Second Chances (2 page)

Her gaze fell on a very tall man across the room whose eyes were directed her way. She caught her breath and quickly turned her head so she could look at him without him noticing.

The well tailored taupe-colored suit hugged him in
all
the right places. Heat flooded her cheeks.

How long had it been since she had noticed a man that way? It had been years since she last noticed the curve of a bicep, muscular legs, or strong shoulders. She cleared her throat and pressed her shoulders back. His dark brown hair fell just above the open collar of his crisp white shirt and her fingers craved to touch it.

He spoke to a pudgy-faced older man in a less expensive-looking gray suit, while the tall man gestured toward her.

Kristin turned quickly and managed to grab her friend Ingrid’s attention. “Do you know either of those men over there?” She motioned across the room with a tilt of her head.

Ingrid cast a fleeting glance behind Kristin’s shoulder, the blue sapphires in her ears matching her bright blue eyes. “The short bloke is Bernard Stone. He works in my field, but I’m much better at dazzling the public for the important people I represent.”

A Cheshire cat grin spread across Ingrid’s lips, in what seemed like recognition as she fluffed her short light brown hair. “I believe the tall bloke is David McDougal. He’s a client of Bernard’san actor I think.” She nodded. “Yes, he’s an actor, mostly theater and telly, some films. I believe he’s Scottish. Would you like to meet him?” Ingrid turned to her friend and arched her eyebrows, her gaze questioning.

Kristin shook her head rapidly and backed away from her friend’s offer. She wasn’t ready for something like this, even if this man had somehow grabbed her attention. “No, I was just curious. I hadn’t seen him before.”

Ingrid flashed a dazzling smile as her blue eyes twinkled. “Well, that’s too bad, love, because he’s coming our way.”

“What?” Kristin’s head snapped back toward where the two men had been standing. Sure enough, they were making their way through the crowd, approaching swiftly. Her throat suddenly went dry, and her heart sped up. Downing her cosmo in one long drink, she hoped to gather the courage for whatever was about to happen. She discarded her empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter.

Kristin’s heart was pounding as the handsome actor made his way across the room to where she was standing. Why did the sight of him affect her so much, and why did his lean frame hold more than a passing interest for her? Thoughts like this hadn’t entered her mind in years. Shrugging off the schoolgirl hormones, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

Ingrid shook Bernard’s hand. “Bernie, how sporting of you to bring your clients right to me instead of waiting for me to take them from you.” Her lips lifted into a smirk.

Bernard huffed and stuck out his chest. “I am doing no such thing. David is my friend as well as my client. I am just being socially cordial, which is more than I can say about you, you…” Irritation seemed etched in the stiffness of his shoulders.

“Now, now, Bernie, darling,” Ingrid purred and stroked Bernard’s arm in feigned sympathy. “This is no place for a fight. We are here for a charity cause, so why not let us strike a truce for this evening?” Ingrid’s smirk transformed into a devastating smile, and Bernard’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Very well, this is one of my closest friendsand clientDavid McDougal.” Bernard waved with his free hand toward the man in the immaculate suit.

Ingrid released Bernard’s arm and shook David’s hand, then turned to Kristin. “I am Ingrid Pierce, sworn enemy of Bernard Stone.” Ingrid winked, which caused Bernard to smile. “And this is my good friend Kristin Shepherd.”

Kristin smiled and shook Bernard’s hand, then turned to David. As she took his outstretched hand, a small electric current traveled through her body at his touch, making her insides tingle.

Startled at the sensation, she glanced into his face and found herself immersed in the darkest, most piercing eyes she had ever seenebony pools that she was sure she could get lost in. Not wanting to drown, she released his grip, probably a little too quickly.

“Pleased to meet you both.” David smiled widely, but his gaze never broke the direct contact with Kristin’s. Small shivers traveled along her spine as his light brogue washed over her.

A small dimple deeply indented his right cheek when he smiled, a smile that brightened the room around her as well as his handsome face.

