Into the Fire - Leslie Kelly [33]
Nate glanced again at Lacey and saw her sigh and roll her eyes. Her amusement didn't completely hide her embarrassment.
Lacey Clark might surround herself with unusual, perhaps even outrageous people—Raul, Venus, heck, even her own father. She seemed determined, however, to stick to her mature, responsible self-image. It had to be tough. From the moment he'd first laid eyes on her, Nate had seen glimpses of the irrepressible part she tried to hide. Perhaps her choice of friends was a glimpse into the workings of her mind. She couldn't be true to herself, so she surrounded herself with people who were? Just as her choice of underclothes betrayed her longing to be free of her perfectly respectable outer attire? He didn't know, didn't understand her yet, though he was determined that he would.
Nate enjoyed the next hour. Lacey wasn't quite the free spirit from the trampoline, but neither was she the ball-breaking businesswoman from her father's office earlier that day. For the most part, she sipped her beer, watching with detached amusement as Venus held court and Raul drooled. Her indulgent smiles at her friends told him she wasn't angry with either of them, though Raul had obviously set her up by inviting Nate to come along, and Venus had been downright flirting with Nate since the minute she'd arrived.
Toward him, however, Lacey remained cool and polite. That would have frustrated him to no end had he not seen so much in her face before Venus arrived. Lacey had looked … hungry. Not predatory, not greedy or avaricious. But full of hunger. Full of need.
That was enough to keep him here, though she'd tried to retreat behind an impersonal wall. She couldn't remain entirely aloof, however. Throughout the evening, she kept sneaking glances at him when she thought he wouldn't notice. He felt her eyes on him, felt her confusion and her desire, probably because it mirrored his own. He did his fair share of looking whenever she was distracted.
Of course there eventually came one moment, one heady, intense moment, when their eyes met. They both looked at the same time, saw the same expressions at the same instant. He should have looked away. Or she should have. Neither did.
"Lacey?" he said softly, leaning closer.
She bit her lip, obviously knowing he'd seen the expression in her beautiful blue eyes. He had to admire her courage, though. She leaned in to hear what he had to say. "Yes?"
"Keep looking at me like that and I might forgive you for pushing me in the pool."
As color flooded her face, Lacey turned her head and wouldn't look at him again. Finally, after another half hour of shop talk, the topic eventually turned to their assignment.
"So, Nate, you get to be a sexist jerk in a woman's magazine, huh?" Venus said. "Hope you have a bulletproof vest."
He heard Lacey's snorted laugh and caught her eye. "You think it's going to be so much better for you? How many men are going to be thanking you for filling up the pages of Men's World with poetic advice about how they can become white knights?"
"Women don't want white knights," Lacey countered. "They just want real emotional integrity."
"No, what they want is a guy with a fat paycheck and a big package," Raul interjected, looking disgusted.
"And preferably no wife and kiddies waiting at home," Venus added with a nod.
"Whose side are you on?" Lacey asked her, looking disgruntled. "You're telling me the money and the … equipment are the two key things you look for in a man?"
Venus took her sweet time thinking about it. Nate had to lift his mug of beer to his lips to prevent a laugh at Lacey's dismay. "Looks like you're in the minority," he murmured.
"I don't think so." Lacey narrowed her eyes at her friend, a look Nate interpreted as I'll get you later! Then she said, "I guess we'll find out when we get to work."
"How about we