her. “We came here once. You remember what I ordered?”

“Yup. I was impressed. Every other girl I knew would have ordered a salad with the dressing on the side. Especially if she was wearing a prom dress.”

Their gazes met and there was no holding back the flood of memories that swamped her. Sitting in this very diner at 5:00 a.m. the night-or rather morning-after her senior prom. She was dressed in her pale green formal, Adam was in his dad’s black tux. Her boyfriend from Chicago had gotten sick and couldn’t travel to New York to escort her. Adam, already home from college for the summer, had gallantly offered to step in. It was the night that had marked the beginning of the change in their relationship. The night she’d realized she could no longer ignore the powerful attraction she felt for him.

“You were my knight in shining armor,” she said, unable to control the slight hitch in her voice.

He laughed. “More like your knight in an ill-fitting tux.”

“Are you kidding? You were gorgeous. I was the envy of every girl there. Especially since you were a college man.”

“The way I recall it, you were the gorgeous one and I was the envy of every guy there.”

More pleasure washed through her at his words and she inwardly scowled at herself for being such a sucker for flattery. “Hardly. But still, I’ll never forget how sweet you were, picking me up in your Jeep-”

“The limo of champions-”

“-which you’d washed and waxed for the occasion. And the orchid corsage. Do you know, I still have that flower? It’s pressed between the pages of my year-book. I must have looked at that flattened orchid a thousand times that summer after the prom.”

That summer after the prom…

The words hung between them and she could tell by the way his eyes darkened that he recalled how they’d spent those few magical weeks.

“How come you looked at the corsage?”

She hesitated, then decided what the hell, there was no harm in telling him after all these years. “It reminded me of you.”

“A flattened, brown, dried-out flower. Gee, thanks a lot.”

She laughed at his arid tone. “I meant it reminded me of that night. Of what a great time I had. Because of you.”

He studied her for several seconds over the rim of his water glass, his steady gaze shooting tingles down her spine. “I had a great time, too.”

Determined to prove to herself that their past was something she could discuss with breezy nonchalance, she gave a light laugh. “You were such a perfect gentleman that night…and I so badly didn’t want you to be.”

He lowered his glass to the table. “If it makes you feel any better, it practically killed me to be such a perfect gentleman,” he said in an equally light tone. “You were so beautiful, and you smelled so good. All those slow dances? I thought I was going to lose my mind.”

She recalled the delicious sensation of being held in his arms while they swayed to the music. His hard body brushing against hers. The forbidden thrill she’d experienced knowing she’d aroused him. The agony of wanting to kiss him, touch him, explore all the urgent, impossible-to-ignore feelings he inspired. Her honor preventing her from giving in. The guilt she’d felt about feeling so powerfully attracted to Adam when she already had a boyfriend. Sort of like the way she was feeling right-

She ruthlessly cut off that thought before it went any further.

“I guess you could say that was the night that changed things between us,” Adam said softly.

She nodded. There was no denying that night had added fuel to the flame that had been flickering in her heart for months. Less than a week later, it flared into an inferno and they’d gone from friends to lovers.

“As far as I’m concerned,” he continued, “the prom theme might as well have been Gentlemen, start your engines. I think I made my move about thirty seconds after you broke up with your boyfriend.”

Yes. And it had been the longest thirty seconds she’d ever had to endure.

His gaze searched hers. “That was a great summer.”

“Yes, it was.” The most memorable of her life. Of course, it wasn’t necessary that she share that tidbit of info with him.

A half smile pulled up his lips. “Remember the day we rented the boat?”

In a heartbeat a wealth of sensual memories crammed into her mind, obliterating everything else, and a breathy laugh escaped her. “Didn’t catch many fish, did we?”

“Fish? That wasn’t why we rented the boat.”

Dear God, no, it wasn’t. She barely resisted the urge to press her glass of ice water against her heated face.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his gaze steady on hers. He was so close, less than an arm’s length away. Much too close.