Kellin seems deep in thought while I hover like an idiot and ogle him as if he’s on the menu.
After allowing myself another moment of appreciation—and to chastise myself for not wearing a sexier dress—I pack all that pesky attraction away and don my professional mask.
This is nothing more than a business dinner with a potential investor.
With my heart still thumping a little out of beat, I straighten my shoulders back and march straight up to him with a smile. “Hello.”
His eyes flare with interest before they meet mine. He rises to pull out my chair. “Evening, Maeve.”
My skin warms at the way my name rolls off his tongue. Low. Throaty. The charm is still there in all its glory.
As Kellin returns to his seat, he conducts a leisurely inspection of my dress. A heated gleam flashes in those mesmerizing eyes. Desire?
When I blink, the illusion has shattered. Kellin’s face is smooth and smiling.
Giving my head a tiny shake, I unfurl my napkin over my lap as a distraction. This is ridiculous.
I hate to admit it, but Lenora’s right. I’ve got to get out more.
Phoebe hands me a menu and leaves. We’re alone, the air between us humming.
I brush my fingers over my place setting. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long.”
“Not at all. I was enjoying the view.”
His attention remains on me when he speaks. My skin blazes beneath his gaze. I know my cheeks must be reddening, and I’m praying my makeup does a good job of hiding the flush.
I sense that, if I give this man an inch, he’ll claim an entire zip code, so I reinforce my spine with iron.
The second I start to relax, my decorum will fly out the window, and he’ll gain the advantage. While I might be rusty in the dating scene, business-wise, I’m competitive enough to want to best him.
He orders whiskey, I order red wine, and we both wave away the offer of an appetizer. With my internal organs so knotted up, I’ll be surprised if I manage more than a few bites of dinner.
I sip my wine to help soothe the worst of the jitters before setting the glass down to pace myself. I can’t risk getting tipsy tonight. “I hope the suite is comfortable. I know how frustrating it can be to fly into a new city only to check into a subpar room.”
“I’m just settling in, but I travel frequently enough to recognize quality when I see it.” Once again, his brown eyesskim over me, and I’m no longer certain we’re still talking about the hotel. The ice in Kellin’s glass chinks as he raises his drink to his lips, and I find myself entranced by that mouth and the movement of his throat as he swallows. “I’m already positive that my stay here will be one of the best I’ve ever had.”
He sets his glass back down, breaking the brief spell. I try to temper my delight over his compliment because he’s probably just flattering me.
That realization doesn’t stop the absurd little bloom of happiness in my chest.
I toy with my napkin to give my hands something to do. “I appreciate that. We all work hard to make this hotel a great experience for our guests.”
Kellin rests his arm on the table and leans a little closer to me. “I’m sure you all do. But the one responsible for everything sits at the top of the pyramid. Without your passion, none of this would be possible.” His voice lowers half a decibel, and that seductive rasp derails my plan to pace my alcohol ingestion. I gulp another mouthful of wine to fortify my nerves. “That’s why I’m so interested in you.”
My skin prickles as he edges closer and directs all that intensity at me.
Against my better judgement, I sip more wine.
Maybe tipsy Maeve wouldn’t be so bad. At least she’d be less on edge. Though possibly a little more likely to throw herself at her dinner partner.
When the food arrives, I pick at my salmon while Kellin cuts into his steak.
His attention distracts me from Henri’s delicious garlic-butter sauce. No man has ever regarded me the way Kellin does, like I’m a chocolate soufflé after a year of keto. Not even the men I dated.
Dark. Sensuous. Hungry. Those rich brown irises never leave my face as they study and analyze mine. Ravenous. At times, I wonder whether he’s a man at all and not some forest predator waiting for my weakness to show before striking and devouring me.
The thought should alarm me, yet most of the goosebumps pebbling my flesh don’t stem from fear. Maybe being devoured by this man would be worth all the negatives.
