He squeezed her fingers and stroked the back of her hand. “Time flies…”
When you’re having fun. The rest of the saying hung between them. And oh, how Tessa wanted to say yes to fun with this man.
“I’d better get going.” She said the words but didn’t pull her hand from his. Couldn’t make herself stand and turn away.
“Where are you staying?” Ian asked. “We can catch an Uber or walk if you’re close enough.”
She didn’t know what to think of that offer. He certainly couldn’t come back to the condo with her.
“Hey,” he said, reading her confusion. “I just want to make sure you get back to your daughter safe and sound, okay? I don’t expect you to invite me in.”
She laughed softly, as if he hadn’t nailed her thoughts. “That’s sweet, but you don’t have to.” She stood and glanced around at the still-crowded club and all the women prepared to tackle Ian at their first opportunity. “There are a lot of gorgeous women waiting for your attention.”
“Too bad for them that you’re the only gorgeous woman I want to attend to.”
He stood and swung an arm around her shoulders and turned her toward the door. On their way toward the exit, he paused at the table where he’d been sitting earlier.
“Hey, guys. This is Tessa. Tessa, this is Josh and Grace. This is Tucker.”
Josh and Grace both offered a friendly hello. Tucker gave Tessa a distracted “Hey” but looked at Ian like he’d grown a second head. She knew he was thinking Why her?
“Tessa’s an attorney, not a studio executive,” Ian told them.
“Ah,” Josh and Grace said in unison. Tucker still had that dumbstruck look on his face.
“I’m going to walk her home, then head to the hotel. I’ll catch you all tomorrow.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tessa said before Ian led her toward the door. “Wow,” she murmured on an exhale. “Awkward.”
“Really?” he asked as they stepped out of the restaurant. “Why?”
“Maybe because you were obviously talking about me before you came over.”
“That’s because I was looking at you all night.”
She caught herself before she asked him why again. She’d been a rough pebble in a room full of sparkling diamonds tonight, and she found herself searching for the ulterior motive in his interest. Everyone had an agenda, but Tessa couldn’t fathom one for Ian in this situation. Maybe she’d just been in Washington too long. Maybe she’d just been misled too often.
He pulled her closer to his side, and the move felt oddly comforting considering they were total strangers. He had an ease about him, a low-key, mellow way that calmed her despite just meeting him. Tessa wondered if this was the reason Corinne had so many one-night stands when she was alive. She’d had the same easy-going, fun-loving personality Tessa felt in Ian. A personality she was drawn to but couldn’t quite embody herself. At least not without a little help from those living on the lighter side.
“Somehow it doesn’t feel like I just met you,” Ian said, strolling beside her. “Maybe because you’re so easy to be with.”
She smiled. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”
“Where are you staying?”
“Paradise Palisades. It’s just a few blocks—”
“I know where it is,” he said, grinning. “I’m staying right across the street at the Kapalua.”
“Ooooo,” she laughed with an eye roll. “Aren’t you fancy?”
“The studio takes good care of its employees.”
She liked the way he didn’t call himself a star. Liked how he treated everyone at the restaurant with respect—including the women who were evidently making him crazy. And she had to admit, the man felt damn good beside her. So she let her wine-infused brain rest, let the warm, soft air caress her skin and enjoyed the feel of having a man close as they started up the street.
“Tha
nks for a nice end to a long day,” she said.