Veil of Night Read online

  Out of her peripheral vision, Jaclyn saw another man approaching. She could hope that he wasn’t really headed her way, that he was on his way to the men’s room which was just past her table, but it certainly seemed that he was walking directly toward her. He had a drink in his hand, so she was almost certain he wasn’t going to the restroom. Why couldn’t a woman stop after work for one drink without men—some men, anyway—assuming she was willing to be picked up? At least the first guy had been decent, taking himself off without an argument when she’d said no, so she could only hope this guy would do the same. She purposely didn’t look his way, hoping he’d take the hint and keep moving.

  “Small world.”

  The two words jarred her, because they weren’t what she’d expected. She looked up, her cool expression still in place, but when she recognized the man standing in front of her her mind kind of went blank for a minute. She never sputtered, but she came damn close to it as she mentally scrambled for something to say, and what finally came out was a far cry from the stone-wall dismissal she’d planned. “Don’t call me ma’am again,” she said, her eyes narrowing in warning.

  The cop smiled, that same slight but humorous curve of his lips she’d noticed before, and something in Jaclyn unwound. There was something real about him, a straightforwardness that didn’t scream pickup or any other kind of game playing—and, damn, he was fine. That description seemed to be the best she could come up with. He wasn’t handsome, but all her hormones and little chemistry receptacles or whatever were sitting up and paying attention. They were saying Man! in all the best ways. She wasn’t the type to moon over a man, and God knows she’d never been a giggler or much of a flirt—much—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a man’s body and face, if he had a body and face worthy of appreciation.

  This cop had both.

  She found herself giving him a small, rueful smile in return, and explained, “It’s just … on a bad day, being called ma’am by someone near my own age makes me feel old. You have good manners, and I shouldn’t hold that against you.”

  “I hope your day improved after you left city hall,” he said.

  “Not really.” She had to crane her head back to look up at him. The dim lighting in the bar, and the shadows his position created, kept her from getting as clear a look as she’d like at his features, but her memory was good. She’d known he was tall, because with her heels she was about five-ten, and he’d still been three or four inches taller than she was. She liked the breadth of his shoulders, the mature and muscled depth of his chest. Her memory provided a too-sharp sensory image of how hard and warm his body had felt against hers in that brief moment when they’d collided, and she mentally shied away from the intimacy implied.

  Her hormones didn’t know their collision had been an accident; they just knew they had liked her contact with this man’s body. She might have felt this sharp a physical attraction before, but at the moment she couldn’t remember when. The fact that what she felt was so strong both compelled and repelled. Part of her was excited, wanted to respond, wanted to see where this would take her; another part urged her to run like hell. When she thought of what she wanted from a relationship, what came to mind was comfort and compatibility, a sense of ease, of fitting together—along with physical attraction, of course. If the physical attraction was so strong that it clouded her mind, that couldn’t be good.

  “That’s too bad.”

  His comment so neatly dovetailed with what she’d been thinking that it took her a moment to reconnect to the conversation. “But at least I didn’t smash into anyone else this afternoon.”

  “That’s a plus. Another one, and I’d have to cite you for a moving violation.” The dryness of his tone made her smile again, even while she was having the usual arguments with herself. She didn’t know him. Aside from the fact that physically he really did it for her—like she was going to tell him that—they had nothing to talk about. Before you knew it, they’d be discussing the weather, or he’d ask for her astrological sign. She really didn’t want to do that two-step, but there was something about him … and she wasn’t ready to let him go. Not yet.

  “Please, have a seat,” she said, motioning to the empty chair at her table.

  He sat, placed his drink on the table with a solid thunk that almost seemed as if he was staking a claim to the spot, and looked her in the eye. His face was no longer shadowed, as it had been when he’d been standing. Nice jaw, a mostly straight nose, dark level brows, and a penetrating intentness to his gaze. Dark hair, and she thought his eyes were probably hazel, though in the dim bar she couldn’t really tell. But most important of all, this man was confident. He was accustomed to getting his way, which could be off-putting, but somehow he projected those qualities without coming off as arrogant. She suddenly had the thought that his good manners were kind of a camouflage, hiding a dangerousness hinted at by the piercing intensity of his eyes.

  “Are you waiting for someone?” he asked, double-checking even though he was already seated.

  “No.”

  “Good.” Settling more comfortably into his chair, he extended his hand. “I’m Eric Wilder.”

  Amused, she started grinning even before she placed her hand in his. His big, warm fingers wrapped around hers and she willed herself not to get totally, completely, sucked in by the feel, even though it was a sensation that would be very easy to get lost in. “Wilder?”

  “It’s just a name, not a comment on my personality or lifestyle.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Eric Wilder,” she said. “I’m Jaclyn Wilde. It’s just a name, not a comment on my personality or lifestyle.” He’d turned his hand just a little, the subtle movement changing their grip from that of a handshake to something more … intimate. Her heartbeat jacked up, and she fought the sudden urge to lick her lips.

  He laughed, his eyes crinkling and his head tipping back a little, revealing a strong, tanned throat. “For real?”

  “For real.”

  “It really is a small world, isn’t it?” He let go of her hand, and as much as she hated to release that warmth and strength, she couldn’t very well grab his hand and hold on. Then he deliberately caught her left hand and lifted it, checking out her ring finger. She lifted her brows, then coolly gave him back as good as she got, pointedly checking out his left hand, too. Not that the absence of a wedding ring was a sure sign that a person was single, but it made for a safer bet.

  He leaned back, lifting his beer for a sip. “So, Jaclyn Wilde, why did you have a bad afternoon?”

  She sighed and reached for her margarita, mirroring his actions. He was probably sipping for pleasure, though, while the mere thought of Carrie Edwards made her need more liquid fortification. “I’m a wedding planner, and I had a long, miserable meeting with probably the worst client I’ve ever had in my career. She has the ability to turn the gentlest of people into raving lunatics.”

  “You don’t look like a raving lunatic.”

  “No, but it was close. I did feel the overwhelming need to stop for a drink on my way home, thanks to bridezilla. That’s not something I usually do.” She didn’t want him to think she was a lush … not that it really mattered what he thought. She’d share a drink with him, then she’d head home and that would be that.

  Men didn’t make Jaclyn nervous. She knew who she was, and that was all that mattered … usually. Eric Wilder, though, made her nervous. Not jumpy nervous, not uncomfortable, just on edge and sharply aware, as if her skin had become too tight and too sensitive. Looking at him was suddenly too much, so instead she glanced around the bar with a nonchalance she was far from feeling.

  “Wedding planner,” he said. “Sounds like an interesting job.”

  “I’m technically an events planner, but most of our business is weddings. And I have to admit, some days are more interesting than others.” She forgot about nonchalant and looked directly at him, which delivered another jolt to her nervous system because he didn’t look away. Inst