Second Time Lucky

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Mia stepped back, avoiding a glance at her friend. And David. “Okay. I’m off to bed. See ya,” she said breezily, knowing she wasn’t going to sleep one lousy wink.

“Wait for me,” Shelby said, and Mia stopped and cautiously turned. “I’m pretty jet-lagged myself. David, it was so nice meeting you. You’re staying here, too, yes?” He nodded, and she added, “Then we’ll see you around.”

David’s gaze briefly shifted in the direction that Jeff had disappeared. “I wouldn’t mind walking you to your rooms.”

“We’re fine, really.” Shelby looped an arm through Mia’s. Not a Shelby-like thing to do. “We’re staying in rooms seven-twenty and seven-twenty-two. Give us a call tomorrow.”

He nodded. “I just might do that. Good night, ladies.”

Shelby gave Mia’s arm a small tug, and they headed toward the elevators. “Do not turn around,” Shelby whispered sternly. “I promise you he’s watching.”

“What?” Mia jerked her arm away. “Why would I turn around?” Any remorse she’d felt for stepping on her friend’s toes disappeared in a flash. “You could’ve stayed out with him. I don’t need an escort to my room, for God’s sake.”

Shelby only grinned.

“I should warn you. He’s not always that charming. Frankly, I didn’t know he had any personality. He’s usually stuck in Neutral.”

“Uh-huh.” They’d arrived at the elevators and, still smiling, Shelby pressed the Up button.

“I’m not trying to discourage you. I’m not,” Mia muttered. “I say go for it. I can see why you might be attracted. I was once.”

Shelby laughed. “For being a brainy chick, you’re such a dope.”

Mia scowled at her, but kept her mouth shut when the elevator doors opened, and two couples exited.

“Get in there.” Shelby pulled her into the car, and then waited for the doors to close. “Sweetie, he is so into you, it’s pathetic.”

“You’re crazy. He was all Mr. Charming with you.”

“He is charming. But you didn’t see the way he was looking at you.”

“No, he wasn’t.”

Shelby rolled her eyes. “You were too busy being embarrassed by Jeff. David wasn’t obvious, he’s too gentlemanly. But he didn’t miss a single eyelash flutter. Trust me.” She sighed. “Seriously, if he’d been eyeing me like I was a juicy steak, I’d be all over him.”

Mia thought about it for a minute. “Then why wait and come all the way to Hawaii?”

“Yeah, Mia,” Shelby said with a hand on her hip. “Why would someone, who never takes vacations, suddenly come all the way to Hawaii for a week? Tell me.”

Excitement fluttered in her chest. “It is odd,” she admitted. “All he had to do was pick up the phone while I was still in New York.”

“Hey, hopping a plane at the last minute is a pretty grand gesture, don’t knock it.” The doors opened, and Shelby walked out first, her key already in hand. “And for God’s sake, don’t blow it.”

DAVID PACED THE PARLOR of his suite. His body recognized East Coast time, where it was three in the morning and not 10:00 p.m. Hawaiian time. Add to that the twelve hours he’d spent in the air, he should’ve been exhausted. But he was too keyed up to sleep.

Even dinner had been draining. Shelby had been great company—witty, refreshingly open and quite beautiful. But it was Mia’s attention he’d wanted, when her green eyes had locked with his. Instead he’d watched her helplessly act as buffer for that idiot Jeff. He’d pitied them both. Jeff, because he was too drunk to realize what he’d screwed up, and Mia, well, her evening had virtually been ruined.

David smiled ruefully. The upside for him was that he’d come out the victor. Or so he hoped. He still didn’t know where he stood, whether he was a fool for showing up. Damn it, he should’ve stopped her from going to her room, asked her to have a drink alone with him.

He wasn’t worried about hurting Shelby’s feelings—it wasn’t as if they’d been on a date. She was clearly a bright woman and knew what was what.

He slid open the glass door, walked to the balcony railing and stared at the city lights. Getting this last minute suite had been lucky. The corner unit provided both a view of the ocean and the Waikiki skyline. It also came with a well-stocked bar, or he could’ve ordered drinks from room service. Either way, Mia should’ve been enjoying this view with him right now.

Rooms 720 and 722. Weren’t there three of them? Which room was Mia’s? He could call the front desk, but they wouldn’t give him her room number, only connect him. He had no desire to talk to her on the phone, he decided as he closed the balcony door behind him. He’d done enough talking. Enough dodging and evading for the past three years. Enough denying himself.

He grabbed his key card off the bamboo console table, and let himself out.

Enough was damn well enough.

TIRED OF PACING, Mia lay back on the queen-size bed closest to the bathroom, locked her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. Occasionally she could hear Shelby rattling around in the next room. Mia knew she wanted to stay up chatting, and Mia felt only slightly guilty for not indulging her. The need for privacy won out.

