Page 23 of Inarticulate

“A gentleman?” She slid into her chair, loving the way his knuckles brushed the back of her jacket. “I never would’ve guessed.”

He moved out from behind her, grabbed his own chair and repositioned it from the opposite side of the table, to the spot beside her.Close, so close.His leg brushed hers as he sat, and from the unaffected way he held his expression, she knew it was deliberate.

He wasn’t startled by the connection that buzzed between them. He was probably immune. Too perfect to notice anything as meaningless as attraction. His gaze continued to focus on her. It didn’t stop. They shared a conversation without words. A communication without speech.

“I’m sorry I was late.” She shrugged off her jacket, needing to break the silence and sever the power of his stare. “I wasn’t sure if I should come.”

He gave a breath of a chuckle and grinned at the table as if he knew she hadn’t planned on walking inside to find him.

“Did you have fun last night?” She should’ve stopped the question before it left her lips. He couldn’t give her a definitive answer. Not without words. And she didn’t want to second guess if an affirmative answer meant he’d gotten down and dirty with her cousin. “Forget I asked. I guess I’m not comfortable with silence.”

She wished she would’ve spared a thought at the awkwardness of a shared meal. Maybe it would be different if she knew him like Dominic did. But a one-sided conversation in a bustling restaurant wasn’t her idea of fun. The last thing she wanted to do was offend him, yet this situation was entirely out of her comfort zone, not only on a personal level, on a sexual one, too.

He frowned at her from under his lashes and opened his mouth as if to speak. She crept forward in her chair, poised to read his lips only to watch them press together again.

A menu was shoved toward her, his gruff movements announcing that she’d offended him with her ‘uncomfortable with silence’ comment.

“Thanks.”

He didn’t open his menu. Instead, he sat there, watching as she opened hers and then trailed an index finger over the list of food. She couldn’t read a word. She was too busy stealing glances at him, wondering when or if the meal would become easier. The more he watched her, the more her nervousness built.

She wracked her brain trying to figure out what to say, what to do. He was relying on her to create a conversation and she was clueless when he couldn’t reply. Apart from playing a one-sided game of twenty questions that only involved yes or no answers, she was stumped.

It wasn’t like he was helping to soften the awkwardness. He could’ve pulled out his cell and texted her. Or maybe he didn’t have a cell… Hell, a napkin and pen would’ve sufficed. But the hint of determination in his features seemed to imply his unwillingness to acknowledge his lack of speech.

She closed her eyes in defeat and internally chastised herself for meeting him. It was a bad idea. Dominic had already told her as much. She’d ignored the one cousin she trusted. All for what? A man who daunted her? A guy who didn’t believe in fidelity?

The warmth of his touch slid over her knee and she opened her eyes to find steely gray irises focused on her. Breathing became hard, thinking even harder.

“Keenan.” His fingers had a direct line to her sex. Each brush against her skin was like a swipe along her pussy. In the blink of an eye her apprehension flittered away and arousal descended like a monsoon.

She wanted him—his conversation, his attention, his body. Absolutely all the things she shouldn’t want or couldn’t have.

She shook her head, denying the pleasure taking over her senses. “I didn’t come here because of us.” She cringed at how presumptuous she sounded. There was nous. There were only stolen moments with his fingers in her cherry pie. “What I mean is, I didn’t come here because of last night. I came because I hoped to get answers about Penny.”

He straightened, the heavenly touch of his fingers sliding from her thigh to rest back on the table.

At least she had his attention.

“Dominic told me you work with her.”

He nodded, the movement clipped, and grasped the glass of water in front of him. She watched as he drank, the clear liquid moistening deliciously full lips.

“Does that mean you work for Grandiosity?”

He inclined his head. She wanted to push for more information, to determine what role he played, but without pen and paper the guessing game could take hours. Grandiosity was more successful and had a larger scope of employees than Rydel. He could be anything from a graphic designer to a maintenance man. And she felt entirely guilty for assuming his position was low-level due to his limited ability to communicate.

No, it wasn’t only his lack of speech.

He didn’t boast an excessive bank balance. His attire so far hadn’t included expensive suits. There wasn’t a flash of an ostentatious watch or an offer to ride in his extravagant car. He’d taken her to an understated restaurant, spent time at family dinners and low-key bonfires. She’d spent enough time around men with deep pockets to know the signs.

She took a break from Keenan’s scrutiny and focused on the far end of the restaurant. Business was no longer on the agenda. This was now about her body, the way it tingled, the way certain parts clenched when he stared, and most importantly, how she could get more. She had to spit it out. Get on with it. Confident the hell out of this discussion.

“Are you with her?” Her tone was authoritative. Fearless. Totally bad-ass.

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and shut her off to his suave affection. He didn’t need money or power. That look alone sent her up in flames, exposing every nerve to his appealing confidence.

She glared, attempting to chink his superiority, and failed miserably. He was impenetrable. A stone-cold wall.

---