Yet it had hurt—so much. She’d tried so hard to please him and she hated how naïve she’d been.
Now she sat up straighter, mentally pulling it together. They’d all be there and well into it by the time she got home from work and changed and out again. She’d grin and bear it for an hour or so and that would be that. She was out of here—if she was away while they were all in town, then she’d be fine. She’d managed things on her own before and she would this time, too. She’d travel about and prove just how much of an awesome life she could lead alone.
“You know we’re both adults.” Her train companion said idly, his accent lilting more strongly. “We could simply decide not to go. We could do something else.”
Shock tied her tongue. Temptation heated her cheeks. But surely he didn’t mean what she immediately thought of? Never. She shook her head again. “I have to go.”
“Why?” He leaned in close—apparently to avoid another dancer kicking up and down the aisle.
“Dignity.”
“I have to go too.” He smile became more of a grimace. “Duty.”
She swiveled—abandoning any attempt to hold back from looking her fill—not when she had such a close-up opp. “You cannot complain about having to eat at that restaurant.”
Amusement flashed again before he answered wryly. “I’m happy to eat there, but I’d prefer a more interesting dinner companion.”
He was turned toward her but had gone still again, like that statue, his silvery blue eyes fixed on her. Unbelievably intense. Her breasts tightened, so did her lower belly. Suddenly she couldn’t hear anything above the beat of the blood pumping through her body. Not even the flashmob performing their kazillionth rendition of their anthem.
It was his commanding presence. His height and breadth and air. And it was definitely that whisper of soulfulness in his eyes, like they were wells of emotion—still on the surface but with hidden depths...
Yeah, she was being ridiculous. All but drooling. She might as well dig out a permanent marker and scrawl “I think you’re hot” across her forehead. And his response? He was watching her, but wasn’t he too restrained about it? Too cool. In other words—not nearly moved to the degree she was.
“Come on!”
Someone grabbed Nina’s hands and pulled her to her feet. One of the dancers—smiling wide and singing loud. Nina swayed—even though the carriage was still stationary—and looked aghast at the guy smiling in her face. They wanted everyone in on it? Weren’t there enough of them? Weren’t they making enough noise? Another of the younger ones was behind her—stopping her from scuttling back to her seat.
Her temperature soared higher than the descant trilling of the lead fan-lady—the Mariah Carey impersonator. But what could she do? The words weren’t hard, she’d heard them enough already and these guys were having fun. Did it matter if she was going to look uncool and uncoordinated? Corey wasn’t here now to hold her back.
Besides, she couldn’t not laugh, she couldn’t not sing, she couldn’t not join in… but no way was she doing the vertical splits thing.
Several bars into it, she got fully over the embarrassment and just went with it—rocking out with her lame house moves. Hey, the moment was beyond redemption. She even got the courage to look at the gorgeous guy. That’s when she almost lost her footing. He’d looked handsome enough standing on that street all aloof, attracting everyone’s attention like a beautifully sculpted deity. But now? With him laughing like that and that heat in his gaze—on her?
She almost dissolved into puddle of goo on the floor. As it was, she was oozing toward him without any will of her own.
She put her hands on her hips, determined to reclaim some self-control and not throw herself at him. “You’re too cool to make a fool of yourself in public?” she challenged—for once voicing the accusation she should have leveled so many times at Corey. “Or too uncoordinated?”
This guy tilted his head back, lazily amused as his lashes lowered over his eyes and he looked down the length of her legs. “I’m enjoying the show far too much to move,” he drawled.
No doubt his flirty comeback was the auto response of a man who knew how to make any and every woman feel good, but what did that matter? It made her feel alive for the first time in months. The tease was fun.
“Poor excuse,” she chided.
The carriage went quiet as the song ended. She caught his eye. “Once more with feeling,” she mouthed. Sure enough, a half second later, it was all on. Again.
He laughed—and groaned—as everyone started in the main chorus. But then he stood. Strange, but she’d forgotten how tall he was. He towered, so much closer than before and she had to lift her chin to see him, promptly forgetting the lyrics she’d learned by osmosis. He put a hand to his chest, frowning as he opened his mouth to join in. She laughed. He actually looked self-conscious.
Suddenly, the train thrust forward, jerking them off their feet as it finally started again and immediately strained for top speed. Nina fell back, just managing to land in a sprawl in her seat, her butt hanging off the edge of it, her body almost horizontal. He didn’t have the same luck. She heard the rough yelp, saw his hands spread wide as he lost his balance and tripped over her legs—falling between them. Next thing he was on his knees in front of her.
Her heart bounced out of control. So did her mouth.
“You lie in my lap.” She misquoted some Shakespeare in amusement, not really for him to hear. Because yeah, her flirt was a lame, goofy, geek-fest that he’d never understand—but the desire was impossible to resist. Nor could she stop the smile bursting onto her face. With a guy this gorgeous on
