Nowthatwas hilarious. If anyone needed to solve a mystery, it was me.
Maybe the script called for me to glance away, embarrassed that I'd dared to look in his direction.But forget that.Ifhelooked,Icould look, too.
I gave him a stiff smile and kept on looking, staring straight into his eyes as he stared into mine.
It felt like a game or a challenge. And sincehe'dstarted it, I was determined to finish it.
I kept on looking. And so did he.
But then something happened.
His gaze changed, morphing from curiosity to interest. And then, for the briefest instant, he looked almost fascinated.
With me?
Nowthatwas an eye-roller for sure.
Still, I felt my cheeks grow warm and my mouth go dry. If this were a movie, we might inexplicably fall into each other's arms and lock lips, like we'd been swept away in the moment.
But thiswasn'ta movie.
And he was my boss, not my boyfriend. Plus, Jack Ward wasn't the type to be swept away by anything. I knewthatjust as surely as I knew that he was the most fascinating person I'd ever met.
From reading his books, I had some decent guesses on the way he thought. He valued justice over mercy, family over strangers, and a glorious death over a lifetime of cowardice.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed his books so much, just like I enjoyed looking at him now. His hair was blond and thick. His jaw was square in the classic style. His lips were full, and his eyes were so blue, I was swimming in them.
Or maybe I was drowning, because soon I had to remind myself to breathe at all.
What was wrong with me, anyway?
What had started as a game was feeling like something else entirely. What, I didn't even know.
I heard myself say, "You're not gonna win, you know."
His gaze didn't waver. "Win what?"
"The staring contest." I gave him a sunny smile. "I can do this all day."
And I could.In truth, it would be stupidly easy, considering how attractive he was. It was no punishment to stare at him, that's for sure.
At my bold claim, his lips curved into the hint of a smile. "No you can't."
Hah!That's whathethought. Not bothering to hide my confidence, I replied. "Oh yeah? Why not?"
"Because we're here."
"What?" I looked around, but had no idea what he meant. AllIsaw was traffic and plenty of it. And it's not like the limo was slowing down. If anything, it was speeding up.
I turned back to Jack and asked, "What do you mean?"
He leaned back in his seat. "I win."
My jaw dropped. "What?"
Looking way too satisfied, he said, "You looked away first."
"But that's cheating!" I protested.
