He glanced at his watch and wondered for the tenth time what was taking Ridley so long. A lot of women took hours to dress, but he wasn’t expecting Ridley to need that much time to get ready. She never seemed to bother much about hair or makeup, which was one of the things that Jackson liked best about her.

He hoped she wasn’t having second thoughts. She was probably still shaken after seeing him almost pound his brother into the ground. This night was supposed to be about wooing her. Showing her that he could give her more than just tangled sheets. Instead he’d done nothing lately but go caveman and call her a liar.

Nick appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. “Are you seriously standing there waiting for her? Have some pride, man.”

“Shut up, Nick.”

“Hey, free advice comes along with free babysitting.”

Jackson conceded the point with a nod. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have blamed you for saying no.”

“Whatever. I didn’t do it for you. I just didn’t want Mom to get a look at your knuckles and then give both of us a lecture.” Nick waved as he turned and went back to the kitchen.

Jackson flexed his fist, then winced as his sore knuckles protested the movement.

You should have known something was up with him.

They’d never encroached on each other’s territory before. If Jackson had shown even the slightest interest in a woman, Nick had respected that. He’d always done the same.

But none of those girls were Ridley.

He knew firsthand that she had the power to make a man lose his sense of reason. A trait she apparently shared with her twin.

It was still a bit of a shock to realize that his brother had been carrying on some kind of affair with Raina ever since he’d introduced them. As a favor to Jackson, she’d accompanied his brother to a charity event. He’d had no idea they’d seen each other after that night. His brother loved being single and had always considered settling down to be something you did when you were too old to do much else.

The sound of high-heeled shoes clicking on the hardwood floor drew his attention back to the staircase and his thoughts stopped in mid-course.

Ridley descended the stairs with her head held high despite the shy look in her eyes. Her long hair had been elaborately braided into an updo fit for a queen. She’d done something to her eyes to make them seem deeper and brighter at the same time. The silk bronze dress clung like a second skin, emphasizing her every curve. The gold fringe on the edge of the hem highlighted her long, copper-skinned legs and tiny ankles. Even her feet, delicately encased in matching heels with tiny straps that wove around her ankles in a crisscross pattern, seemed sexy to him.

Ridley stopped directly in front of him and smoothed her hands down the front of her dress.

“Do you like it? I had a hard time finding something that wasn’t too revealing. Raina is a lot more daring than I am.”

As an answer, he pulled her to him and lowered his head slowly, giving her time to refuse him. His kiss, while gentle, conveyed his desire as his lips tasted every inch of her mouth. She kissed him back enthusiastically, until he had to pull away to catch his breath.

“This is going to be a long night.” He pulled open the door and gestured for her to go out.

Ridley smiled knowingly and sashayed past him out into the night air.

“I was worried you didn’t want me to come with you tonight. After everything that happened.”

His BMW convertible was still in the driveway from when he’d gone out earlier. He opened the door for her and waited until she settled back into the leather before he closed the door and crossed to the driver’s side.

“I won’t deny it was a shock, but I understand why you did it. Now, we can start with a clean slate. I’m honored you’ve agreed to come with me. I was worried you wouldn’t want to go out with a Neanderthal who bloodies up his own brother.”

She winced. “I still feel awful. How is Nick?”

Jackson laughed. “He’s fine. He’ll never admit I actually hurt him.”

She covered her smile with her hand. “Right. Of course. Because that would mean admitting that his baby brother beat him up, right?” At his shrug, she let out a breath. “So, how was work today?”

“It was great but I don’t want to talk about work. Tonight, we’re just two people going on a date.” He winked at her and turned the music up.

“Okay, in that case what should we talk about?”

“How beautiful you look. I knew you would look good, but you are absolutely stunning. I’m going to have to keep you close by tonight. I’m not usually a jealous man but I think we’ve already seen that I lose my mind when other men get anywhere near you. It’s taking all of my control not to turn this car around and haul you upstairs.”

Ridley leaned over and trailed a hand over his thigh. Jackson’s hands tightened on the wheel and he swerved slightly as he misjudged a curve in the road.

“Not until after the party,” she whispered.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

AFTER THAT, THEY rode to the restaurant in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

She was really excited to spend an evening out. Hopefully, it would be the perfect distraction to keep her from thinking about her disastrous mall trip.

After they’d left the mall and she’d calmed down some, she realized how silly she’d been. It was probably some kind of post-traumatic thing. She’d run from Florida believing that someone was out to get her. Even though she now knew the Morenos had nothing to do with her case, she was still on edge, imagining things.