Kristin took a deep breath to try to regain some amount of internal control. She didn’t want Ingrid to catch on to whatever was happening between her and David. All she needed was for her friend to latch onto her attraction to him, as it would strengthen the age-old argument of Kristin entering the dating scene again.

When she glanced over at Ingrid, the devious glimmer in her friend’s blue eyes made her realize it was too late. “Bernie dear, I do have something pressing I need to discuss with you. Let’s go find some drinks, shall we?” Ingrid didn’t miss a beat as she grabbed Bernard’s arm and led him away.

Ingrid turned and winked at Kristin. “I’ll be back in a moment, love.”

Kristin now had no choice but to deal with her attraction as she turned to David, and his gaze encompassed her once more. The intensity was mesmerizing, like he could see through her to those places she chose to keep safely hidden from the world. That kind of vulnerability came unexpectedly, and small spikes of fear danced around her already-racing heart. But then he blasted her with that smile again, and melted away a little of her apprehension.

“He actually hates being called Bernie.” David motioned his head in the direction Ingrid and Bernard had wandered off. “He would only let a woman he fancied get away with that.”

“Ingrid can be quite good at getting away with things others might not be able to.” Kristin’s voice sounded small and shaky to her own ears. “She has this overbearing honesty that is somehow charming on her, but unattractive on most other people.” Her fingers played with the strap of her purse from nervousness.

“A quality highly desired in an agent, I’m sure.” He stood there with that dimpled grin, tempting her.

Kristin couldn’t help but smile. “So, if Bernard works in the same field as Ingrid, and you are his client as well as his friend, then you must be, what, an actor? An entertainer?”

“Aye, an actor. A little telly and film, but my first love is the theatre. I do love to ‘tread those boards’ as often as possible. I’m currently working in a play at the Royal National Theatre, in fact.”

As David spoke, his eyes never left her face. What was he thinking? Could he be toying with the same turmoil that she was? His gaze flicked briefly to her mouth, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he thought about kissing her.

That last thought startled her. Did she want him to think about kissing her? As she let her gaze fall to his mouth, taking in his full, smooth lips, she came to the conclusion that the answer was yes.

A pang of guilt hit Kristin as the image of her late husband James’s gray eyes flashed in her thoughts. He had been the only man who’d made her think such things. She quickly wiped her mind of the reflection, and hoped the deep sadness she carried wasn’t as difficult to hide as it still felt. Though she doubted anything could be hidden from David’s intense gaze.

The painful images bouncing around in her head made it difficult to process a coherent thought, but Kristin tried to carry on some semblance of a polite conversation. “It must be exciting, traveling and meeting all kinds of people…” Her voice trailed off awkwardly, and her mind blanked while David continued to stare at her lips.

His powerful presence had her so flustered she couldn’t form complete sentences. Oh, for Gods sake, why was she having such a strong reaction to him? Kristin’s shaking hand fluttered to her neck and nervously toyed with her necklace. Keeping her hands busy helped her to concentrate.

No one interrupted them and Ingrid wasn’t coming back anytime soon.
Some friend
. David’s dark, unfathomable eyes blazed with an inner light as they followed her hand. Kristin sensed his slight change of mood, but was unsure what had happened to cause it.

David turned his head toward the crowd, appearing thoughtful for a moment. “There can be quite a lot of excitement, but the hours tend to be grueling, which makes a personal life rather difficult at times.”

Kristin tipped her head to the side as she continued twisting the tiny pendant on her necklace around in her fingers. Was he trying to tell her he was unattached at the moment, or something else?

“How about you? Where is your husband this evening?” David’s eyes darted about the room, like he expected an introduction.

For a moment, confusion clouded Kristin’s mind, then she glanced at the wedding ring that still adorned her left hand, suddenly aware of what had caused David’s slight shift in mood.

Swallowing slowly, she peered into those piercing eyes once more. “I am a…widow. My husband passed away two years ago.” She brought her hands together in front of her and anxiously twisted the small gold band around her finger. “I just haven’t had the heart to take this off yet.”

Admitting her status as a widow typically ended many conversations. Even after two years, the words still sounded foreign to her, hollow and unable to convey the grief she carried in such a simple statement.

