CHAPTER TWO

“Is he always this late?” Erin consulted her watch for the fifth time and frowned, looking towards the entrance of the exclusive restaurant. She picked up her water glass and took a sip, drumming the perfectly manicured nails of her left hand on the table.

What sort of man arrived late for dinner? She wondered, taking another sip, studying her cousin over the rim of the glass.

Nicky looked resplendent, as usual in a dark green gown that accentuated the porcelain skin and bright green eyes. Not for the first time, Erin wished she’d inherited the same green eyes but she hadn’t been so lucky. Her eyes were a nondescript shade of brown, nothing sexy or enchanting about that.

Nicky smiled reassuringly and took a sip of her own water.

“Ethan never comes late for anything. Whatever is keeping him, I’m sure it must be important.”

Still, Erin noticed the furtive glance at the phone resting on the table, and the brief cloud of worry that crossed her cousin’s face.

She pursed her lips and refrained from uttering the scathing remark boiling within her. Already her impression of the man Nicky professed herself madly in love with, ranked just below ‘untrustworthy jerk’.

They had been waiting for over an hour and the man had not even bothered to call or even text to say he’d be delayed. It was obvious Nicky was already upset and denouncing her boyfriend would only upset her more.

With that in mind, Erin pushed aside her irritation and beamed.

“So, how’s Aunt Lorna doing? Has she still got that awful macaw? God, I wonder what possessed her to buy that horrible animal in the first place.”

Nicky shot her a grateful smile. “Yes, and she’s even named it Adam Levine. It drives dad crazy with its endless chirping. He’s threatened to shoot the bird on more than one occasion.”

Erin laughed, her eyes twinkling. For the next few minutes she expertly steered the conversation away from any mention of the missing boyfriend, but inwardly, she seethed.

If Ethan dared to show up at all, she would give him a piece of her mind.

A flutter of activity at the entrance drew the attention of the two women. Moments later, Erin noticed a tall, well-built man striding towards their table, his mouth set in an angry line, hair rumpled, as though he hadn’t bothered to run a comb through the dark mane.

“Ethan!” Nicky exclaimed, hurrying to her feet and flinging herself at the man. She rose on tiptoe and even then, barely brushed his shoulders - he was that tall.

“Oh thank God you’re alright, I’ve been so worried.”

“I am so sorry, Honey,” His voice was deep, warm and toe curling. “I got caught up in traffic on my way home and I left my phone at the office so I couldn’t call and let you know I was held up.”

Erin studied the man, her lips thinning at his dishevelled appearance, the dark shadows of a day’s growth of beard, the light blue shirt over a black blazer that seemed to have been thrown on without thought.

He did carry himself with an easy grace, though, and his looks was the sort that women drooled over.

He lifted his gaze from Nicky’s blonde head and met Erin’s own. She felt her breath catch as she found herself pinned under an ice blue gaze. Smoldering blue eyes, she corrected silently, feeling butterflies run flutter in her stomach.

His look sent liquid heat searing through her, straight down to the area between her thighs, and all her senses came alive.

What is happening?

She tore her gaze from his and reached for the water glass, downing the cool liquid in one gulp.

Hot damn! Nicky had said he was gorgeous, but nothing prepared Erin for her reaction to him. She kept her eyes fixed on the table cloth, reluctant to look into that burning gaze again.

The couple broke apart and Nicky made the introductions, her voice light with happiness. “Erin, this is my boyfriend Ethan, Ethan my dearest cousin Erin.”

Erin pasted a thin smile and tipped her head back to look at him, forcing her emotions under control.

“I hope you don’t make it a habit of keeping my cousin waiting so often.” Her words were clipped and cool.

She noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes and his lips formed into a thin line.

“Tonight’s incident was unexpected.” His cool tone matched hers, as he took his seat and straightened the dark blue jacket he wore. To his credit, he did not attempt to bluster his way out and her opinion of him rose a notch.

Nicky placed her hand over his large ones and beamed up at him. “Ethan is always punctual, Darling,” she gushed to Erin. “It’s one of the reasons I love him so much, always trustworthy and strong.”

He smiled at Nicky, though Erin noticed the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and his tone remained cool. “Thank you, Honey.”

To distract her wayward thoughts, Erin picked up the menu and snapped it open to study the offerings. Nicky and Ethan did the same, and the next few minutes were mercifully free of the tension that had descended on their little group.

When the waiter left with their orders, she drummed her fingers on the tablecloth while she searched her mind for possible questions.

Nicky excused herself to go repair her makeup, leaving a reluctant Erin alone with Ethan. He was scowling into his water glass, thick brows giving him a formidable look.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have gone on the offense immediately, Erin admitted. After all he had given a reasonable explanation for coming late.

“Nicky tells me you’re from Minnesota?” Erin asked, hoping to get him talking.

He studied her for a few seconds, that unnerving gaze of his seeming to pierce into her thoughts. She held herself still, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. No doubt, he used that stare to make people uncomfortable and Erin wasn’t about to let him get to her.

“Yeah.” He finally replied. Erin waited for him to elaborate but Ethan said nothing, simply continuing to hold her gaze.

Her mouth twisted. Fine then, he wanted to play dumb Neanderthal right? Well, she had other ideas.

“Whereabouts in Minnesota?” she prodded.

“Clareshorn.” Another one word reply.

“Do you play any sports? Hockey? Football?” She had met a lot of those types, the ones who fancied themselves tall, dark and silent.

Well, in his case, he had tall and dark down to an artform.

“No.”

She drummed her fingers harder, impatience threatening to boil over to the surface. “You were adopted right?”

Ethan’s blue eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

Ah! Finally a whole sentence even if it was just a question.