Chapter 1

“I am not going to kiss a complete stranger,” Gina Allen declared. She frowned at her friend as if she were crazy, and not just half-drunk as the obnoxious club music swelled around them. The popular Denver hotspot wasn’t as crowded as she’d seen it in the past, but the Club 9 DJ always played like it was a record night for attendance.

“Why not?” Jayne demanded. “Jackson’s moved on—show him you have, too.”

A glance toward Britt Morgan for support netted her nothing more than a commiserating smile. Sure, great. Being that she was married with a new baby, her beautiful blond friend didn’t have to worry about some absurd dare.

Or more likely, she also wanted her to pick a hot guy and kiss him.

So much for a fun Girls Night Out. Gina lifted her wine glass, half-hiding behind it as she cast a surreptitious glance toward the back of the club where her ex-boyfriend was getting all hot and heavy with her former assistant. She’d found out this morning when Grace quit that the cheating jerk had moved on about six months before they broke up last month.

Hell, she’d found out a lot of things this morning, but none of them were a good enough reason to kiss someone she’d never met. Who did that? Who dared someone to do that?

Her buzzed idiot of a friend, that’s who.

Jayne’s heart was in the right place, but a kiss wouldn’t pull Gina’s business from the brink of bankruptcy, and keep her in her rented office space. It wouldn’t erase the fact she’d swallowed her pride this morning and asked her parents for a loan to pay the self-employment income taxes Grace had overlooked, only to have them respond with the proverbial ‘I told you so.’

Then again, they’d been waiting for GAllen Designs to fail for two years; she should’ve known better than to call them. The only thing decent about that part of her day was getting to say hello to Maria.

“Gross!” Jayne turned away from the exhibitionist couple and leaned in toward Gina until her brunette hair fell forward into her eyes. “Isn’t there just a tiny part of you that would like to stick a knife in him and twist?”

“How does me kissing a stranger twist anything when he’s…” She trailed off at the sight of Jackson’s tongue stuck in Grace’s ear. His professed dislike of public displays of affection seemed to have disappeared along with his morals. She’d like to twist something on him all right. Good and hard.

The vindictive thought surprised her, but before she could analyze why, Jayne waved her hand, demanding Gina’s attention.

“He’s doing it on purpose. You should’ve seen the expression on his face when they came in earlier. He saw your reaction before you turned away, and I’m telling you, he gloated.”

She frowned and set her wine down. “What?”

“He’s glad you’re upset.”

Her gaze narrowed. He was still mad because he blamed her for breaking up with him. If she’d know about his infidelity, they’d have been over long before she’d discovered he’d passed off some of her programming work as his own. Spoiled jerk needed to take responsibility for his own actions.

Thinking of the break-up brought all her doubts back. Was that the only reason he’d been with her for the past two years? To use her degree in computer software development while pretending to support her dream of being an interior decorator?

Britt leaned close. “Don’t let him get to you.”

Too late for that. He’d gotten into her head a long time ago, undermining her confidence until she barely recognized herself anymore. Even now, with his out of character actions on full display, she couldn’t help comparing herself to the woman he’d chosen over her. Her bleached-blond former assistant was tall, leggy, and possessed an hourglass figure men rented x-rated videos to view.

On the flip side stood Gina; short and slim, and the only significant curves she could lay claim to were in her shoulder-length, auburn hair.

“Listen, the longer you sit here, the more convinced he’s going to be that he’s won,” Jayne said. “There’s plenty of hot men here tonight, so I say just pick someone and go do it. Tell her, Britt.”

Inviting a second opinion, Gina raised her eyebrows at the woman who’d been her friend since her first summer in Colorado.

Britt laughed. “I’m not going to tell you to go plant one on some random guy.”

“Thank you.”

“But I will say, I really miss Bodacious Burgundy.”

Bodacious Burgundy? Her eyebrows rose higher. She’d gone back to her natural hair color at Jackson’s insistence that it was more professional. Granted, it had made a difference as she built her client base, but when her friend’s green gaze locked with hers across the table, her pulse picked up speed.

Jayne looked between the two of them with obvious confusion. “You want her to dye her hair again?”

Britt didn’t have to answer for Gina to understand the comment had nothing to do with hair dye and everything to do with the fearless person she’d been back then. Someone who followed her dreams and didn’t let anyone else pull her down. If she was being completely honest with herself, she missed that person, too.

When another over-the-shoulder glance caught Jackson’s hand brushing Grace’s breast, she downed the rest of the liquid in her glass. It made her sick to think she’d wasted two years of her life with him.

Britt was right. Even Jayne was right, in a roundabout way. And while kissing a stranger probably wouldn’t make the jerk feel bad—right now, it might make her feel better.

She straightened in her seat and scanned the club patrons nearby, searching for a prospective candidate as the heavy base vibrated in her chest.

Too desperate looking.

Too old.

With someone.

Geeky glasses.

Slimy smile.

Too much hair product.

Married.

Too much leather.

