A Little Night Music Read online

  Kate smiled. She should have known Gigi would go for the blond. Every man she dated was blond. Blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes. Didn’t matter. But blond—always. Surfer dude, biker bad-ass, military, whatever, as long as his hair was a certain shade of pale.

  Ellie chimed in, staking her claim. “They’re all hot, Gigi. If you want the blond hunk, and it goes without saying you do, he’s all yours. I’ll go for tall, dark, and dangerous. A little intense, maybe, but I like that. And those shoulders, and…”

  Kate shook her head. “And here I thought tonight was my night. But no worries. Those aviators have me curious. Who wears sunglasses in a dark bar at night?” She gave voice to the question that had been dancing in her head as she inspected the remaining gentleman.

  Glasses aside—couldn’t tell much about a man’s face when he was wearing shades—he was very nice-looking. Strong jaw. She liked that. Tall. Maybe a little too tall for her petite frame. Nice clothes over a very fit body. He took good care of himself.

  Her head tilted to the side, and she caught Ellie and Gigi smiling at each other.

  “Ooh, so you want Mister Mysterious. No problem. He’s all yours. There’s not an ugly one in the bunch, and it is your night, after all.”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  “Thought you weren’t interested in meeting a man, girlfriend,” Gigi teased. “Not that I’m complaining. That’s our mission for tonight. Getting you out of your no-man rut, reintroducing you to the male population in general. Convincing you there are still good guys out there if you give them half a chance. It’s time to move on with life after your breakup. Ellie knows you’re ready. I certainly know you’re ready. Trust me, those guys know you’re ready.” She dipped her head toward the wolf pack still scenting the air. “The only one we still need to convince is you.”

  “How can you possibly know if I’m ready to date again or not, when I don’t know myself?”

  Ellie smiled sweetly. “You’re here, aren’t you? And the sparkle in your eyes tells me you’re happy you came.”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged as Gigi snorted in a most unladylike way.

  She stared a bit longer than necessary. How could Gigi tell if one of the men flirting with them from a distance was a good guy? They were well groomed, attractive—more than attractive, really. But looks had fooled her before. Still, if she didn’t take a chance, she’d never find out. Maybe tonight was the night to take that first step.

  Her heart tripped at the thought. Rusty, that’s what she was. Out of practice. Re-entering the dating pool was one scary proposition.

  Ellie did a covert three-sixty, pretending to slide her purse strap over the back of her chair. Giving them a cool onceover from under her lashes, and thus implying permission to proceed, her friend played coy, ducked her chin to the side, and turned back to her posse.

  “Hot. Hot. Hot,” Ellie observed. “Any women in their general vicinity, or do they look available?”

  Gigi snorted again. “You’re kidding, right? Honey, all men are available at eleven o’clock on a Friday night. If you don’t see ladies draped all over them by now, it’s safe to assume they’re unattached. Anyone ready to make a move?”

  They both glanced pointedly at Kate, who stared studiously at her margarita. “Well?” they asked pointedly.

  “Not interested,” she declared convincingly.

  “You are such a liar,” Gigi accused, tossing her long, red mane over her shoulder. “You’re as intrigued as Ellie or myself. Come on—those guys are hot. Ours for the taking. They’ve been staring at us the entire time, which means the lures have been cast, and all we have to do is bite the hook. Take a deep breath and stop this nonsense. You. Are. Going. To. Do. This.”

  Ellie narrowed her aqua-green eyes at her and combed a strand of dark curls through her fingers. “She’s right. You can’t back out now. We won’t let you. Decision time, Kate. One of those guys is going to make a move on you, and we’re here to see that you accept. Get off the roller coaster. Put the past behind you once and for all. Come on,” she urged. “Time for you to start living again. You’ve got to admit, Sunglasses has an air of mystery about him, dark glasses and all. Maybe he’s a spy.”

  Gigi chimed in. “On a secret mission…trying to blend in with the locals.”

  Kate laughed at the absurdity of her friends. “You two are ridiculous. A spy that looks like him? Hiding in plain sight with two other men that look like that? I don’t think so.”

