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mouth, he chewed them slowly as he tried to think up a brilliant answer to that question.
    None came to mind.
    Since his past relationships had been nothing but disasters, often falling apart because of lies told to spare feelings or avoid discussions, he decided honesty was going to be the only way to approach her.
    “I followed you,” he finally replied.
    “Why?”
    “Because I think you’re beautiful and I want to—”…
make love to you.
He nervously cleared his throat.
That
honesty would have cost him. Dearly. “I want to get to know you better.”
    Juliana picked up the shot, quickly drank it, and pressed the lime wedge between her lips. After tossing the rind aside, she hopped off the bar stool, slung her purse over her shoulder, and walked away so quickly she might have been running from a threat.
    Fishing a few bills out of his wallet, Connor tossed them on the counter and hurried after her.
    He caught her in the middle of the long, empty hallway. Wrapping his fingers around her upper arm, he dragged her to a stop. “Wait. Please.”
    Although she stopped, she glared at him with an anger he didn’t deserve, not for stating a simple fact. “Why?” she asked.
    “Why what?”
    “Why do you want me to wait? Trying to think up another brilliant pickup line?” She gave her head a shake, sending her red hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Don’t bother. That last one has to be one of the worst I’ve ever heard.”
    “Worst? You mean because I told you you’re beautiful?”
    “No.”
    When she didn’t elaborate, his frustration grew. Nothing about this was going to be simple.
    Simple had gotten him absolutely nowhere so perhaps complicated might be a better tack. “Then why?”
    “It was what you
didn’t
say.”
    He loved verbally fencing with her, not realizing how much he’d missed feminine company.
    No, that wasn’t quite right. This woman was different from other women he’d known, and the attraction was making it hard to use any intellect. The blood just wasn’t getting to his brain. “And what exactly was that?”
    “That you’re trying to seduce me.”
    Seduce.
Simply hearing the word spill from her lips had him groaning. Quaint and so much sexier than he’d expected. Most women might have just said
fuck
. Not this lady, and that’s what she was.
    A lady.
    From the top of her shimmering red hair to the toes she had tucked in those shiny black pumps that were incredibly sexy.
    “I suppose I am,” Connor admitted. “Can you blame me?”
    When she turned to face him, giving him her undivided attention, his cock swelled even farther, and he questioned whether his zipper would pop. How could any man resist Juliana Kelley?
    “What if I’m married?” she asked.
    “You’re not.”
    “And you know that because…?”
    Since she hadn’t thrown a drink in his face and marched away, his hopes began to grow as much as his erection. Braving a brazen approach, he took her left hand in his, holding it up as though he were a courtier preparing to brush a reverent kiss over her knuckles. “No wedding ring.”
    She didn’t pull away, giving him the courage to gently rub his thumb over her fingers. “Doesn’t mean I’m not married. Lots of people don’t wear rings.”
    “Mostly married men who want to cheat on their wives.”
    Juliana picked up his left hand, gave it a deliberate stare, then turned it over to look at the palm. “You’re not married, either. And you do some work with your hands. Not a lot, but…” She pulled her left hand from his and traced the small calluses on his palm with her fingertips.
    Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? Never had such innocent touches filled his body with need. Had the place been empty, he’d have picked her up, laid her on the ebony table with the enormous vase of flowers, and buried himself inside her. As it was, his heart was pounding rough and fast enough she had to be able to hear it above the canned music.
    He couldn’t