Fortune's Perfect Match

He didn’t answer immediately. And when he did, his brief “Yeah” managed to convey so much more. Then he turned his wrist, flipping his hand until their palms met.

Her heart lurched even harder.

“Two Red Flame specials,” the waiter announced as he balanced a tray next to the table. “Chicken breasts stuffed with asiago cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes served over roasted chiles. And you know how seriously we take our chiles here. You order ‘em, you’re committed.”

Emily sat back again as the waiter set their plates in front of them. She wished he would have taken a little longer with the food.

Max didn’t seem to show any such disappointment, though, as he dropped his napkin onto his lap and jabbed his fork into the steaming entrée.

Emily spread her own napkin on her lap and more slowly picked up her fork. The well-known reputation that Red possessed wasn’t a fluke, and even though she was more interested in her dinner companion than she was in the dinner itself, the spicy aroma coming from her plate did its magic and she tucked into the meal, feeling more ravenous than she’d expected.

Two bites in though, she realized just how spicy the dish was. “Oh, my word.” She gasped, grabbing her water and downing half of it. “I’ve burnt off the top layer of my tongue,” she said when she finally set down her water.

Max was grinning. “Didn’t pay enough attention to Julio’s warning when he described the dish?”

“Evidently not.” She realized she was grinning, too. She couldn’t help it in the face of his.

“Here.” He pulled the wedge of lime off the rim of her margarita and held it up. “Suck on this.”

She didn’t know what possessed her.

Maybe it was the fact that her palm was still humming from the touch of his against it. Maybe it was the way his lips canted up a little higher on the right side than the left when he smiled. Or maybe it was just the balmy evening, the flickering candlelight and the tinkling sound of water from the fountain in the center of the patio.

Instead of taking the lime from him, she simply leaned forward and sank her teeth into the small wedge, closing her lips around it to suck at the tart fruit.

His pupils flared.

Time seemed to stand still.

Finally, he let go of the lime and sat back. “You want to dance?”

She slowly drew the lime from her mouth. “Okay.”

And despite the fact that their plates were still steaming hot from the kitchen, he abandoned his chair and walked around to hers, pulling it away from the table.

She stood, too, and felt a shiver trickle down her spine when it seemed as if she could feel his warm breath on her neck.

Then he held out his hand.

She dropped her glasses on the table next to her plate and set her palm against his.

Chapter Three

Max had made some gigantic mistakes in his life.

But as he worked his way through the restaurant’s dining room toward the intimate dance floor, he couldn’t decide if he’d just made one more, or not.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted Emily Fortune up close and personal.

And, whether he could figure out why or not, she seemed to be interested in the same damn thing.

Fortunately, the music wasn’t anything complicated. Just a slow, Latin beat that didn’t necessitate anything more involved than shuffling around between the other couples, and he turned toward Emily. She didn’t hesitate, stepping closer than he’d figured she would, and linking her hands behind his neck.

It took every speck of willpower he didn’t even know he had to keep from dragging her even closer.

“This is the nicest thing that’s happened to me in a long time,” she said.

“I find that hard to believe.”

She tilted back her head and the silky ends of her ponytail tickled his hand where it rested on her back. “Why?”

“I doubt I’m your usual taste.” He stepped closer, turning her slightly to avoid the older couple dancing next to them. “I’ll bet you dessert that your last date was either a lawyer or a doctor.” He thought for a moment. “Or maybe some Southern trust-fund son.”

For a second, he thought she would be offended. At least enough to stop dancing with him and end the spectacular torture it had become the second he’d touched her. But then she lifted her mouth, reaching up to whisper near his ear. “You owe me dessert, then, Max Allen. And I like sinfully … rich … chocolate.”

His fingers curled into the expensive-feeling jacket covering her back. The only thing in his blood right now was sin. And that was a helluva problem, considering Emily was not only out of his class, but she was his boss’s sister-in-law. “Who was he, then?”

“Terrance Green. A stockbroker.”

He gave her a look. “Same thing.”

She smiled a little tauntingly. “You didn’t specify. And I am going to collect.”

“How long did you keep old Terry dancing on your string?”

She rolled her eyes and he figured it was his imagination that she looked embarrassed. “We only went out once,” she said. “I accompanied him to a charity auction.”

He wondered what she’d say if he told her there’d been days during his childhood when he’d pretty much been a charity. “Sleep with him?”

Her jaw dropped. But then she laughed. “You truly don’t bother mincing words, do you?”

“So?”

“No!” She was still smiling, as if she couldn’t believe he’d ask. “Do you really think I sleep with men after only one date?”

“How many does it take, then?”

She waited a beat. “Are you just gathering information, or do you have a more personal interest?”

He tightened his arm around her back, his thigh sliding between hers as they slowly revolved around the floor. “What do you think?”

Her smile had finally died, only to be replaced by an uncertain look that didn’t do a thing to alleviate the heat literally growing between them. “I think,” she finally said huskily, “it bears some investigation.”

“Max?” The feminine voice broke through the thick fog that seemed to enclose them in their own seductive world. “I thought that was you.”

Max wanted to swear when Emily blinked and her expression cleared. He didn’t stop swaying her in his arms, though, as he looked over at his sister, who was eyeing him with no small amount of surprise.

“Kirsten.” His gaze took in her husband, also. “Jeremy. Didn’t know you two would be here.”