  Gigi shrugged. “It could happen.”

  Ellie sipped her margarita. “Oh, look.”

  One of the guys said something to his companions, and all three laughed as they continued to enjoy the view. Tall, dark, and handsome finished his beer and cocked a crooked smile at Kate. So did Blondie. She couldn’t tell about Sunglasses, but he put his beer on the bar and faced her way as if all his attention was for her and her alone.

  Her intentions to test the waters changed. Maybe she was ready for a swim. Something was going on inside her. A rapid heartbeat. A hitch in her breath. A pooling of moisture between her legs.

  Heat emanated from the trio of sexy men, and she unconsciously licked her lips. So delicious, each man in his own way a temptation to her romance-starved heart. Excitement sent adrenaline straight to her bloodstream.

  She slid her eyes to Ellie, whose aqua orbs held steady, patiently encouraging.

  “Why did I agree to this? I’m not ready for the single scene again. It’s too soon.” A moment of panic. She shot a censorious glare at Gigi, and stood as if to leave. Ellie pushed her back down.

  There would be no escaping this bar without a genuine effort on her part to at least speak to a man. Her friends cared about her, wanted the best for her, had been by her side through thick and thin since they’d known each other. No, there would be no backing out this time.

  “Take it easy—it’s just a tiny panic attack. Take a deep breath…good. Now look at the eye candy… good.” Ellie pointed toward the bar. “Tell me you don’t want a taste of that. Quit lying to yourself. You’re ready and you’re available, and you know it.”

  She should leave. Just get up, grab her wrap, and hit the road. Ellie glared in her direction, the unspoken demand to “stay put” clearly written all over her face.

  “This attitude of yours is getting boring,” Gigi said, exasperated. “I’ll admit you had a run of bad luck, but that’s no reason to penalize the rest of the male population. Let it go, Kate. Have a little fun. Live a little.” Reaching out to take her hand, she gave it a warm squeeze. “Listen, Clark was a douche. Count your lucky stars you’re rid of him. He didn’t deserve you; he never deserved you—you know it, and I know it. And somewhere out there, there’s a great guy, just meant for you, waiting for his special girl. Wanting just you. Needing just you. All you have to do is give him a chance.”

  Kate listened in dismay as the man at the adjacent table asked his date, “Do you think I’m a douche?”

  She choked on her drink, her cheeks growing warm. “Can we lose the word ‘douche’ now? I think everyone gets the idea.”

  At once, Sunglasses said something to the bartender, and in short order, a waitress delivered fresh drinks. “Tequila shots. Compliments of the gentlemen at the bar, on behalf of truth, justice, and the American way.”

  There was no way to repress her grin.

  The server hitched her head toward the men and set the shot glasses down with a wink. “FYI, those guys come in from time to time. Three of the good ones. Polite, respectful. You could do worse. Not one of them I’d call a douche.”

  “Oh, my God. Did the entire restaurant hear us call Clark a douche?” Kate asked.

  Gigi snorted a dry laugh. “If the shoe fits…”

  Ellie stage-whispered behind her hand, “They’re trying to get us drunk.”

  Eyes wide, Gigi guffawed. “We’re already drunk. What the hell?” She turned in the booth and held her drink aloft. “To the new men in our lives. May they love us, laugh with us
, and banish all douches from our memories.”

  Titters rose from the patrons of the surrounding tables, and a few cries of “hear-hear” could be heard from the ladies.

  Gigi slammed down her glass a wee bit hard on the table and licked an errant drop of tequila from her plump lips. Across the room, about seven men pushed off the bar like bees seeking a hive, meeting the elbows of the three who’d bought them the drink.

  She watched in fascination as Blondie straightened and narrowed his gaze toward her blissfully buzzed friend. If looks were any indication, her friend was going to get lucky tonight.

  The one they called Blackie nodded at Ellie, and threw some cash toward the bartender.

  That left…

  Sunglasses, who thanked the bartender over his shoulder, pointed his chin in their direction and made a comment to Blondie that obviously pertained to them. In concert, the men began to move.

