Mission: Irresistible. Sharon Sala
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and East had simply followed suit. Tonight he was actually looking forward to the event because he’d sent a note to Ally’s room earlier with an invitation for her to join him. There was nothing personal about it. It wasn’t as if she’d be the only one there. There would be six others, not counting himself, and a good reason for her not to eat alone. If she was as troubled as he’d been when he came, he knew she would need to focus on something besides herself. And there was no better way to achieve that than to sit at a dinner table with six perfect strangers—seven counting him—and remember that there was a world outside the realm of SPEAR.
He told himself he was just doing his job. And he believed it, all the way to the dining room and right up to the point when Ally entered the room.
It was the traditional, little black dress—simple in style, skimpy in fabric—and on Ally Corbin, pure dynamite. East knew he was staring, but he couldn’t seem to stop. It wasn’t as if he never saw beautiful women, because he did—daily. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t have opportunities to enjoy their company. It was that he usually chose not to. But this time it was different. There was an urgency within him to connect with her on something other than this ephemeral, holiday basis. He kept thinking that if he let her leave without pursuing this desire, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Then he shoved back the thought and stood, smiling cordially as he pulled out a chair and seated her. He needed his head examined. She was here to recuperate. Period.
He touched her shoulder briefly. “I’m so glad you felt like joining us. The food is particularly exceptional tonight.” Then he added with a wink. “I know because I stole a couple of bites when the chef wasn’t looking.”
Everyone at the table laughed along with Ally as East took his seat at the head of the table.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said, and pretended that her heart was not in her mouth as she gave him a surreptitious glance.
Mercy, but that man certainly knew how to fill out a dinner jacket and slacks. She’d heard of clothes making the man, but in this case, it was just the opposite. There was barely time for her to be introduced to the others before a waiter appeared to take their orders.
And so the evening began.
Ally sat through one course after another, smiling and nodding and offering small bits of herself into the conversation. But her heart wasn’t in it. Every time she looked at East, she fought rising panic. How could she possibly broach the subject of her mission without angering him? What could she say to convince him to go back on active duty that Jonah hadn’t already said? She watched the way his mouth tilted and curved as a smile tugged at his lips and the way his eyes glittered when something moved him to a passionate response. Every time he reached for his wineglass, she caught herself staring at the way his massive hand would curl so delicately around the fragile stem.
She glanced down at the napkin she’d wadded in her lap and sighed. Never in her life had she felt so inadequate. She sighed again and looked up, only to find herself pinned under the dark, watchful stare of her host. Heat rose up her neck to her cheeks, spreading across her face like water lapping against the shore. Good Lord. She was blushing and he could see. If he grinned, she was going to have to hate him, and that thought alone made her mad.
To her relief, he was the first to look away. Soon afterward, Ally made her excuses and left, fully intent on going back to her room. She never made it past the lobby.
“Ms. Corbin…Ally…wait!”
She pivoted sharply, surprised that he’d followed her.
“Are you all right?”
The gentleness in his voice was almost her undoing. He was being so kind and when he found out why she was here, it would ruin everything. Then her shoulders slumped. Ruin everything? What was the matter with her? There wasn’t anything to ruin.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Just tired.”
East hesitated, for some reason, still reluctant to let her go. “Would you like to take a walk? Maybe some fresh air would do you good.”
Her heart skipped a beat. The perfect opportunity to establish a little one-on-one rapport. For business reasons of course.
“Yes, I believe I would,” she said. “Should I get a sweater?”
His gaze raked her bare, slender arms and then up the length of her neck, to her mouth, before he made himself focus.
“If you get cold, you can use my jacket.”
“You’ve been far too kind already. All this personal service is going to go to my head and now you’re offering your jacket? Are we still on a no-tip basis?”
He grinned. Damned if he didn’t like her attitude as much as that dress she was wearing.
“Something tells me it would be hard to feed you a line,” East said. “To use one of my grandfather’s favorite phrases, you’re a saucy little thing, aren’t you?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. I certainly never thought of myself as saucy. My parents always said I was forthright. Alicia is a forthright child. Not funny. Not pretty. Not even cute. Just forthright.” She smiled, unaware of the poignancy in her voice. “What does it take to be saucy?”
At that moment, she reminded him of his son, Jeff. At least the way Jeff had been when they met. A little wary of East and a whole lot unsure of himself. His heart went out to her then, in a way it might never have done, otherwise.
“I don’t exactly know,” he said gently. “Maybe a little extra gumption and a whole lot of guts.”
Suddenly, the conversation had gotten too personal for Ally and she didn’t know where to go with it. Teasing with the opposite sex in any form, whether it was flirtatious or sexual, was not something she could do.
She glanced toward the door. “About that walk?”
He took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders.
The warmth of his body was still on the fabric as it wrapped around her. She swallowed nervously. “I didn’t say I was cold.”
“Good. Now you won’t have to,” he said shortly, and took her by the elbow and led her out into the night.
Chapter 3
Despite the well-lit grounds surrounding the hotel, East headed directly for the shadows, taking Ally with him. In a way, she understood his need to walk in darkness. In their business, anonymity was often the difference between life and death, and even though East no longer put his life on the line on a daily basis, old habits obviously died hard.
“Is this the way to the beach?”
He stopped and turned, a shadowy silhouette against the night.
“No. Would you rather go down to the beach?”
She started to deny his question, then convinced herself that truth, at least as far as she could take it, would probably work better between them.
“Yes, actually I would, if it’s not too much trouble?”
From the tone of his voice, she thought he smiled.
“Trouble? To walk on a beach in the moonlight with a beautiful woman? Ms. Corbin, you crush my ego.”
Ally stifled a snort of disbelief. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kirby, but your reputation precedes you. From what I’ve been told, both your ego and reputation are indestructible.”
When he answered, the smile was gone from his voice.
“If only that were so,” he said, then took her by the arm. “Allow me. The steps are lit, but uneven. And when we get to the beach, I’m afraid those shoes you’re wearing will be more of a hindrance than help.”
Thankful for the cover of darkness, Ally rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. She’d royally botched her first opportunity