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His dad pushed his chair back and met Dean eye to eye. His shoulders relaxed and Dean was reminded of how effortlessly his dad slipped into different modes of operation.
    But more than that, his dad’s words stirred up a bothersome revelation: Dean hadn’t gotten Samantha out of his system. Not by a long shot.
    “Yeah. Pain in the ass that can be.” Dean turned. “Leave at twelve forty-five?” he said over his shoulder.
    “Sounds good.”
    Dean followed the hallway to a small office available to business associates when they were in town. The chair behind the desk squeaked as he landed with a thud . He lifted his hands and laced his fingers behind his head while he leaned back.
    After a moment, his body sagged with heaviness, as if sludge ran through his veins. He refused to believe Samantha meant anything more to him than a quick slip between the sheets. It had to be his libido protesting lack of action lately. Nothing more than lust jumpstarted by a pretty face. But he knew that wasn’t true. Pretty didn’t begin to describe her charm and how without even trying, she’d commandeered every thought in the back of his mind. And not just today.
    Dammit. Giving in to his selfish need for her would be the stupidest thing he could do. But resisting her would be worse.
    Maybe she wouldn’t call. Maybe his ego had read more into her reaction than was there. He hoped not. Because he knew his response to her had been anything but subtle.
    The buzz of his cell jolted him from his deliberations. He pulled it from his pocket and checked the screen. Not Samantha.
    “Thayer. What’s up?” Dean said to his VP, his voice rougher than usual.
    “You tell me. Thought you’d call in by now. Everything okay?”
    Shit . Nothing about his morning had gone as planned. “Fine. Just finished up my meeting. We’ll know Monday morning.”
    “Gut?” Thayer asked, squeezing hopefulness into the tiny word.
    “Not sure. Global Site left a pretty big impression.”
    “I doubt it was as big as yours.”
    Dean heard the wisecrack in his friend’s voice. Yeah, Dean had definitely delivered a personal as well as professional impact. “Listen, I’m a little preoccupied at the moment. I’ll call you back this afternoon.”
    “It’s the hot environmentalist from Global Site, isn’t it?”
    His lips spread into a weak smile. Thayer’s sixth sense had pegged it. The guy had been telling Dean to get laid for weeks. “It’s not what you think.”
    “It rarely is. But my hunches are pretty accurate. Whatever you do, Dean, don’t screw up the contract.”
    “Hanging up now.” He tossed the phone on the desk, his body tensing much as it had with McCall. Thayer only meant to remind him of his priorities, but at the moment, a sexy-as-hell woman who now shared his devotion for the environment took the top spot on his priority list.
    Idiot flashed in his mind in neon green lettering. No matter how bad an idea it was, he realized that if he let the weekend go by without pursuing Samantha, he’d regret it forever.

Chapter 5
     
    “I’ll have a fuzzy naval,” Samantha said, looking past the waitress to see Dean arriving. Please make it a strong one.
    “Hey, I’ll take whatever you’ve got on tap,” Dean added quickly and slightly out of breath. He took the seat across from her in the crowded bar.
    The waitress smiled brightly at him and nodded before rushing off.
    “Sorry I’m late. It took longer to get out of the office than I thought it would.” Settled in his chair, he looked around then pierced her with a look that made her entire body tingle. He stared into her eyes for several long seconds. “You look beautiful.”
    Samantha gazed at the sexy man whom she’d spent the entire day contemplating. Just looking at him made everything inside her melt. She’d had every intention of canceling their date for a drink when she’d called him, but upon hearing the desire and good humor in his voice, she’d caved.
    “Thank you.”