Page 3 of Collateral Damage

But his voice was so deep. His eyes were so dark. And his hands were so—

Capable.

It would be a shame to walk away now. And maybe he would surprise her. Be more than she expected.

“Carly. My name’s Carly Smith.” Bess forced a smile. That was about the worst fake name anyone had ever thought up. And why did she have to give him a fake name anyway? It’s not like she planned to...

Her heart rate picked up a little at the thought of doing more than conversing with this man. No strings attached. A way to clear her head of all the confusion fogging it without adding to the blur.

Handsome’s head barely tipped to one side, and for a second she thought he might question her.

But then one of those strong, capable hands came out to reach in her direction. “Whitt Daniels.”

She carefully put her hand into his. “Nice to meet you, Whitt.”

“Likewise, Carly.” His dark eyes moved to the bar. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Bess rubbed her lips together. She almost forgot about Cricket’s friends. She should probably go tell them something. Hopefully come up with an explanation that would keep Cricket from finding out what she might be thinking of doing.

Maybe she could tell them Whitt was an old friend she wanted to catch up with. That made sense. Right?

But when Bess glanced to where they were sitting just a few minutes ago, the table was empty.

Whitt followed her gaze, stepping in close at her side. Near enough the earthy scent of birch and spice was impossible to miss.

Good God. He even smelled better than any man she’d ever met.

“I think your friends left you.”

Bess shook her head. “They weren’t my friends.” It was true, but their immediate abandonment still stung a little.

“That’s apparent.” Whitt’s gaze hardened as he stared at the empty spot a second longer, before turning it back on her. “What about that drink?”

Tonight was supposed to be about having fun. Letting loose as Cricket would say. It was the whole reason her friend dragged her here. To take a break from the decision she was pretending to reconsider. She’d already decided things were over between her and Chris, and Whitt’s presence was making her more positive of that with each passing second.

But it still felt a little wrong to look at him the way she was, taking in every masculine inch of what he had to offer. Especially considering she was doing it for the purpose of comparing him to another man.

One who didn’t stack up, even before Whitt appeared tonight.

If it wasn’t for that other man she might have thought more seriously about walking away. Thanking Whitt for his offer before leaving to go home.

Alone.

But for once she didn’t want to be alone.

She wanted to have a drink with Whitt. Let him look at her with his almost black eyes a little longer. Maybe let him show her all the possibilities that might be ahead of her.

“Okay.”

His hand was on her back in a heartbeat, wide and warm, pressing her toward the bar. It stayed in place as she ordered her drink and he ordered his, then it eased her to a table tucked into a quiet corner.

Whitt pulled out a chair for her then sat down in the one close beside it. “What do you do for a living, Carly?”

“I work for my parents.” Bess sipped at the beer before setting it on the table. “They own a construction company and I am in charge of our project managers.”

Whitt’s dark brows lifted. “A woman in charge. I like that.”

Bess tried to hide her smile behind the mouth of her beer as she took another swallow.