Ethan’s head snapped in his direction, disappointment creasing his brow. “No. I was unaware they’d met. Damn. I wanted to see it. Were the sparks still there?”
“I asked him the same thing, but he hasn’t yet answered me,” Ben said, gaze boring deep. “My guess is it’s a big, fat yes, and he’s in denial.”
He reeled back. “Denial my ass.”
“Yes, denial,” Ben insisted. “Ever since Jinan, you’ve shut down, man. Frozen out any woman who tried to get close.”
“It’s true,” Ethan said, snatching a fry from his plate.
Anger nipped at his shoulder blades. “Bullshit.” He leaned forward and tapped the table with his finger. “Just because I’d rather focus on my business instead of women right now, doesn’t mean I’m in denial.” He sat back and smirked. “You’re just butt-hurt because you didn’t have a front row seat.”
“Well, that’s about to change,” Ethan said. “Because Phoebe and Sophia are meeting me for lunch. And…look, here they are now.”
Before he could respond, or push the older Wyne idiot from the seat so he could get out, the door opened and in walked trouble.
Chapter Three
Trouble was right. Ryder’s heart rocked in his chest. That was the first time it had moved for a woman in a long time.
Since Jinan. No…since Sophia.
She followed Phoebe inside, wearing a big smile on her face that outshined the sun and matched the yellow of her strapless sundress. Just like that, he remembered the silky feel of her supple skin and the taste of her sighs as he moved inside her.
Shit.
He stiffened and eyed the door. He needed to leave.
When he’d first walked in on her at Keiffer’s that morning, he’d been in shock at finding the place occupied, and it hadn’t worn off by the time he’d realized the woman he’d walked in on was Sophia.
But now, the shock was gone, and as she approached the table and her gaze found his, waves of awareness began to blast his body. It was like thawing out in front of a fire after coming in from a snow storm.
Dammit.
His buddy had gotten it wrong. It wasn’t women he froze out, it was his heart, or at least what was left of the battered organ in his chest.
“Phoebe. Sophia,” the Wyne brothers said in unison, as they shot to their feet.
Ryder followed suit, and as much as he longed to escape out the door, the good manners his mother had managed to instill in him kept him from fleeing. But when they moved to a big table, and he found himself seated across fromtrouble, he was sorry he hadn’t bolted when he’d had the chance.
Elle came over and took the newcomer’s orders, giving him a chance to regroup.
“She’s in town doing research for a book,” Ben informed the women.
Phoebe’s face lit up. “You’re an author?”
“Yes, I write romance novels.”
Sophia sat up. “I love them. What’s your pen name?”
“Elena Pratt.”
Phoebe sucked in a breath. “Oh my God.”
“No way.” Sophia smiled. “That’s freaking awesome. I have all your books.”
“So do I, and Lea and Jill do, too.” Phoebe pointed to Ben.
His buddy squirmed and held up his hands. “I don’t have any of your books.”
