was herding together more positive thoughts when, out of the shadows, a figure appeared. Dressed in a tuxedo now, Ajax was cutting the distance between them with a commanding gait. And the closer he got, the clearer the message grew in his gorgeous blue eyes.
You can run, sweetheart, it said, but don’t ever think you can hide.
“If you want to leave, you’re going the wrong way,” Ajax said, tipping his head toward the house. “Cars are parked over there.”
Taken aback, Veda blinked a few times before responding. “I wasn’t leaving. I needed some air.”
He forced a grin. “Like you needed air the night we met on that balcony a month ago.”
Her knockout dress shimmered in the moonlight as she straightened. “Has it been that long?”
“Yup. That long.”
After changing, Ajax had returned to the party pavilion in time to catch a flash of lipstick red as Veda dashed out the back. Of course, he had followed. He wanted to make sure she was all right. And, yes, he had also seen an opportunity to broach another sensitive matter. Namely, what the hell had happened after Saratoga? Why hadn’t she accepted his calls?
Clearly, Veda wanted to avoid the subject.
“So, what are you doing out here in the dark?” she asked.
Ajax slid both hands into his pants pockets. “Psyching up for party mode?”
“Well, at least you’re dressed for it now.”
His smile was slow. “You saw me earlier?”
Her gorgeous green eyes widened before she visibly gathered herself again and offered a cool reply. “You got changed in record time.”
“I’d already showered at the office.” Grinning, he propped a shoulder against a nearby oak and crossed one ankle over the other. “I don’t mind the smell of hay and horse, but I’m not sure the guests would appreciate it much.”
When her gaze dipped to his mouth, he remembered back to that night and words she had murmured while nuzzling him from his chest all the way down.
You smell so good. And taste even better.
As if she was remembering, too, Veda threw a glance toward the lights and music. “I should get back.”
“I’ll walk with you.” He pushed off the oak before adding, “If that’s okay.”
After a second’s hesitation, she made a face like it was no big deal. “Sure,” she said. “Why not.”
As they headed back down a lit path, he set a leisurely pace. After the flowers and phone messages—after the multiple times she had come apart in his arms that wild night—had she even considered dropping him a line?
He studied her profile—straight nose, lush lips, laser-beam focus. And then there was that jaw-dropping dress. He couldn’t help but imagine sliding the fabric from her shoulders, tracing the contours of her breasts with his lips…with his tongue…
Focus, damn it.
“Did you get my messages?” he asked after clearing his throat. “I left a couple.”
“I did. The flowers, too. They were lovely.”
Uh-huh.
“I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed our time together.”
Gaze still ahead, she nodded. “Thank you.”
He nodded, too, scratched his ear. “We left Saratoga on pretty good terms, wouldn’t you say?”
Her heels clicked a little faster on the path. “We should get back to the party.”
“I thought we could talk.”
“Maybe later.”
He pulled up. Maybe now.
“Is this still about your dad, Veda? Because I thought we’d worked through that.”
The train of her red gown swirled as she spun back around. “We agreed to disagree. Not the same thing.”
Really? “That conversation happened right before we made love again. Before you said, ‘I wish we never had to leave.’”
Her nostrils flared as she crossed her arms. “If you’re trying to embarrass me, it won’t work.”
For the love of God. “I’m trying to understand why you didn’t pick up the phone.”
He didn’t get how she could be all prickly one second and turned on to the hilt the next. Was she an ice queen or too hot to be believed?
She hesitated before taking two steps closer. “I’m guessing you didn’t tell Lanie about that night.”
What the—?
“Of course not. That’s between you and me.”
Cringing, she darted a look toward the party pavilion. “So put away the megaphone already.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, lowered his voice. “I’m confused, okay? We don’t need our parents’ consent. We’re not kids.”
“Right. We’re adults making up our own minds.”
He groaned. “Still confused.”
“I don’t regret what happened between us that night. In fact, I’ll remember it as long as I live.”
So he hadn’t imagined it. He wasn’t going insane. But when he stepped closer, happy to get back on track, her hands shot up, stopping him dead.
“Ajax, you are wonderful in every conceivable way,” she said. “I love spending time with you. The problem is… I’m not the only one. You’re always in news feeds with models, actresses, designers, female ranch hands, trainers… There’s been an endless string of women over the years. For God’s sake, you’re known as the Stud.”
Ajax exhaled. First he’d had Lanie bleating in his ear. Now this?
Sure, his brothers had ribbed him about that stud label, a name some features reporter had come up with for a story a while back. But Griff and Jacob knew who he was.
“I’m a normal and, let me emphasize, single guy. Like you’re a normal single woman. Dating is not a crime.” His shoulders went back. “And there’s nothing wrong with us wanting to see each other again.”
“Wanting something doesn’t necessarily make it good for you.”
“Unless it is.”
She tried
