Tall, Dark and Filthy Rich. Jill Monroe

hand around the shaft. The more area your fingers touch, the better your control.”

      And maybe she should just call “time” and go with the fact that this sounded like hand-job instructions. Or that she might not mind brushing up on her technique with Cole.

      Then he wrapped his arm around her, enveloped her in his heat. “Pull back, aim. Release.”

      Her dart sailed through the air.

      “Bull’s-eye,” he said, his lips just above her ear. His breath a caress.

      Never again would she look at darts as anything other than foreplay. She glanced upward, and their eyes met. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and she felt her nipples harden. Her lips parted.

      Cole dropped his arm. “Here,” he said, handing her another dart. “Try again.”

      He didn’t put his arm around her after that, but the atmosphere between them had changed. Intensified.

      After playing a full round, they made their way back to the others. Cole didn’t hold her hand now, but kept a steady distance away from her. She recognized his MO: he was in full barrier-building mode.

      She was caught. A polite person would back away, respect a man’s right to erect a ginormous emotional blockade between himself and the world. But as she’d acknowledged plenty of times in her career, she was in the barricade-obliteration business, and every obstacle he threw up between them emerged as an exciting challenge.

      The rest of their group had migrated from the restaurant side of Latitude 33 and now stood around one of the high tables near the entrance, chatting and finishing their drinks.

      “There was a waiting list to get into the restaurant, so we decided to come over here,” Jane told them.

      Jessie wondered if Cole would leave now. He’d looked as if he’d planned to bolt when the singing began. But he joined the others at the table, and they made room for both of them. She was glad. Even though she had to be on a case later, she wasn’t ready for the evening to end. Then the sounds of a lone guitar filled the room.

      “When did they start bringing in a band?” Cole asked their waitress as she removed some of the glasses and replaced a few beers.

      “The owner is trying something new. The lead singer is a friend of his wife’s.”

      Cole looked pained but resigned as he turned his gaze back to Jessie. “Do you want something besides juice?” he asked.

      She shook her head. “No, I have to work tonight, and I need a clear head.”

      “Speaking of your work, Jessie, I bet you have some great stories,” Nicole said. Jessie hadn’t met her during the taping of the show, but she’d learned later Nicole usually developed the story ideas for Just Between Us.

      “Hey, you’re forgetting the rule. No work talk on Thursday nights,” Eve said, her voice filled with laughter.

      Nicole stood straighter. “This isn’t work.” Then she smiled. “But if Jessie should happen to tell some sexy story that sparks an idea for a segment, I’m not going to put my fingers in my ears and sing ‘la la la.’”

      “A lot of times I sign a confidentiality agreement with my clients, and most of what I do is pretty straightforward surveillance. But let’s just say I have a laundry list of places I won’t have sex, because of my job.”

      Eve glanced over at Nicole who gave her a wink. “You were right. This is what I want to hear.”

      “Parking lots,” Jessie said promptly. “Plenty of action going on there, believe me. The park after dark, the not so deserted parts of a library. You name it, I’ve seen it.”

      “Tell us a really good one,” Nicole invited.

      She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “Okay, I’ve gotten so many referrals from this man, it’s hardly a secret anymore. I was hired over the phone to follow around a man’s wife. He suspected she was having an affair with her ‘administrative assistant.’”