  “Uh-oh. Launch at two o’clock,” Ellie warned, sitting a little taller, tossing her hair, and grabbing her purse for a quick swipe of gloss.

  Well, Ellie was ready.

  Gigi cocked her head, a sultry smile of welcome on her mouth.

  Yep, Gigi, too.

  That left her. The indecisive one. The scaredy-cat. The one who wanted to run away.

  “You can do this,” Ellie interjected as she spared a glance for Kate. “We’re behind you one hundred percent. If you don’t feel comfortable after meeting them, we’ll pay our bill and take this party to my apartment, okay? Just us girls.”

  “Take a breath.” Gigi urged. “You walked through the valley of the shadow and survived. Nothing but good times and good things ahead, I promise.”

  Sharing gazes filled with love and empathy, Kate realized they were right. It was time to move on. So she’d been screwed over by a man unworthy of her. Join the club. She wasn’t the first, nor would she be the last. And they were right. She was lucky to find out about Clark before they were married. No, it didn’t do much for her self-esteem and didn’t make it hurt any less.

  But better to find out now than later.

  Chapter Two

  She watched in confused fascination as the men spoke among themselves. Strategizing?

  At their table, the conversation went on around her, but she was preoccupied by what her friend had said. The cacophony of happy sounds, clinking of silverware, and occasional loud guffaws of the patrons buzzed a backdrop to the carousel of recollections of the past eighteen months as time slowed and the old insecurities returned to haunt her.

  Valley of the shadow. Interesting reference to a life-altering experience of Biblical proportions. Her mind still shied away from the word she’d heard those long months ago.

  Cancer.

  In spite of her determination, the word refused to shut off in her brain.

  Stage three. Chemo, surgery, radiation. None of the terminologies gave the slightest hint of what the treatments were like. Surviving the disease was one thing; surviving the cure quite another.

  Alive! After all the slicing, dicing, poking and prodding, fever, shivers, and nausea, she was alive. Older, wiser, thinner. The same woman, yet not. She should be grateful, and deep down, she was. Truly.

  But in the dark of night, when the demons came out to play, she wondered if she was destined to spend the rest of her life alone and lonely, or if, somewhere out there, there was a man who would accept and love her the way she was. The way she yearned to be accepted and loved.

  So many men wanted a perfect woman—or their perception of what was perfect. Big boobs, long legs, warm and willing and easy. Her heart had been crushed when Clark walked out, her libido stuck in Park after all the drugs and trauma she’d struggled through with the help of Ellie and Gigi.

  When Clark abandoned her, the girls had taken over. Sitting with her, helping her bathe, boosting her spirits. They’d cooked, cleaned, and entertained, refusing to let his departure complicate her recovery. They pulled her through overwhelming grief and an eviscerated heart. Now, she’d finally turned the corner, her body healed, her mind in a better place, her heart…

  Was she ready to take another chance on love? If she met a man, liked him, allowed a relationship to develop, would he take one look at her scarred body and walk out the door just as Clark had done? If she chanced it and it happened again, could she survive a second time?

  The uncertainty must have shown on her face. Ellie touched her arm, an intensely compassionate directness in her gaze.

  “Cut it out,” she whispered. You have your figure back, a little too skinny, maybe, but you have it going on. Gorgeous hair, even if it isn’t as long as before. Prettier than ever. I want you to stop doubting yourself. There’s no reason to hold back. I’ve never known a woman with more courage, so stop worrying, take a deep breath, and smile at the next guy who makes a move.”

  “Ellie…” she began.

  Gigi interrupted with the touch of an elbow to her side. “The music’s starting, and look who’s coming your way.”

  Her back stiffened as Sunglasses approached, Blackie’s hand resting lightly on his shoulder. Six feet of sexy male, light-brown hair, close cropped, an enchanting dimple creasing his square chin. Hard to tell much more with the glasses covering his eyes. Fit. Lean. Broad shoulders, and a confident, easy stride.

  Not bad. Not bad at all.

