Nathan was chuckling as he rose to shake Ben’s hand. “Thanks, man. And I hope to see you again sometime. I’m not sure when we’ll be in New York again, though. Do you ever make it out to the West coast?”

It was on the tip of Ben’s tongue to confess that he had avoided traveling to California very intentionally since that fateful summer six years ago. “Not for a long time,” was all he said. “But it’s one of my favorite places in the whole world, so maybe one of these days.”

Ben cursed beneath his breath as he gingerly maneuvered his way through the crush of people on the dance floor until he reached his target. Lauren’s back was to him, her lithe body moving to the rhythm of the music, and she was more or less oblivious to everyone else around her. Ben caught Julia’s eye and jerked his head in the direction of their table. Wide-eyed, she merely nodded and began to walk away.

He placed both of his hands on Lauren’s bare shoulders, bending down to murmur in her ear, “Time to put away your dancing shoes for the night, Cinderella. You’ve got a very early day tomorrow, after all. And I doubt you want to get on the first of four flights with a nasty hangover.”

Lauren’s leanly muscled shoulders stiffened beneath his grip, and then she spun around to face him, her eyes spitting angrily. “Get lost,” she hissed. “Who the hell do you think you are anyway, Ben Rafferty? Nobody tells me when I’ve had too much to drink, or when it’s time to call it a night. Especially you!”

“Really?” He arched a brow at her in amusement as he took hold of her arm. “Because the way I see it, I’ve done both tonight. Come on, sweetheart, time to find your carriage and get you home.”

She tried in vain to wrest her arm out of his grasp, and swore in frustration when he continued to dodge her somewhat unsteady attempts to kick him. “Leave me alone,” she muttered sullenly. “How come you’re too goddamned busy to talk to me earlier today, and now all of a sudden you seem to have all this time on your hands?”

“Ah. So that’s what this little hissy fit you’ve been having all evening is about,” he observed. “Tell you what. If you want to talk to me now, I’m all ears. Except not here. Somewhere a little less noisy and way more private.”

“Forget it,” she spat. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Maybe not ever again. So, go on – leave me alone. And why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at home with your precious Elle?”

“Elle’s out of town right now. And to answer your first question, I have no idea why I’m here,” he replied wearily. “In fact, I’ve been asking myself that same question all night. Now, come on. Time for you to leave, Lauren. You can either walk out of here on your own, or I swear I’ll throw you over my shoulder again.”

She gasped and gave him a little shove. “There is no way you’d dare to try that little stunt again,” she declared. “And no way I’d let you get away with it.”

Ben struggled valiantly to keep his slowly simmering temper under control. He had never known anyone – male or female – as infuriating as Lauren, and he half-seriously wished he had some rope on him at the moment so he could show her just how much he was willing to dare.

“I would dare,” he whispered against her ear. “And if my guess is correct, you’re wearing very, very little under that short skirt. Little enough that you’d give everyone in this place a very interesting peep show if I have to carry you out. And while you are many things, Lauren, I don’t believe an exhibitionist is one of them. So, come along now, okay?”

She stuck her tongue out at him, just like the six year old child she’d been behaving like all night, but otherwise didn’t protest when he took her by the arm and steered her outside. He bundled her into a taxi after she sullenly gave the driver her aunt’s address, and then he slid in beside her.

She stared out her window for almost five minutes, obviously pissed at him, before she finally mumbled, “You didn’t have to see me home, for God’s sake. I can take care of myself, you know.”

The impact of her dignified little protest was spoiled when she hiccupped – quite loudly – and Ben couldn’t help laughing despite the truly evil glare she directed his way.

“Well, apparently your sister and brother-in-law didn’t seem to share your opinion,” he informed her. “They’ve been worried about you, along with your parents.”

Lauren snorted. “Well, everyone needs to butt out and let me live my life,” she declared. “And that includes you – boss.”

“If you really mean that,” he replied gently, “then why did you come to my office this afternoon and want to talk?”

She shrugged. “Stupid idea. Call it an impulse, a bad one. And it’s all forgotten now, okay?”

Ben shook his head. “Not on your life. One way or the other you’re going to tell me exactly what you wanted to talk about. Will your aunt be at home when we arrive?”

“No. She’s busy making up for lost time with James this weekend over at his hotel. Guess she doesn’t want me to overhear their, uh, activities. Jeez, between her and my sister it’s a wonder I haven’t been warped for life. They just think they’re being quiet.”

Ben bit down on his bottom life, stifling a rather pathetic little groan as Lauren’s statement brought back memories of exactly how noisy she had been during sex. It was a good thing, he thought wryly, that the nearest neighbor at her place in Big Sur had been too far away to overhear anything.

By the time they arrived at her aunt’s apartment building, Lauren was almost dozing off, and he had to wrap an arm around her waist to help her inside the lobby. The security guard gave Lauren a friendly wave, and nodded at Ben as he half-dragged her to the elevator.

Once inside the elevator Lauren began to giggle, and Ben wondered just how drunk she was to be acting in such an un-Lauren like manner. He kept an arm looped around her shoulders to hold her upright, and at some point he felt her arms slip around his waist, her head drooping onto his shoulder. He tried in vain to ignore how good it felt – how right – to be holding her this way, even though his intentions were strictly honorable.

But those same intentions became a little bit tougher to stick to as Lauren drunkenly pressed one full breast against his arm. He was instantly hard, especially when she began to nuzzle her nose against the side of his neck, her lips brushing the skin, and his body temperature ratcheted up by several degrees. It had been so long, he thought with a silent groan, since he’d been this aroused, this needy for a woman. And sex had never been as good as it had been with Lauren, probably because what they’d shared had been so much more than sex. It had been –

“We’re here!” she announced in a silly, sing-song voice as the elevator doors slid open. “Home sweet East coast home. Follow me, Blue Eyes.”

She grabbed his hand and tugged him down a short, thickly carpeted hallway to a set of double doors. After she fumbled around in her little purse for several seconds, Ben took the bag from her with barely concealed impatience so that he could find the key himself. He shook his head in exasperation when he found it alongside another of Lauren’s switchblades. This one, at least, was much smaller and far less deadly looking than the military issue blade he knew she still took along on trips.

“You really felt a need to bring a knife along to dinner with your sister and brother-in-law?” he asked, deftly opening the doors to her aunt’s apartment. “Were you afraid the restaurant didn’t sharpen their cutlery on a regular basis and you’d need something to cut your meat with?”

“Hah, hah.” She snatched her bag from him as she tottered inside. Ben gave a quick glance around the living room, finding it to be a warm, welcoming space in spite of the overall grandeur of the décor. The initial impression the penthouse gave off was one of understated wealth and pleasing esthetics.