He clasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”
His heated gaze caused Siobhan’s breath to stall in her lungs. He smiled then sauntered off with the sexiest walk she had ever seen on a man. She didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until Cynthia’s voice broke through her thoughts.
“Girl,” she said slowly, “do not let that man get away. I don’t care if he’s pitching an idea or not.”
“Amen, sister. Amen,” Kendra said, shaking her head. “He looks like a man who could curl your toes in the bedroom.”
Siobhan’s gaze followed Justin until he disappeared in the crowd. She could still feel the tingling in her palm and rubbed her other hand over the spot, hoping to erase the feeling. “The only thing he’s getting is that one dance. Nothing more.”
True to his word, Justin returned a while later for the dance. Siobhan steeled herself against the unwanted sensations that coursed through her when he wrapped his arm around her waist and moved his body close to hers. She silently prayed for the song to end, although this time for a different reason. Everything about this man turned her on, and she didn’t want to be turned on. Before the last note faded away, she backed out of his arms. “I think I’m going to call it a night. It was very nice to meet you, Justin.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Without waiting for her response, Justin entwined their fingers and led her out and toward the front of the hotel. “Did you valet park?”
“Yes.” She tried to disengage their hands, but he tightened his grip and kept walking. “Justin, you really don’t have to walk me out.”
A sexy grin tipped the corners of Justin’s mouth. “If I don’t walk you out, I can’t persuade you to meet me for coffee tomorrow.”
“I told you already that I’m busy and don’t have time to date.”
“True, but I’m not asking you out on a date. Think of it as two people with a similar past hanging out and sharing stories. Do you have your ticket?” he asked as they pushed through the front door.
He released her hand. Siobhan reached in her purse for the ticket and handed it to the valet.
“Do you live in the area?”
“Not too far away. Why?”
Justin pulled a card and pen from his pocket, wrote something on the back and handed it to her. “This is the address of a nearby coffee shop. Since you’re local, it shouldn’t be too far for you. I’d love it if you met me there tomorrow morning. Is eleven a good time?”
She stared at the card for several seconds then took it. “No promises.”
“Ma’am, your car,” the valet said.
“Thank you.” Facing Justin, she said, “Good night.”
“Good night, Siobhan. I’ve enjoyed your company tonight.”
He squeezed her hand again, this time rubbing his thumb in small circles on her palm. She almost melted in a heap on the concrete. She hurried around to the driver’s side of her car and slid in behind the wheel. She could still see him standing there as she pulled off. There was no way she planned to be at that coffee shop in the morning. Justin Cartwright was a temptation she couldn’t afford.
* * *
Justin waited until the taillights of Siobhan’s Lexus SUV disappeared before going back inside. He searched the ballroom for Mr. Gray or his partner Mr. Whitcomb but didn’t see either man. Making some discreet inquiries, he located both men standing in a group. As soon as there was a break in the conversation and the small gathering dispersed, Justin headed over.
“Good evening, Mr. Gray.” Justin extended his hand.
Mr. Gray shook Justin’s hand. “Good evening, young man. Have we met?”
“No, sir. My name is Justin Cartwright, and I was hoping to talk to you about an in-home alert system I’m working on.”
“Well, I’m always looking for something new and exciting, but aren’t there a couple on the market already?”
“Yes, but neither of those systems are able to sense body temperature, and mine can.” Well, it would when he could figure out how to make it work properly. He was still having some trouble with it distinguishing from the room temperature.
Mr. Gray’s eyebrow lifted a fraction. “Is that right?” He reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a card and handed it to Justin. “Why don’t you call my secretary next week and she’ll put you on my calendar. I’m looking forward to hearing about this system.”
Justin accepted the card. “Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to it, as well. I won’t take up any more of your time. Have a good evening.” He waited until Mr. Gray walked away before going in the other direction. On the outside, Justin maintained a cool facade, but inside he was cheering.
Since there was no one else he wanted to talk to, Justin kept going until he reached the exit. He thought about Siobhan. With any luck, she would be at the coffee shop in the morning.
* * *
Lying in bed later, Justin’s mind drifted back to Siobhan—her eyes, incredible lips and generous curves. He was especially captivated by her directness. It probably warned most men off, but had the exact opposite effect on him. A woman hadn’t caught his attention in a while, but the no-nonsense businesswoman had made a deep impression upon him.
The last long-term relationship he had been in ended a year ago. He had been content with the date nights, good sex and casual conversation, but his ex wanted more than he was prepared to give—marriage and a family—so they parted ways. His focus had been solely on making his product the best on the market, especially after his grandfather died in a home accident that could have been prevented had someone found him sooner.
Justin felt partially responsible because he hadn’t been as focused on his work and put the alert system he was designing on the back burner. He had dated multiple women since then, but none lasted beyond a few dates. He was careful not to give any woman the notion he wanted anything permanent. Maybe he would be ready to settle down in a few years. For now, he had one goal: partnering with Gray Home Safety and making sure no one else suffered the same loss.
By morning, he lay awake in bed still thinking about Siobhan and wondering whether she would show up at the coffee shop later. Justin tossed the covers back, dressed and went out for his morning run. He tried to get in at least three miles four times a week. The run helped clear his thoughts and gave him the opportunity to sort out, in his mind, any kinks in whatever program he was working on. This morning, however, Siobhan Gray crowded the space in his brain. He started with a slow jog until he reached the nearby park trail then increased his pace.
One of the things he liked about living in LA was the weather. The cloudless, early-spring morning was warm enough that he didn’t need to wear a jacket. His feet pounded the paved trail in a steady rhythm as he mentally went over the changes he wanted to make in his program to track movement in the home. He was having trouble with one of the sensors and couldn’t figure out why it stopped working after a certain amount of time. Since he renewed his focus on the project nine months ago, Justin had seen similar products hit the market, but he’d worked to make sure his had an added feature not available on the current models.
Clearing the shaded area, he slowed to a jog and cut across the park back toward his house. Once there, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, downed the contents and went upstairs to shower. He wanted to get to the shop a few minutes before eleven.
His cell rang as he was leaving.
“What’s up, Justin?” Bobby said when Justin answered.
“Hey.”
“I wanted to find out if you had a chance to talk to Mr. Gray about your project.”
“No.