Too—

She stopped short as her scan collided with a dark, intense gaze from fifteen feet away at the bar. The club lighting didn’t allow her to see the exact color of the man’s irises, but his thick lashes and prominent eyebrows added to the mysterious, brooding effect of his eyes. If the rest of him were half as gorgeous as his eyes… Her gaze flicked up, then swept down nice and slow.

At least six feet of sexy.

His slightly-curly, brown hair was a tad shaggy, but it worked on him. Added to his rugged good looks. A light blue T-shirt stretched across a wide chest, and hip-hugging blue jeans encased his long legs.

Perfect. Kissing him could definitely make her feel better.

When she lifted her gaze and saw a smug smile on his lips, she realized she’d just given him a blatant once over. Heat flooded her face as he turned away to speak to the dark-haired guy next to him. Gina was astonished to discover she was having trouble catching her breath and forced her attention away from the very nice fit of his faded jeans.

Her gaze lit upon Jackson and Grace just in time to see him lower his thumb from her bottom lip to trail his hand across her overflowing top that, in reality, was nothing more than a fancy bra covered by a sheer blouse.

She glanced down at her own modest V-neck shirt and clenched her teeth. All right, fine. Maybe she didn’t fill a double D cup, and maybe her legs didn’t stretch for miles…but damn it, she could still attract a man if the occasion called for it. Suddenly, this one did.

With a determined smile for her friends, she picked up her empty glass and started for the bar, mentally preparing to sweet-talk Mr. Sexy. His back was still toward her, and her heart thumped in her chest with each step.

Halfway across the floor, she spontaneously reversed direction and headed for Jackson’s table instead. His blue gaze met hers, and a satisfied smile stretched across his mouth as she approached. He was pleased she was coming to him.

We’ll just see how long that lasts.

“Gina, imagine seeing you here.” His choice of words indicated all of them being in the same club tonight was no accident; Grace had known her plans for tonight.

She smiled at the confirmation of Jayne’s suspicion, and then reached over to grab a drink off the tray of a passing waitress. “Jackson, Grace. I’d like to make a toast.” She waited for the two of them to get over their hesitation and pick up their own drinks. They deserved each other. Barbie and Ken, with all the depth of plastic.

“To new beginnings…for all of us.”

She leaned forward, glass raised to clink against theirs. Instead of drinking with them, she emptied hers in Jackson’s face.

He jumped back with an angry exclamation as she slammed the empty glass on the table and spun around to leave. Obviously, that move didn’t convey the message that she didn’t care, but it felt damn good.

She stalked back to her own table, her stomach flip-flopping at the sight of her target still at the bar with his friend. Their backs were turned, so hopefully he hadn’t seen what she’d just done. Jayne finished off her beer as Britt gave her a grin of approval.

“That was awesome. Good for you.”

“Thanks.” She reached out to scoop up her sweater and slung it over her arm. “I’m going home. See you guys tomorrow at the gallery.”

“Aw, come on!” Jayne protested. “That’s not fair!”

Gina flashed a smile even as pride demanded she head for the bar to make good on her toast and the dare. A brief glance over her shoulder confirmed Jackson’s furious gaze following her progress. Good.

She came up behind her target and happened to meet the gaze of his friend for a brief moment. The exchange alerted her guy, and she took a deep breath to prepare as he turned around.

His eyes were a warm, chocolate brown and she’d guessed right earlier; they were incredible. As was his smile—even if it was filled with that all-too-familiar male satisfaction that she’d sought him out.

“Hi,” he greeted, his voice raised over the music.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she smiled up at him through her lashes while moving in close to lay her palms on his chest. Firm muscles registered as she lifted her five foot-three inch frame onto her tiptoes and ran her hands up to his shoulders so she could link her fingers behind his neck.

His eyes widened in surprise, but as she pulled his head down toward hers, he offered no resistance.

The instant his mouth touched hers, electricity jolted clear down to her toes. Her initial plan to sister-kiss him and leave was fried in a single heartbeat. His lips moved against hers, and in the next second, strong arms encircled her ribs. He pulled her against the full length of his body while his tongue slid along her lips, seeking entrance.

Caught up in the unexpected sensations pulsing through her, she opened to him with a soft sound of surprise and met the first intimate exploration of his tongue with her own, then the next, and the next. He slid a hand up into her hair and tilted her head to deepen their connection even further. His hard body against hers was so warm she’d swear flames licked her flesh from chest to mid thigh.

Her senses were reeling when she gradually became aware of loud cheers and catcalls from the crowd around them.

What the hell am I doing?

She pushed against the stranger’s chest, pulling back even as he leaned forward in an attempt to prolong the kiss. Then it seemed he also became aware of the encouragement from their audience and released her with obvious reluctance.

Those brown eyes of his met hers, darker now than before.

Shit. During the past ten minutes, she’d never once considered what would happen after the kiss. Now what?

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, she panicked and spun for the door. Showing Jackson she was moving on was one thing, losing all common sense in the process was another.

As she pushed through the crowd, a hand grabbed at her arm.

“Hey—wait!”

She jerked free and felt her sweater whisk across her skin while she moved faster through the swell of bodies threatening to cut off her escape. Once outside, she only spared a quick backward glance before sprinting for her car.