  If she was interested. Which she wasn’t. Was she? Crap. Was she or wasn’t she? The seeds of doubt and genuine panic made her question her resolve. All the while, the man’s imminent approach sliced through time.

  Her heart raced, and her palms grew damp. Her pulse pounded so hard she could feel it in her tummy.

  She wasn’t ready…it was too soon…and he was…

  Incredible.

  More than any girl could dream.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Gigi and Ellie share a smug gaze. No backup from their quarter. Ellie widened her eyes encouragingly, urging her to interact with the stranger, and waited patiently.

  Kate grew breathless watching as he wove through the crowd like a panther stalking his prey. He was beautiful. As far as looks, he was as different from Clark as night and day.

  A good thing.

  She needed no reminders of the past.

  Now or ever.

  He was almost at her side. If she were going to escape, now was the time. Her only option was to grab her bag and make a run for it—and make a total fool of herself.

  She couldn’t do that. Sooner or later, she had to face her fears and rejoin the throngs of men meeting women and women meeting men. It was the natural course of events, right? She straightened her shoulders, steeled her features, and tried not to succumb to his devastating appeal.

  He was a lot of man; she was a damaged woman. She should refuse if he asked her to dance. Spare them both the possibility of future humiliation. Run back behind her protective wall and hide.

  She should.

  But she didn’t.

  Everything about this man drew her in.

  He stood at her side gazing down behind the shield of his glasses, a faint smile on his handsome face. Patient. Expectant. Full lips, firm and tempting.

  What would it feel like to have those lips on her body?

  The intimate place between her legs throbbed, and no amount of self-castigation would stop the warm dampness.

  Of its own accord, Kate’s gaze traveled up his long frame, Dark jeans stretched tight over muscled thighs. Leather belt with the buckle barely below eye-level.

  Geez…did he have to stand so close?

  She got an eyeful of more than his belt buckle and again felt her heart throb between her thighs. Licking her lips to moisten them, she forced her gaze up, and along the way her eyes took inventory of the total package.

  Blue shirt, fitted, starched, and pressed. Dry cleaners—no woman did his laundry.

  Last, but not least, the heady scent of the outdoors assailed her senses. Lord, but did he smell good. He even smelled sexy.

  A
nd then, he smiled.

  Cover-model gorgeous, the smile was perhaps his best feature. One of the best, anyway. There were so many to choose from.

  She swallowed as her surroundings faded into the background.

  Sensations of ice, then fire, shivered up her body.

  She was caught, and a quiet moan caught in her throat. “Umm.”

  His answering grin told her he’d heard and liked her reaction. Holding out his hand, his deep voice rumbled.

  “Dance?”

  The sound reverberated through her body clear to her toes. Lord. Lord. Lord. How much better could one man be?

  Reservations shot out the window. Doubt followed. Panic? Nah. He was worth the risk.

  Pfft! Gone. All objections were obliterated from her mind. All she could think about in this moment was this man and the shape of long, thick fingers waiting for her to put her hand in his.

  The tiny angel perpetually ensconced on her right shoulder told her she shouldn’t. Sooner or later starting up with a new man spelled disaster. The argumentative devil firmly entrenched on her opposite shoulder, however, whispered temptingly into her ear, “You can handle this, Kate. Go for it. What will it hurt? You know you want to.”

  From somewhere in the periphery, she heard Ellie gasp and Gigi giggle. She opened her mouth to refuse him…but it had a mind of its own. The minute her fingers made contact with his firm grip, he wrapped his fingers around hers, assisted her from the booth, and led her to the small dance floor. A familiar song played. Something about a guy meeting a girl in a bar, and falling in love. The words or music didn’t matter.

  The electric surge of connection did.

  He didn’t smile but gazed down into her face as warm breath tickled the hair falling over her ear, and he inhaled a long, slow breath as if he appreciated her scent. It made her shiver.

  “Your perfume. Drives me wild, pretty lady,” he murmured as he pulled her close to his body. “What is it?”

  She couldn’t remember; all her attention was on the warm strength of him. She mumbled something or other. His soft murmur in reply sent chills up her spine.