“Jace—”
He paused, put a finger over her lips. “You’re safe with me, Victoria. I joke around a lot, but I’m a nice guy. Honest.”
The warmth of his finger against her lips made her want to taste him. In his eyes was sincerity. The problem was, she’d been taken in before. She wasn’t too sure about her own judgment when it came to men and their intentions.
Oh, she wanted to believe him. Wanted to let down her guard and be a normal woman who could take life as it came and not worry about appearances or mistakes or anything else. But the past was always there. Lurking. A reminder.
“You’re thinking too hard,” he said.
“I’m a little rusty at this sort of thing.”
“What, going for coffee? It’s a snap.
Just follow my lead.”
Just like that he could put her at ease. She decided he was right. She was thinking this to death. For once in a very long time, she was going to go with the flow and simply relax in the company of a nice man.
“Then lead on.”
JACE CHOSE a corner booth at a trendy coffee house, and watched as Vickie slid onto the sea-green, vinyl bench. He wanted to scoot in next to her, feel the warmth of her body against his, but sat opposite her instead. He didn’t want to scare her off when she’d finally agreed to come out with him.
It was crazy really. He’d never reacted this way to a woman before. But the moment he’d seen her serving drinks at Diamond Jim’s he’d been hooked. Maybe it was the innocence of her sweet smile, or the dimples in her cheeks, or the soft music of her voice, or that intriguing glimpse of the little tattoo he’d seen on the small of her back when her sweater had ridden up as she’d bent over to wipe a table.
Or maybe it was something deeper. She touched him on a level he couldn’t quite define.
He didn’t know her, but wanted to remedy that. She was beautiful in a wholesome way, fresh and intriguing. She didn’t give much away, and he’d tried like mad to get her to open up. Instead, like a woman of mystery, she’d just smile and glide away—intriguing him all the more.
He’d teasingly gotten his friends to vouch for him and found himself suddenly nervous over her opinion. What had started as a friendly lark, a flirtation with a pretty waitress, had become soul-deep important.
He watched as she tucked her mink-colored hair behind her ears. He’d come to know the gesture as a nervous one.
What he was experiencing was more like a gut instinct—an incredibly strong gut instinct. And he’d made millions in the business world relying on his hunches.
He had an idea Victoria Meadland was going to change his life.
“Relax,” he said.
“I told you, I’m out of practice.”
“There are no expectations, here. I’d like it if we could just be ourselves.”
“Is that a rarity in your business life?”
He shrugged. “Not really. I’m the kind of guy who figures you might as well take me as I come.”
“I admire that kind of self-confidence.”
“Anybody can have it. In fact, I give miniseminars on positive attitudes to my employees. It’s amazing what it does for closing a deal.”
“Maybe I ought to sign up for one of your classes.”
“Are you kidding? You could probably teach the class. After watching you this past month, I’d say you’ve got more self-confidence than my whole company put together.” For some reason that caused her eyes to light with pleasure. Hmm. Had someone told her she wasn’t good enough sometime in her life? In his book, that was inexcusable.
“It’s called giving the customer what they want without letting them step over the line,” she said.
“Like holding me at bay for over a month?”
She grinned. “Something like that.”
The waitress stopped by their table. Jace hadn’t even looked at the menu. He wasn’t really hungry, but apple caramel pie was almost as much of a temptation as Vickie was.
“Did you guys want to order something?” the waitress asked. She was young and looked like she’d rather be anywhere else but here.
Jace grinned at her, and noted that she perked up a bit. “Absolutely. I’ll have the specialty pie and a cappuccino with extra cream. Vic?”
“Cheesecake, I think. And a decaf, white chocolate latte.”
The waitress scribbled the orders and left. “Decaf?” he asked. “I thought you were going to study.”
“I will. But I don’t intend to be up all night doing it. What’s your excuse?”
“Caffeine doesn’t keep me awake.”
“Lucky you.”
“Sometimes. So, Victoria Meadland, tell me all about yourself.” The withdrawal was subtle, but he noticed it, noticed the slight flush of her skin, as though he’d put her on the spot. He decided to change directions. “Wait. We were supposed to be studying psychology, weren’t we?”
She smiled, relaxed a bit. “I don’t think discussing our life stories is going to help me on the exam.”
“I can use big words if it’ll help.”
She laughed and he sat, transfixed. She had a wonderful laugh that lit her face and eased the little worry lines between her brows.
“No?” he said when she just shook her head. He liked that she was easing into his company. “So, what are you majoring in?”
“Human development and English. I want to be a teacher. I have one more semester before I’ll get my B.A. degree. Then another year to get my teaching credential.”
“You can teach without the credentials, though, can’t you?”
“For a while, yes. And I will, but I’ll also keep up my education and go for my master’s degree. That way I could go into counseling.”
“You’d be good at it.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I’ve watched you at Diamond Jim’s. You’ve got a special way of giving the person you’re talking to your complete attention. That’s a good quality for a potential counselor.”
“Thanks.”
“So how come you didn’t just major in education?”
“California doesn’t offer it.”
The waitress brought their coffee and dessert. Vickie picked up her fork and took a bite of cheesecake.
Jace’s mouth watered as he watched her eyes close, watched the pure, unadulterated pleasure wash across her face. “Good?”
Her eyes opened, locked onto his. “Delicious.”
He was sweating. Desire streaked through him and howled for action or release. For the longest time, their eyes held. Then she glanced down as though she had just realized the sizzle and was embarrassed by it.
“Um…” She stopped, cleared her throat. “How about you? Where did you go to school.”
He tasted his own pie, but even though it was excellent, it didn’t compare to the look that had come over Victoria’s face only moments ago. He imagined she’d wear that same expression in the throes of passion. “Virginia Tech.”
“Virginia? Is that where you’re from?”
“Nope. Born and raised