Impetuous

His knees locked and he felt his thighs tense. The woman stood uncertainly by Brenda, apparently oblivious to the stares she was drawing. She was magnificent.

Long, dark curly hair fell to her shoulders, and her costume left little to the imagination. Lush, was the first thought to come to mind.

She wasn’t slim, but her curves were in all the right places. Her long legs were beautifully shaped, lightly muscled, teasingly displayed in the wispy, transparent harempants. Her waist was trim, her navel a soft shadow in the gentle swell of her belly. Her shoulders, straight and broad for a woman, were held proudly, despite her obvious reluctance, and her pale breasts were very full, firm and high. She was wearing an ornate mask, that covered her face from her nose to her hairline. He didn’t care.

She bent and whispered something in Brenda’s ear. Brenda lost her smile, and looked around the room as if seeking encouragement. Her eyes passed over Tyler, then seeing his rapt stare, she turned to the harem girl. Her eyes soon followed.

He caught her gaze, literally. Even from the distance that separated them, Tyler could feel her nervousness. She seemed startled by his awareness, and displeased. She was poised for flight.

He didn’t smile. He pulled off his eye patch and started toward her. She seemed unable to move, her eyes widening. As he came closer, he saw that she was very pale and that her eyes were a startling, unnatural shade of vivid blue. Contacts? As part of her costume?

He was intrigued.

With only a few feet separating them, he was pulled to an abrupt stop by Valerie.

He glanced at Valerie with stark impatience. “I have to go.”

“Tyler, wait! I wanted to talk to you.” Her hand slid up his arm to grip his shirt. Her voice lowered to a purr. “I need a date tomorrow. For a banquet. It will be…fun.”

He didn’t have time for this. Valerie always came around when she wanted something from him. He had no doubt she needed him to gain entrée into the charity banquet. With plates going at a thousand dollars apiece, she knew there would be influential people there.

He wasn’t interested.

Shaking his head, he turned back toward the woman in the harem costume…but she was gone. He moved to the kitchen in time to see her ducking out the back door. A hundred thoughts flew through his mind.

She was exquisite, exciting, and she was evidently running. From him?

He didn’t want to lose sight of her, didn’t want to take the chance that he wouldn’t be able to find her again later. It was ridiculous, really, the urgency he felt, but he acted on it, anyway.

Brenda caught his arm as he tried to go past her.

“Tyler!” Her grip was firm, effectively stopping him. “Aren’t you going to say hi?”

“What?” His question was a bark, filled with impatience.

Brenda stared at him. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Who was she?”

Her eyebrows arching, Brenda looked behind her. “Oh…just one of the guests.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes. “She’s leaving already?”

“No, she…” Brenda shook her head. “She’s a little shy. I had to talk her into coming tonight and now she’s having second thoughts.”

“I think I’ll go get some fresh air.”

Her smile slipping, Brenda seemed startled by his abrupt statement. “It’s starting to rain, Tyler. Why would you…?”

Starting to walk away, but at a more reasonable pace, he said, “Don’t worry about it, Brenda. I promise not to track in any mud.” Then he stepped out the back door and peered through the cloudy night, trying to catch sight of her. A lighted path led to the pool house, and more lights, in an array of party colors, circled the small building. Through the smattering of raindrops falling on his face, Tyler was able to see a flash of movement. Ignoring the rain, he followed.

His heart was hammering heavily, his stride rapid on the wet flagstone walk. His muscles were so tight, his movements seemed rough and jerky. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so anxious to meet a woman.

Impatience and anticipation were riding him, and he forced himself to stop outside the door of the small house. He tilted his head back, letting the rain cool his face. He was overreacting. She was only a woman, after all, he told himself.

But then he remembered her wide, startled eyes and felt his stomach clench.

He put his hand on the doorknob, half expecting it to be locked. It opened silently, allowing the muted sounds of the party to intrude.

Colored light filtered through the windows in diminished shades, elongating shadows and playing over various forms and furnishings. He gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim interior, and then he saw her.

She had been standing turned away from him, one hand pressed to her forehead, the other knotted at her side. But when the door closed with a soft click behind him, she jerked, then swung around to face him. Her hand fluttered to her chest and she took a hasty step backward, then halted, staring.

Tyler swallowed heavily. He could feel her nervousness, her uncertainty, and something very basic, very male, erupted inside him. He’d never known a woman to be this way, had never before felt the overwhelming urge to offer comfort, to ease a woman with assurances. He wanted—right this minute—to hold her, to touch her…to make love to her. He sucked in a deep breath, leaned back against the closed door and forced a gentle smile. “Hello.”

CARLIE FELT FROZEN in place. She could feel his eyes drifting over her body, could hear every breath he took. She didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t have recognized her, yet he obviously liked what he saw. She’d never seen a man react that way—not to her. She couldn’t speak, her voice was trapped in her throat.

He whispered softly, “You’re beautiful.”

Her eyes shifted nervously with the racing of her heart. Brenda had said men would find her attractive, but…. She hadn’t believed her, not really. Usually, Tyler never looked at her twice, but then, he’d never seen her dressed like this.

The costume was definitely a mistake.

Tyler was still watching her, and she inhaled. She had to say something. “You look…dangerous.”

His teeth flashed in a quick grin. “Not dashing?”

Confused, she shook her head. In an even lower tone, sounding of accusation and anticipation, she asked, “What happened to your date?”

He tipped his head, as if he was straining to hear her, then carefully stepped away from the door. “She wasn’t my date.”

Liar, she thought. A man like him wouldn’t come to a party alone. He attracted beautiful women without even trying. And Valerie Rush was certainly that—beautiful, chic, sophisticated and very sure of her own appeal. She was everything Carlie was not.

So why was Tyler here now? She’d always been aware of him; he was impossible to ignore. Dark, charming, a devastating man. But completely unattainable. At least for her.

Of course, after her disastrous marriage, she didn’t want any man, not even Tyler Ramsey.

He took another step forward when she remained silent, and she went back one, bumping into the wall.

He was watching her so very closely, almost stalking her, and she could feel her chest shuddering, straining for air. She trembled inside, feeling light-headed and so conscious of him as a male. She didn’t dare take her eyes off him.

He took another step.

The rain was coming down more heavily now, tapping against the windows and the wind had begun to whistle. Carlie was glad for the darkness. She didn’t want reality to intrude too quickly. She didn’t want him to recognize her. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

He started to reach for her, then dropped his hand. “Do you know who I am?”