Chapter 5

Five

Sam

When Roman asked for the next Jesse Vaux book, she was ready. She had a feeling he would finish Wolf Heart soon—he'd been so intense over the book that first night he was there—and she knew he would love it. She couldn't say how, because some people she recommended that book to did not like it. It wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But there was something about Roman Ewing that told her he would.

It wasn't his cheekbones, but damned if she didn't like looking at them. And his eyes, so dark and depthless. His thick eyebrows were expressive and sexy in a way that made her wonder what the hell was wrong with her. Sam wasn't sure she had ever looked at a man and thought his eyebrows were sexy.

"Where's a good place for dinner?"

She looked up at him now, paralyzed and breathless for a second under his intense gaze. Family doctor, hell. Roman Ewing would have been a fantastic surgeon with those sharp, hungry eyes.

"Around here?" He sipped his wine. The second book was closed in front of him, but he had already tossed out the cash to cover it, so she knew he would take it with him. "I assume I need to go pick it up."

"Actually depends on what you want," she answered. "Some of the restaurants will walk it down."

He made a show of pulling back from the bar and eyeing his lap. Sam gripped her fingers around the edge of the bar, suddenly overcome by the urge to lean over and get an eyeful.

"Italian sounds good," he answered. "Making sure I'm dressed for it."

"You can eat it here," she told him.

He looked up with a rueful smile. "Looking to see how noticeable it would be if I were to wear it."

Sam snickered and shook her head. From every indication, Roman was fastidious and immaculate, and she highly doubted he was the kind of guy to drop spaghetti on his trousers or squirt mustard on his shirt while eating a hotdog. Maybe he didn't even eat hotdogs.

"Giancarlo's," she told him. "Delicious food. It's…" She narrowed her eyes in thought. "Four doors down to the left."

"And do I need to pick it up?"

"Most likely, only because they're ridiculously busy and can't spare someone to run it down here."

"Well, that sounds like a good problem to have." He nodded. "What do you recommend?"

"You're Italian, aren't you?" She tipped her head. No, his name wasn't Italian, but she had a suspicion with his dark eyes and hair. He shrugged in answer, but his smile told her she was right. "And you're asking me for recommendations?"

"You know the restaurant," he reminded her. "My mother was Italian. Her family is from Toarmina. And my father grew up on a Texas ranch."

"Where did they meet?" she asked, completely intrigued by the story. And his voice. And face, especially his eyes.

"School." He touched the stem of his glass as he spoke. "My mother came to the states when she was sixteen. She and my father met in her junior year of high school. He was a senior. They've been inseparable since."

"That's wonderful," she said sincerely. "Do you have siblings?"

"Three sisters."

"Older or younger?"

"One older. Two younger."

"Lasagna," she told him as she noticed a woman down the bar signaling for her attention. "It's my favorite there. Hang on. I'll get you their number."

Sam felt Roman's eyes on her as she moved down the bar to the middle-aged couple who had just come in. Before she could offer them the wine menu, they asked for a specific bottle of Pinot Noir. She noticed Roman scrolling on his phone as she selected the bottle and opened it.

He put his phone down immediately once she had poured the wine and visited with the couple for a moment.

"I found the number," he told her. "Do you get a break tonight?"

Sam copied him when he looked around the bar. It was busy, but not middle of the summer busy. Vivian was at the other end of the bar chatting up two businessmen, dressed far too formally for a beach bar, even a beach wine bar. Both still wore their suitcoats, and neither of them had even loosened a tie yet.

Braden, Vivian's college student part-timer, was across the room talking with a group of women. Nerdy cute, the kid knew everything about wine. He planned to get through college and move to the Willamette Valley and eventually become a sommelier. Sam had no doubt he would do it, but she knew Vivian would hate to see him go.

"I do." She looked back at Roman with a nod.

"Want to walk with me? Make sure I don't get lost?"

Eyes locked with his, she took a moment to answer. Sam had no desire to be involved with anyone. She had seen her mom stuck in a loveless marriage. She'd lived through the divorce and the after-effects with her mom and sister, and she still didn't have a wonderful relationship with her dad. But that didn't mean she didn't enjoy a good-looking man's company or attention.

Still, she hovered behind the bar for a moment, knowing somehow that walking out of here right now with Roman could somehow lead to more than friendship. It had been a while. She wasn't opposed to casual flings, but she also didn't know this man well enough to know what would happen once the new wore off if they did sleep together.

"I'm pretty sure a guy like you could find his way down the block," she finally answered with a small grin, "but yes, I wouldn't mind getting out of here for a few minutes. Let me tell Viv."

He nodded, and again, as she walked down to the other end of the bar where Vivian was still holding court with the two uptight-looking businessmen, she felt Roman's eyes on her. She didn't mind it. In fact, a little flare of excitement, anticipation, rippled through her body like electricity.

"I'm going to take my break." She rested her hands on Vivian's shoulders. "Walk with Roman to Giancarlo's to pick up food."

Vivian nodded and patted her hand.

"Take an hour, Sam," she told her. "Eat something. I'll holler if I need you."

Ordinarily, Sam would argue. But tonight, she thanked her friend and slipped out from behind the bar.

"You can leave it here," she told Roman about the book. "It'll be fine."

He nodded and rested his hand on the small of her back to usher her toward the door. The light touch, through her blouse, through the waistband of her jeans, stole her breath away. This guy was a gentleman with a pretty face and a smoking hot body.

She would have to be careful with him.