Lindsey hadn’t been in the room when they’d returned, and they suspected she might not show up again until morning. Good for her. Mia was dying to meet the guy Lindsey had been so tight-lipped about, but this was the first moment’s peace she’d gotten since arriving, and she had a lot to think about.

David.

Good Lord, it still didn’t seem real. Him. Here. Thousands of miles away from New York. To some degree it pissed her off that for three years he’d given her not one itty-bitty hint that he was attracted to her. Talk about cool, dispassionate, stoic. Great qualities if you’re in the courtroom, but damn it, they’d spent far too many nights working late for him not to have cracked just a little.

So there was a “no fraternization” policy at the firm? So what that he was the heir apparent? He could’ve been human, showed a trace of emotion toward her. Then she could have decided what was more important, staying with the firm or seeing him. Who knew what could have developed by now?

What a coward. She had a good mind to go knock on his door and make him spell out why he’d come to Hawaii. Had he come for her or not? If not, fine. There was plenty of trouble she could get into all by herself. But if he had come for her…

She had to know, she decided, swinging her feet to the floor, even if it meant they had only this one week. In fact, if they reverted to their former relationship once they returned to New York, that would be perfect. All her focus and energy would be invested in the new company. She’d have no time for a relationship. All the more reason not to waste a minute now.

Her key wasn’t where she’d thought she left it. Impatient, she dumped the contents of her purse onto the bed, then found the key card tucked safely in the side pocket, where she now recalled putting it. She checked her reflection in the mirror, applied some lip gloss, drew a brush through her hair and adjusted the bodice of her coral-colored dress. When she twisted around to inspect the back, her gaze snagged on the skin exposed by the triangular cutout. Where David’s warm palm had been, had lingered until she’d pulled away.

Reliving the few seconds in her mind, she shivered. His hand hadn’t been as soft as she expected. She knew he was an avid tennis player in his spare time, and that his mother was fond of arranging dates to accompany him to company dinners. Mia knew nothing more about his personal life. Among the paralegals and clerical help, there was some gossip and the occasional rumor, but she made a point to stay clear of the whispers.

Smoothing down her dress, satisfied that it wasn’t too wrinkled, she palmed the key card and opened the door. And stopped cold.

David stood in the hall, staring at her. He seemed as surprised to see her as she was to see him. He wore the same clothes he’d worn at dinner, only his sleeves were rolled back, exposing his muscled forearms. Definitely a tennis player.

“I was about to knock,” he said. “If you’re on your way out—”

No way she’d let him weasel out of this. She opened her mouth to tell him just that, but he hadn’t finished.

“I’ll keep it brief.” Without hesitation, he took a step toward her, his lips twitching into what could only be described as a predatory smile.

“Okay,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Then he crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him, sending her scurrying backward with the inelegant grace of a beached whale.

4

“I HOPE YOU WEREN’T on your way to meet Jeff,” David said. “If you are, it’s a complete mistake.”

Mia backed up another step, stopped, gave him a good long look, then laughed. “You came here to tell me that?”

“I did.”

“For an overpaid attorney, you’re not every observant.”

He lifted his brows.

She hid a smile. “I meant high-priced.”

“I know you were embarrassed at dinner, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t give him another chance.” Again he advanced on her, and her pulse skittered. “The guy’s a drunken lout. He’s not good enough for you. Even if only for a week.”

Heat crawled up her neck. He was right, of course, and she had no intention of doing more than exchanging a greeting with Jeff should she see him in the lobby. But David had no business butting in. “Since when are you an expert on my personal life?”

“Touché.” He took her hand, slowly rubbed her palm with his thumb.

She tensed, but in a good way. Jesus, this was David touching her, his face so close that she could see the light flecks of amber in his brown eyes. Funny, she’d always thought they were much darker, more serious.

She straightened, tried to ignore the disturbing sensations his thumb caused. “In fact, Mr. Pearson, you really don’t know anything about me, do you?”

His gaze touched her mouth, lingered and then leisurely moved up. “Don’t I?”

“In the three years since we met, you haven’t said anything more personal than ‘Have a nice weekend.’ And that was on a Saturday afternoon, after we’d worked most of the day together.”

“You exaggerate.”

“Not by much.”

“You think it was easy, keeping my distance?”

“I honestly have no idea.” Her breath caught at the flicker of amusement in his eyes. “You should’ve been a poker player, instead of a lawyer. You could’ve made a killing.”

He wrapped his fingers around her hand and tugged her closer. “My intentions must be fairly obvious now,” he said in a low, gravelly voice.

She tilted her head back, refusing to be the first to break eye contact as he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He was hard behind the fly of his khakis, the knowledge shattering a bit of her control. His hand splayed across the exposed skin of her lower back, and his palm felt hotter than it had before.

The tingling began there, traveled all the way up her spine and settled in her braless breasts, tightening her nipples, making them so sensitive that she could hardly stand to have them touch the light sateen material of her dress. Only a knot of fabric at her nape kept the halter in place. The gentlest pressure, the smallest tug…