It Must Be Your Love (The Sullivans #11)(15)

If only, she thought with a small sigh, she could have had some help extricating herself from Ford this morning.

Ugh. Why was she still thinking about him?

Until tonight, she’d been looking forward to this date with James. They’d met last weekend jogging around Green Lake Park, and she’d been inspired to run just a little faster than usual to keep up with his excellent form. She’d planned to get to know that “form” of his a little better tonight. A lot better, even, if it felt right. Only, here she was about to plead a headache just so she could get out of there...and do what? Brood over Ford? About the way he’d tricked her into seeing him again? Or worse, about all the stupidly traitorous feelings that had risen inside of her as though five years had never passed?

No, damn it, there had to be something between her and James, at least a little of that spark she’d felt last weekend when they were jogging together. Because if there wasn’t—if it turned out that it was all gone due to one arrogant and infuriating rock star’s unwelcome reappearance in her life—then she was going to have yet one more reason to be mad at Ford.

And how could she manage to remain emotionless about Ford, and make sure he meant less than nothing to her from here until eternity, if she was constantly getting angry with him?

“So,” she said to James with a bright smile that she hoped didn’t look as forced as it felt, “have you been on any good runs this week?”

“None as good as ours together last Sunday.” His eyes darkened slightly as he reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb over her palm. “I’ve been thinking about you all week, Mia. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough.”

It was exactly the right thing to say, exactly the right way to touch her. Or rather, it should have been. She should have been drooling all over him, should have been thanking her lucky stars that they’d both been out on the running path last weekend.

Instead, she was wondering why the cocktail waitress couldn’t get over to their table quicker so that she could have a drink to hold instead of James’s hand.

“I thought about you, too,” she made herself say, and it was true—she really had thought about James during the week. She’d told her friends about him, had even texted them a sneaky picture she’d taken of him running before he’d noticed she was behind him.

It was only since the moment she’d set eyes on Ford in the tower that all thoughts of other men, including James, had fled like racehorses in the Kentucky Derby.

Forcing herself to lean in a little closer, rather than away, she said, “I want to know everything about you.”

“How about we start with the basics and then later,” he said with a charming pause, “I’ll give you more if you still want it.”

Seriously, could this guy be any greater? But even as she had the thought, when the cocktail waitress stepped up to their table with a “What can I get you?” Mia took the opportunity to slide her hand out of his and put a few precious inches of space between them in a booth that suddenly seemed much too small. Next time she’d have to remember to have a first date in a bowling alley, or somewhere similarly less intimate.

They gave their orders, and Mia prayed that the drink would arrive quickly so that she could begin to dull all the cray-cray thoughts about Ford that wouldn’t leave her alone.

“I already know you’re gorgeous and sweet,” she said to James, though she hated feeling like she was leading him on. “What else can you tell me?”

“I’m thirty-five. Never been married. I’m a VP at Anderson Financial.”

Mia worked to make all of the appropriate responses. “I always thought it would be fun to play with other people’s money,” she said after taking a much-needed drink (or three) of her dirty martini. “Are those all the basics you’re going to give me tonight?”

His smile should have set her blood on fire. “How about one more for our first round, and then it’s your turn.” When she nodded with what she hoped looked like anticipation, he said, “I’ve also got a major thing for intelligent women who run their own businesses.”

James was looking at her with an interest that she could see went above and beyond just wanting to do her. Unlike Ford, who had been deep into his one-track I-want-you-and-won’t-stop-until-I-have-you caveman act this morning. When he’d kissed her, she’d stupidly felt her heart stir at least as much as her body had...even though she’d known he was simply playing with her like a cat carelessly would with a ball of yarn, until it was bored with the game.

Mia had never been a particularly big drinker, but tonight she could have tossed back another couple already. “I grew up in Seattle. I love selling houses. And, don’t freak out when I tell you this next bit, okay?” His eyebrows rose as she said, “I have four older brothers.”

“How’s this for not freaking out?” he said, and then the next thing she knew, he was lowering his mouth to hers.

Panic rose in her chest, but she forced herself to push it down and let his lips touch hers. His kiss was warm and soft. She leaned in closer and let him take it deeper, his tongue stroking over hers.

And that was when Mia finally had to admit complete and utter defeat. There was no use in continuing with this farce of a date. Because if she wasn’t feeling James’s kiss, she was well and truly done for.