Tall, Dark And Irresistible

To see Ryan.

To spend the next handful of hours with an incredibly handsome man, who had not been far from her thoughts the entire day as she anticipated their evening together.

Carolyn closed the closet door, then stared into space with a slight frown.

She was behaving ridiculously, she thought. Good grief, she’d skipped lunch so she could go shopping for a new dress, had rushed home to shower and shampoo her hair, had spent a silly amount of time getting her makeup just the way she wanted it and…

Carolyn smiled. “And I’m glad I did.”

She snatched up the clutch purse from the bed, left the bedroom and went down the short hall to the living room where she set the purse on an end table.

She could tell herself, she supposed, that she’d gone to all this fuss and bother because this was her first date in many months and she deserved to go a bit overboard.

But that wouldn’t be true.

She was giddy and acting rather out of character because she was going out with Ryan Sharpe. There. That was the truth. She should probably be unsettled by that realization, but she refused to do anything to dim her euphoric mood.

She was definitely not going to listen to the nagging little voice in her mind that kept whispering the fact that she was not convinced, despite Ryan’s apologies, that he approved of her life’s work. It was there, that doubt, hovering in the shadows and…

Oh, Carolyn, stop it. This date wasn’t the beginning of anything of importance. It was just a night on the town with a dynamic man. She wasn’t going to analyze her behavior or Ryan’s attitudes to death, she was simply going to enjoy herself, feel pretty, special and feminine for a number of hours and that would be that.

“Go for it, Carolyn,” she said merrily, then spun around as a knock sounded at the door. “There he is. Right on time.”

Carolyn hurried to the door, opened it and made no attempt to curb her smile as she drank in the sight of Ryan Sharpe.

Yes, indeed, she thought, he was gorgeous. Dark-gray suit, black shirt, gray tie with a thin burgundy stripe and a burgundy handkerchief peeking above the edge of the pocket of his jacket. He looked as if he’d just stepped off the pages of a men’s fashion magazine and he was here to collect her for a dinner date.

This was stuff of which fantasies were made, and she intended to enjoy every moment of the night ahead.

“Hello, Ryan,” she said, stepping back. “Please come in.”

He would, Ryan thought dryly, if he could remember what it took to walk, breathe, perform like a normal human being. His heart was thudding so fast in his chest he was probably having a heart attack and would pass out cold at this beautiful woman’s feet.

She was exquisite.

He wanted to memorize every detail of her, then—oh, yeah—then pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both weak with desire, need and…

“Ryan?”

“Hmm?” he said absently, then shook his head slightly. “Oh, yes.” He entered the apartment, then turned to face Carolyn as she closed the door and met his gaze. “You look so lovely, so pretty in that dress that I wish I could think of better words than lovely and pretty.”

“Well, thank you,” she said, a flush warming her cheeks. “You’re rather dashing yourself.”

“I’ve been looking forward to our dinner date all day,” Ryan went on.

“Really? Well, since you’re being so forthcoming, I’ll admit that I’ve had a sense of anticipation about it myself.”

“Good, that’s good.” Ryan laughed. “I would have brought you flowers, but I thought I’d better cool it in that department for a while. I wouldn’t want to trigger that temper of yours, Ms. St. John.”

“Heaven forbid, Mr. Sharpe,” she said, laughing with him.

“Shall we go? I made reservations.” Ryan glanced around the medium-size living room and nodded. “I like your place. It’s homey, warm and welcoming. This must be nice to come home to at the end of a busy day.”

“Yes. Yes, it is.” Carolyn cocked her head slightly to one side as she studied Ryan. “Isn’t your home warm and welcoming?”

“Not really.” He frowned. “I’ve never taken the time to do much more than buy and borrow the bare essentials of furniture with none of the touches that make four square walls into a home. But that’s going to change. I’ve decided that this is the year I draw up the plans for a house, have it built and get out of that drab, boring apartment.”

“How exciting. Was that your New Year’s resolution?”

“One of them. We really should be on our way.”

“You made more than one New Year’s resolution?” Carolyn said as they left the apartment. “I forgot to make any, which is just as well because I either forget what they were or realize halfway through the year that I wasn’t doing what I said I would. What else was on your list?”

“Oh, just this and that,” Ryan said, as they left the building. “Are you hungry? The restaurant I picked has great food.”

“I’m starved.”

As Ryan assisted her into his vehicle, Carolyn’s mind drifted back to the conversation they’d just shared about Ryan’s New Year’s resolutions. When she’d pressed him, he skittered away from the subject, had actually averted his eyes from hers at that moment.

Was that strange? she wondered. Oh, forget it. She wasn’t going to clutter her mind with unimportant questions. She seriously doubted that Cinderella used mental energy pondering over mundane details while she was on measured time with the prince.

No, Cinderella had savored feeling special and beautiful and devoted her entire attention to the prince until it was time to end the evening. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

“Tell me about this house you’re going to design for yourself,” Carolyn said, as Ryan drove expertly through the busy traffic.

“I don’t have anything etched in stone in my mind. I just know I want lots of space, big rooms with plenty of windows to allow the sun to come in from all directions.”

“Have you considered a fireplace? When we get some of those winter rains, it’s damp and chilly. Wouldn’t a fireplace with warm, crackling flames be heavenly?”

“Sold,” Ryan said, glancing over at her with a smile, then redirecting his attention to the traffic. “Add one fireplace. A flagstone fireplace, I think, banked by oak bookshelves that go all the way to the ceiling.”

“Perfect. Oh, this is fun. I can certainly understand why you chose to become an architect. You make people’s dreams for their special home come true. And this time, you’re fulfilling your own dreams.”

“Mmm,” Ryan said.

Not really, sweet Carolyn, he thought. The home he’d dreamed about for many years would have the sound of happy children’s laughter and the lilting voice of the woman he had married and pledged his love to for all time. But that was a forgotten dream.

During the hectic Christmas holidays, he’d managed to get in touch with himself and make some resolutions. As a step toward achieving some inner peace in regard to his heritage, he’d decided to remain single. He would date when he was attracted to someone. But he’d decided to watch and listen for any clues that might reveal that while a woman might enjoy his company, she certainly wouldn’t want to marry and have mixed-heritage children with him.

Ah, hell, Sharpe, he admonished himself. Don’t go there. Don’t do anything to mar this evening with Carolyn. Just don’t.

“A garden tub,” Carolyn said, pulling him back to the subject at hand. “You know, one of those enormous, raised bathtubs that are big enough for two people and…”

Her voice trailed off as sudden images of her and Ryan in a garden tub filled with warm water flitted through her mental vision. They were naked…of course. And there were fragrant bubbles across the top of the water like frosting on a cake. Champagne. Oh, that was a nice touch. They were sipping champagne from wafer-thin tulip glasses as they sat close together, gazing into each other’s eyes and…

Good grief, she thought, where was all this coming from? She didn’t indulge in erotic daydreams, for Pete’s sake.

“Then again,” she said, hearing the thread of breathlessness in her voice, “I guess most men prefer showers over baths, don’t they? Forget the garden tub.”