Ian sipped the fine brandy slowly, savoring the taste on his tongue and the way the expensive liquor warmed his throat. As he did so, he considered all of the obstacles still in his way at this point and how to navigate around them. He was fairly certain that Tessa hadn’t already begun seeing other men, based on the facts that she had attended tonight’s party alone, and then wisely declined to accompany her inebriated co-workers to some club. Tessa was also too fine, too loyal, to enter into another relationship so soon after her marriage ended. She had seemed sad tonight, especially when she’d quietly admitted that she and her husband had split, and Ian guessed she was having a difficult time in getting over the breakup.

She was still far too young for him, of course, the age difference between them a good fifteen years. But Tessa was very mature and composed for her age, not seeming in the least bit frivolous or silly like the other girls on the team. As for himself, he was just a few months from his fortieth birthday but thought he didn’t look half bad for his age. He worked out frequently and with even more intensity that he had a decade ago; ate a healthy diet and didn’t overindulge in alcohol; and generally took excellent care of himself. He had never been vain or egotistical – not like that horny bastard Jason – but at the same time he didn’t miss the interested, assessing looks he received from women wherever he went.

And perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part, but he didn’t believe Tessa was completely immune to him as a man. She was so sweetly, adorably shy that he couldn’t picture her ever trying to flirt with him or attract his attention – not like that very obvious and annoying pair Gina and Alicia. But there had definitely been times when he’d caught Tessa’s very blue, wide-eyed gaze upon him and he could swear there had been something there – awareness, attraction, adoration. It had given him hope that one day those discreet little glances might deepen into something far more serious.

His cock hardened immediately as he recalled how beautiful and utterly tempting she’d looked this evening. Her dress and shoes were obviously inexpensive, especially when compared to so many of the other women at the party who’d been garbed in designer clothing. But Tessa had still managed to outshine every other female present tonight. The sapphire blue color of her dress had been perfect for her gleaming ivory skin and thick golden hair, a fact that he stored away for future reference. The strapless bodice of the dress had bared a delectable amount of cleavage, just enough to let his rather filthy imagination run rampant. His hands had itched to plunge inside the neckline of her dress and cup her full, lush breasts, to see for himself if they were as firm and round as they looked.

Ian had felt badly for her when he’d noticed she was at the party alone, never having imagined at the time that she and her husband were divorcing. He had wanted nothing more than to approach her on multiple occasions this evening and ask her to dance, to luxuriate in the rare opportunity to hold her closely against his body and be able to touch her. But he’d had to restrain himself, knowing full well how it would look for him to single out one of his employees. The only women he’d dared to dance with this evening had been Rebecca, his mother, and his cousin Charlotte.

It had been Rebecca, in fact, who had encouraged him to go after Tessa when he’d spied her leaving the party a little while ago. He had been more than a little chagrined when she had laughingly called him out during dinner for sneaking furtive glances at Tessa a bit too often.

“So she’s the lucky lady, is she?” Rebecca had asked in an amused voice. “I can see now why you’re so obsessed with her, Ian. She’s gorgeous, and I for one would cut off my right arm to have a body like that. Oh, to be that young again! What is she – twenty-one, twenty-two?”

Ian had frowned at his companion crossly. “Not quite that young. Twenty-four. And you’re mistaken, Rebecca. I certainly haven’t been looking at her all evening long.”

Rebecca had laughed merrily. “Not quite, perhaps. You’re too well-mannered for that, plus you’re probably the king of discretion. I doubt anyone else has noticed a thing. But don’t forget that you and I know each other’s deepest, darkest secrets, so I’m a little more observant about these things than most people. Why is she here alone?”

He had shrugged. “Her husband is some sort of journalist from what I understand, and travels a great deal. I imagine he’s away on one of those trips right now.”

“Hmm. So the very lovely Tessa must get awfully lonely. I’ll bet she wouldn’t say no to some company once in awhile,” teased Rebecca in a sly tone.

“No.” Ian had drained his wine. “We’ve already had this discussion. More than once. I’m not going to seduce her, Rebecca, and I’ll be damned before I willingly agree to be the other man. If Tessa is unhappy with the state of her marriage, then it’s up to her to do something about it. I will not interfere.”

“I get it,” Rebecca had assured him gently. “You’re a good guy, Ian. Too bad you and I are so ridiculously fixated on the people most forbidden to us. Otherwise, you and I would have made a good match, don’t you think? Except,” she added wryly, “there’s no possible way I could have ever competed with a twenty-four year old blonde goddess. Especially since she’s one of those very rare women who look both innocent and sexy as hell at the same time.”

Ian had offered her up a smile. “You and I would have made a good pair,” he acknowledged. “But you’re right – we both fell hard for the wrong people the first time we laid eyes on them. And by then it was already too late.”

Rebecca had shrugged, taking a sip of her wine. “I’m not giving up so easily,” she declared. “I know you think I’m living in a fairy tale, but I still believe that Rand will be true to his word one of these days. Maybe it will never come true, but believing it could happen is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. And you shouldn’t give up on your Tessa, either. You never know when the winds of fate are finally going to blow in your direction.”

Rebecca would have had no way of knowing at the time how very, very true her words would prove to be. She had given him a little nudge, urgently whispering in his ear, “Go on, you idiot. She’s about to leave and you haven’t said a word to her all evening. This is your last chance, Ian, so don’t waste it. Who knows what might come of it?”