Just One Taste

“Smokin’,” Vanessa assured her as she stacked dirty dishes in a storage box.

“Ooh, you get all the good ones!”

Vanessa cut her gaze to her friend. “I do not. You do.”

Mia grinned. “Oh, right.”

“You get all the good ones, play with them awhile, then toss them away like old socks.”

“Somebody has to try them out and warn the rest of you away.”

“Half those guys want to marry you.”

Mia wrinkled her nose. “Exactly my point. Yuck.”

Vanessa shook her head and finished loading the box. Mia’s mother had been married and divorced four—or was it five?—times, so, not surprisingly, Mia considered matrimony as the black hole of relationships. She’s happy until that “I do, you do, we do” business, Mia always said, then dullsville becomes splitsville. No thank you.

Vanessa just hoped her friend wasn’t playing the breakup game because she was afraid she’d follow in her mother’s footsteps.

Oh, like you aren’t afraid of following in your mother’s footsteps? Red bra, tattoo and attitude—you’re a walking case of fear of debutante-itis.

Vanessa mentally waved away her bothersome conscience. “Still, Mia, you need to find a boyfriend. Somebody you love. Or can at least date for more than a month.”

“Why?”

Good question. She wasn’t sure. Maybe it was this longing to reconnect with her family that had her wishing for a lasting relationship in her life. In the past, when things hadn’t worked out with a guy, she’d shrugged and moved on, but lately she found herself wondering if she should consider her choices more carefully, if she should slow down and look for a more serious relationship.

Mia grinned. “Remember that great line by Madeline Kahn in Clue? Something about how men should be like tissues—”

“Soft, strong and disposable. I remember, but she didn’t have Colin—”

“Out.” Mia waggled her hands in a shooing motion. “Go find Mr. Hot. I’ll finish up.”

The reminder of Lucas brought a wave of longing and heat sizzled through her body. She was being brazen and rebellious again, flitting off into the night with a man she’d met just an hour ago. A man whose last name she didn’t even know. A man who would no doubt turn out to be mistake number 423.

She’d slow down tomorrow.

All but vibrating on the spot, she asked Mia, “Are you sure there’s not too much to clean up alone?”

“I’ll get Colin to help.”

“Good idea. I’ll call you later.”

“I’m jealous.”

“I know.”

“And he’s even safe. That ridiculous brandishing your invitation and a picture ID business your mother insisted on actually worked out in your favor.”

Her mother was the overprotective type, which is exactly why neither she, nor Vanessa, could classify what she was doing as safe. “He could be a closet fetishist. Maybe he likes to wear women’s underwear.”

“Or he could be bad in bed.”

Vanessa laid the back of her hand across her forehead. “Perish the thought.”

“Seriously, drive your own car, keep your purse, your Mace and your cell phone nearby.” Mia bit her lip. “Maybe I should meet him…. You know, just to be sure I get good vibes, too.”

No woman in their right mind would want a potential lover to meet gorgeous, darkly sultry Mia. Vanessa blew her a kiss as she backed toward the door. “I’m fine, and you’re too good to me.”

“It’s a big sacrifice, all right.”

“Be nice to Colin.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Before Vanessa could do more than smile, the door at her back swung open. She spun and found herself face-to-face with Lucas.

His broad shoulders almost completely filled the doorway. In the bright light of the kitchen, she could see the custom-made details of his dark blue suit and perfectly pressed white shirt. His hair was windblown into sexy disarray. His eyes, seeming even more intensely green than she remembered them, focused on her face. When a hint of his spicy cologne floated toward her, her knees wobbled.

As she grappled for stability in a world suddenly wavering, she tried to focus on what it was about him that riveted her attention.

His amazing looks, certainly. His elegance, intelligence and confidence, too.

But there was more. A kindred, tattooed spirit? A risk-taking nature? A sense that he, too, felt alone in the world much of the time? Hadn’t she just been wondering why she always had to be the pursuer in her relationships? Hadn’t she just told herself she’d give away a prized cheesecake recipe to have a man look at her the way Colin did Mia?

Well, here certainly was a man pursuing her and looking at her with more than a casual interest….

That look was it. Or part of it.

He focused on her. Only her. As if no one else existed for miles. The desire to continue to be the center of his attention was overwhelming her, drawing her closer to him as if he had a magnet buried inside his chest.

One side of his mouth turned up in an enigmatic smile. “Just the woman I was looking for.” His gaze slid to Mia, then back to Vanessa. “Ready to go?”

As her heart fluttered, she somehow managed to keep her voice from trembling. “Lucas, this is my roommate and business partner, Mia Medini. Mia, Lucas…”

“Broussard,” he filled in, giving Vanessa a wink that told her he wasn’t afraid of his last name.

Unlike her.

Lucas approached Mia with his hand outstretched.

Mia’s eyes widened briefly before she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You ladies did a wonderful job with the party.” His gaze met Vanessa’s. “I especially liked the strawberries…and chocolate.”

Vanessa’s stomach trembled.

And it happened again. He looked at her as if nobody else were there. His eyes glittered with the promise of delight and pleasure.