a senator’s significant other.”
Willow whipped her head toward Hannah. “I’m not a senator’s significant anything.” She glanced back in time enough to see the elevator doors close, freeing her from Lauder’s spellbinding presence.
Hannah laughed. “You don’t even see it, do you?”
Willow turned back to Hannah. “See what?”
Hannah pinched Willow’s cheeks like a little old lady did a child. “Your cluelessness is just so adorable,” she said in a voice reserved for babies. “Honey, does Lauder Tolson strike you as a man who would give up that easily? He’s coming for you, sweetie.” She rested her hands on Willow’s shoulders. “I suggest you prepare to be conquered.”
Willow wanted to protest, tell Hannah she was insane. Unfortunately, she, too, had the feeling she hadn’t seen the last of Lauder. Prepare to be conquered? Ha! Lauder would never get close enough to conquer her. And that she could guarantee.
For the life of her, Willow couldn’t figure out why she’d agreed to spend her Saturday night mingling with total strangers. Why hadn’t she gone with her first instinct and simply written a check to show her support for A Hope for Home Foundation like she typically did?
Hannah, Willow grumbled to herself. Her friend had given her this long, drawn-out speech about how getting out once in a while was good for the soul. Hannah was always giving her speeches, so why had she chosen tonight of all nights to listen?
The gnawing in her gut that urged her to come, she reminded herself. Next time, she’d just take an antacid and go to bed.
Maybe she could slip out as quietly as she’d slipped in, climb back into her vehicle and hightail it back across town. Sipping an ice-cold glass of grape punch in her T-shirt and panties sounded really good right about now.
Just as she made her mind up to leave, she spotted Gloria Barrett—organizer of this fine affair—headed her way. Shoot. She’d never get away now.
In her early sixties, Gloria could easily pass for a woman twenty years younger. With her caramel skin, curves most twenty-year-olds would die for and dazzling gray eyes, she had men flocking to her. But ask anyone and they’d tell you her heart belonged to one man and one man only, her husband of over three decades, Patrick Barrett.
“Willow. You made it.” Gloria snatched her into a tight hug, then held her at arm’s length. “You look amazing. Hon, you’re going to get some of these married men in trouble with this figure-hugging number here. And that deep teal color... Gorgeous.”
Willow ironed a hand down the front of the satiny full-length gown. “Thank you. Just something I threw together.” Which was a lie because she’d spent a month searching every evening-gown site on the internet until she’d finally found something that caught her eye. The sleeveless dress had cost her a pretty penny, but when she’d scrutinized herself in the mirror, she was convinced it had been totally worth the expense.
“Come with me. I have someone I want to introduce you to. Plus, I’m sure he’d appreciate us saving him from those lust-filled vultures circling him.”
Willow didn’t get the chance to protest before Gloria had her halfway across the floor of the large ballroom. With all of the positive energy in the stylishly decorated space, Willow considered being here not such a bad thing after all. And it was for a good cause. Two hours of her Saturday night wouldn’t kill her.
Besides, it wasn’t like she would have been painting the town red anyway. Inwardly, she sighed, agreeing with Hannah’s frequent piece of advice. I have got to get a life. One good thing about being here, it kept her mind off—
Willow gasped. Lauder? What is he doing here?
Something ridiculous crossed her mind. Had he known she’d be there? No. How would he?
Willow’s eyes raked over him. If Hannah thought he looked scrumptious when he’d visited their office, the woman’s mouth would be watering now. Dressed in all black, with the top button of his shirt unfastened, he was so alluring that it was sickening.
She gnawed at the corner of her lip. It made no sense for one man to be so damn gorgeous. Even his body language—sure, confident, relaxed—made him attractive. While there were plenty of handsome men in attendance, Lauder was in a category all his very own. Obviously, she wasn’t the only woman affected by his magnetism. He practically had a harem of women surrounding him.
“Just look at him. Getting every panty in the room soaking wet,” Gloria said in a hushed tone.
Gloria was a mix of a prim and proper socialite and an unfiltered comedian. Judging by the dreamy-eyed women clinging to Lauder’s every word, Gloria was right about the panty thing. Willow didn’t want to be a casualty of whatever drug he was dispensing. But before she could devise an escape plan, Lauder slid his dangerously dark and daunting gaze in her direction.
The intensity of their connection caused her lips to part slightly, a stream of heated air escaping. She refused to label it a searing line of suppressed desire. Swallowing hard, she fought the need to turn away. And let Lauder think he had an effect on me? No way.
The faint furrow of his brow suggested he was just as surprised to see her as she’d been to see him. The straight line of his tempting lips slowly curled into a tantalizing smile. His intense scrutiny felt like delicate kisses feathering her skin. Just the thought of his mouth on her caused the space between her legs to tingle.
Why? She hadn’t known his touch in close to twenty years.
“Excuse me, ladies. Might I steal this handsome creature for a moment?” Gloria threaded her arm through Lauder’s and led him away. “Lauder, sweetie, between you and this pretty lady right here, y’all are going to cause a riot in here.”
Willow could feel Lauder’s eyes on her, but this time she refused to look in his direction.
“Lauder Tolson—future Senator Tolson—I’d like you to meet—”
“Willow Dawson,” Lauder said.
Gloria glanced from Lauder to Willow. “You two know each other?”
“Um...yes. We, um, we knew each other once. When we were younger.” Willow felt as if she were a specimen in a petri dish being scrutinized for the slightest change in composition.
Gloria smiled. “I see. Well, Lauder is one of the most generous contributors to A Hope for Home. And he donated one of his warehouses for us to use as a staging location.”
“Wow. A modern-day Robin Hood,” Willow said. Instantly, she regretted sounding so patronizing.
Gloria started to speak, but someone summoned her. “Excuse me. Got to go earn these zeros,” she said. “I’ll leave you two to catch up with one another.”
A beat of awkward silence lingered between Willow and Lauder. At least, awkward for her because his eyes fixed on her as if trying to read her mind. Oh, he really didn’t want to read her thoughts right now.
Deciding she’d