David’s eyes clouded with sentiments she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Understanding? Pity? Guilt?

Gently he reached out to squeeze her wringing hands. “I’m so sorry,” David whispered, as his dark eyes drew her in even deeper.

Kristin managed to force a weak smile and squeezed his hands back. Her hands were small inside his warm grasp. For the first time in a long while, the lock around her heart tried to click open, and she almost let herself be comforted.

A blond woman in a beautiful gold beaded evening gown appeared at David’s side, and Kristin dropped his hands immediately.

David’s body jerked in surprise as the woman wrapped her arm around the crook of his elbow and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

“There you are, my darling. I have been looking all over for you. Where have you been keeping yourself, my love?” The tall, gorgeous woman trained her blue-gray eyes up and down Kristin briefly and then looked away, an obvious dismissal as she returned her attention to David.

“I’ve finally found that reporter I mentioned earlier, but I told him to wait until I found you.” The smile she had pasted on her face never reached her eyes.

Taken aback, Kristin was dumbfounded by what she could have done to earn the woman’s rebuff. Obviously, not all English adhered to the rules of politeness in public.

The woman’s proper English accent was a tell tale sign of her privileged background. Her blond hair was pulled tightly back from her angular face in an elaborate twist that accentuated the diamonds that adorned her ears and throat. The sparkle of her jewelry was nothing compared to the beading on her champagne-gold dress. She was breathtaking, and obviously very familiar with David.

David grasped the woman’s hand and unwound it from his arm. His features looked strained as he kissed her cheek lightly. “I have been right here, Sophie, steering quite clear of any photographers.”

Sophie pursed her lips into a pout. “But you know how hard I’ve been working lately, and you promised I could have a good time tonight. You promised, David.”

She reached up and clasped his chin in her long fingers, and turned his head so he looked directly at her. “Don’t make me regret talking you into coming with me tonight.” Her lowered voice took on an almost sinister quality as she dropped her hand to her side.

Kristin stared wide-eyed at Sophie, half expecting her to stomp her foot and throw a tantrum if she didn’t get her way.

Turning her head toward Kristin, Sophie’s pointy chin angled, as if truly noticing her there for the first time. Her demeanor changed back to that of the sweet, smiling English lady.

“Aren’t you going to introduce your friend?” Sophie’s steel blue eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Kristin, but the smile never left her face.

Sighing, David motioned with the wave of his hand toward Kristin. “Kristin Shepherd, Sophie Miller.”

“His fiancé,” Sophie emphasized the title as she turned to glare at David briefly.

Kristin’s insides crumbled at Sophie’s introduction. Of course, David was involved with someone. Why would a man like him be available? And why would she even care if he was? Relationships weren’t exactly on the agenda for tonight anyway, right?

Sophie extended her left hand in greeting. The engagement ring she was wearing shimmered in the light of the room, shouting at everyone with its extravagance. As she shook Sophie’s hand, Kristin knew Sophie was showing off the ring deliberately, definitely staking her claim on David.

Kristin forced a tight smile. “Congratulations to the both of you.”

Sophie’s wide smile still never reached her appraising eyes. “And what brings you to this fine event this evening?” She wound her arm possessively through David’s again. “Your husband, your job, a love of art?”

Having found a woman she didn’t know talking to her fiancé, Sophie must be fishing for information to see if she was a threat or not. The comment shot through her nonetheless, calling all the pain associated with that question directly to the surface.

Kristin compressed her lips tighter while her eyes flickered briefly to David’s. He no longer smiled, but barely shrugged his shoulders in what she assumed to be an apology.

“I own an art gallery here in London, so I guess you could say I’m here because of my job, and a love of art.” This was why social events could be so taxing. They forced her to make small talk.

“Fascinating,” Sophie muttered, as she glanced around the room, obviously bored by the conversation. She tugged on David’s arm and motioned across the room with a tilt of her head. “Look, my director, Nigel, is over there talking to one of the photographers. We really should make an appearance. It would be good for the film.” Sophie tried to start in that direction and tugged David with her again, but he stood unmoving, his eyes fixed on Kristin.