you.” Quinton returned her feral expression with one of his own. “I agreed to your terms, now agree to mine.”
Relationships sure were troublesome. She waved a hand at him. “Let’s hear it.”
“Promise you’ll call me if anything even remotely suspicious happens or if anything spooks you.”
Denny took exception to that. “She can call me.”
In a magnanimous concession, Quinton nodded. “If you can’t reach me, by all means, call Denny.”
“Or Jude,” Denny added.
“Call someone—but me first. Promise me, Ashley.”
Denny started to object, and Ashley put the back of her hand to her forehead. “First no men, now two are fighting over me. How dramatic.”
Quinton leaned across the table, caught her shoulders, and pulled her up. Ashley thought he was about to curl her toes again, but he only put an affectionate peck on her forehead. “Promise?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll put you on speed dial.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her once more. “Be very careful, and we’ll talk soon.”
With that, he left.
Slowly, Ashley sank back in her seat. “I need some ice water.”
“All that growling give you a dry throat?”
“No. I think I have a fever.”
Denny eyed her while switching over to Quinton’s side of the booth. “So you like your new beau, huh?”
“He’s not a beau.”
“I think he’d tell it differently.” Denny signaled the waitress in a request for coffee.
She hustled over, her smile too bright, her eyes dreamy. After she’d produced another cup and filled it, Denny thanked her with more affection than necessary, and she floated away on a sigh.
Another woman smitten. Amazing. Denny made the whole woman/man game look so easy. If only she didn’t struggle so badly with it. “For an ornery old codger, you sure rack up the babes.”
“It’s my charm.”
“It’s something, all right.” Ashley considered him, then asked, “So what about Zara?”
“What about her?”
“You still seeing her?”
“Here and there. She won’t be at the wedding, if you’re worried about Quinton running into her.”
That made her laugh. “After seeing her with you, I haven’t given it another thought. I figured you’d ruined her for all other men.”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
Grinning, Ashley glanced at the clock on the wall. “I wonder where he’s going so early.”
“Who? Quinton?”
“He’s dressed all casual when he usually wears suits, and it’s too early for him to be going to the office.”
“Want me to find out?” When she just stared at him, Denny said, “Well, I can, you know.”
“Don’t even think about actually checking up on him.” Her order didn’t faze Denny one bit. “I mean it, old man. He’s driving me nuts, but—”
“He’s bothering you?” And then in a growl, “Maybe I don’t like him after all.”
“Oh God, don’t start cracking your knuckles. It’s not like that.” Quinton was a handful all on his own. She didn’t need to juggle Denny now, too.
“Then how is it?”
“You’ve got gonads. Put it together.”
“Ah.” Denny’s ears actually lifted, he smiled so big. “He’s bothering you that way. I get it.”
In that moment Denny seemed like a damn fine confidante. She didn’t have anyone else to talk to except May, and May had an upcoming wedding to deal with. She was euphoric, and Ashley didn’t want to bring her down with her petty concerns. “If you stop grinning like the village idiot, I’d like to get your thoughts on this mess.”
“Mess?”
“Exactly.” She propped her head in both hands. “Before meeting Quinton, I liked my life just fine.”
“No, you didn’t. You just accepted it.”
Because she’d never envisioned anything different. “Maybe.”
“So what’s the problem? Quinton putting a kink in the works?”
“In a big way. Since meeting him, I feel half sick most of the time. I can’t get him off my mind, which means I’m falling behind at work, and I can’t study worth a damn, and—”
Very matter-of-factly, Denny said, “Hey, if you’re feeling froggy, leap. It’ll solve your problems, and then some.”
Such a down-to-earth way of looking at all things sexual boggled her mind. “You think sex is a regular cure-all, huh?”
He saluted her with the coffee cup. “I guarantee it’ll cure what ails you.”
“Maybe, but it’s not that simple.”
“Seems simple enough to me. You’re a grown, intelligent, independent woman.”
“Well, hallelujah, you’ve finally admitted it.”
“And he seems like a responsible guy.” Denny shrugged. “Go for it.”
“It’ll complicate things.”
“Baloney.” He rubbed his jaw, scrutinizing her. “You’re not an inhibited girl. You obviously want the man. I’m surprised you haven’t used him up already.”
“Do I look like a hoochie or something?”
He ignored that to ask, “What’s really going on here, Ashley? Why all the hesitation?”
“We’re as different as night and day.”
“Since you’re like the Tasmanian devil in neon, no one is like you. You might as well get used to it and not let it stand in the way of some fun.”
Ashley wrinkled her nose at him. “That’s not what I mean, smart-ass. He’s filthy rich. Socially affluent. And so damned cultured.”
“Ah. He scares you.”
“Get outta here.” Actually, it was her reaction to him that left her frightened.
Denny’s
