Page 19 of Hidden Shadows
She rolled her eyes, grabbing her clutch and stepping into his room. “It’s a business meeting. And even if hedoeslike the way I look—which I’m not saying he does or will—I’m not into him.”
Rad was six foot, with short brown hair. Kind of cute in a clean-cut way, if you were into that kind of thing. She wasn’t. For some reason, growly, rough-around-the-edges, dark-eyed men did it for her.
It was annoying.
She watched Nixon as they left his room and headed down the hall to the elevator. The man looked like he was carved from stone, he was so hard and tense. He wore a gray shirt, which pulled tightly against his sculpted muscles, and jeans that did nothing to hide his powerful thighs.
Yeah, the man wasallpower.
They stepped into the empty elevator, and when Nixon’s stony silence continued, she touched his arm. “Hey. It will be a quick meeting about content, then we’ll be back in our rooms.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” The words were whispered under his breath, but Finley caught every one of them.
With a sigh, she waited for the doors to open, then walked through the resort. She stopped at the bar entrance. Holy crap, the place was classy. And romantic with its dim lighting, leather couches, and beige touches.
She spotted Rad immediately. He sat at the bar, drink in front of him. She moved forward, heels clicking against the marble floor. Before she could reach him, Nixon wrapped his fingers around her arm, causing her to pause.
He leaned down, his breath brushing her cheek as he whispered, “I’ll be at the table beside the bar. Keep it professional.”
Her brows flickered. He almost said it like a warning.
A part of her raged that he had no right to tell her to keep it professional. The other part of her, the part she would absolutely not admit to,likedthe warning. As if maybe he didn’t like her having a drink with another guy.
Before letting go, he grazed her bare skin with his thumb and a shudder rolled down her spine, tingling over her body. She sucked in a breath to steady herself before moving over to the bar.
“Hi, Rad.”
The guy looked up, his eyes darkening. He didn’t even try to hide the way his gaze roamed down to her breasts. And right now, she was kind of wishing she’d listened to Nixon’s advice and changed into a big, baggy top.
Finally, his gaze rose. “Finley. You look gorgeous.” He touched her elbow, urging her onto the stool beside his.
Unlike when Nixon touched her, this guy’s hands on her felt wrong. She pulled away from his touch, lowering to a stool.
Rad called over the bartender before turning to her. “What would you like to drink? They do really good cocktails.”
“I’m not much of a cocktail girl.” She looked up at the bartender. “I’ll have a rosé, please.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I grabbed some quick room service before coming down.” Actually, Nixon had called for the food. Maybe because he’d wanted to make sure she ate before coming down here? She wasn’t sure if that was because eating with Rad would make it a date, or maybe he hadn’t wanted her to drink on an empty stomach.
One side of Rad’s mouth lifted. “We could always get dessert after.”
“Maybe.” Probably not. She cleared her throat. “Why don’t you tell me about your content ideas?”
His fingers tapped against the bar, eyes never leaving hers. “I have many. This fair has been in the works for a while, and I want it to be a great success. When I approached Beth about the idea, she was quick to get involved.”
That was unexpected. “It was your idea?”
“It was. I want it to become a fun family event for people all over—not just this country but the world.”
The man dreamed big. “Do you have a background in this kind of stuff?”
He sipped what looked like whiskey. “I have a business degree. And with Beth’s background in event management, I knew we’d be a great team. Not to mention the family ties. The woman’s more like a sister than a cousin.”
“That’s really nice.”
Her rosé was set in front of her, and she took a sip, letting the cool bubbles tingle over her tongue.
