I twisted back and forth in my plain black dress, wishing I had brought something a little sexier, but then, I had no idea I would be going on a date with the hottest guy from high school on my second night in town.

I had deflected questions from my mother all evening about exactly who Jesse was and mercy of mercies, she seemed to have forgotten who he was from high school, and probably thought I was slipping out with some lawyer, or doctor, or something. She’d have a heart attack if she knew I was going out with a mechanic.

“Are you sure it’s not a little soon to be putting yourself out there?” she asked, her eyes looking concerned.

I slipped into a pair of strappy black shoes to match my dress as I shrugged. “I don’t want to sit around waiting anymore. That’s what I did with Mark and it ended pretty badly, after all.”

“I suppose.” She wrinkled her brow. “What does this man do for a living then?”

“I’m not sure,” I lied.

The wrinkles on my mother’s brow deepened. “Are you sure this is a wise idea? He could be a serial killer for all you know.”

“Mom, I went to school with him,” I replied firmly.

“Well, anyway, Dad and I will stay up until you get back.”

“Ugh, Mom, I’m not a kid anymore. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself. It’s just a date. Who do you think took care of me while I was in the city?”

My mother’s eyes widened. “All right then. If anything happens, call us straight away.”

“I will. Thanks, Mom.”

She nodded. “You look lovely in that dress.”

“Oh thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, it would look better if you lost some weight…”

I groaned inwardly. “Yeah, well, I guess I better go down.”

We went down the stairs together. God knows what was going through Mom’s head, but all I could think of was Jesse. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him all day. I’d been so pissed when that girl came up to him in the diner, but maybe that had all been some kind of play on his part, something to get me hot, bothered and jealous about the fact that he was focusing his attention on her, and not on me?

Whatever it was, it worked, and before I knew it, I’d found myself making out with him in my car, his mouth hot and hungry as it moved over mine. The masculine smell and heat from his body ignited something deep inside me.

I felt a shiver go up my spine at the memory. God, but he was a brilliant kisser. It took everything I had not to straddle him right there and then. Just have him take me the way I’d wanted him to outside the bar.

I felt it in my bones that this affair could end in tears for me if I wasn’t careful, but I told myself I knew what I was doing. I’d keep my heart out of it. After Mark’s betrayal, I needed to just let go and have fun. No strings. No commitment. And a guy like Jesse was perfect. He would never be anything close to a guy you could settle down with, have family, grow old with but as long as I was in town, I didn’t see why I shouldn’t have a little fun. Or a whole lot of fun, as the case may be.

He picked me up from outside the house, and I could practically feel my mother watching us from afar, as I climbed into his car while he held open the door.

“You look good,” he remarked, grinning at me. He was wearing a blue button-down shirt with a couple of buttons open and black jeans. He had even shaved and run a brush through that gorgeous thick mane of his.

I was surprised at how different he looked, how well he cleaned up. “Not too bad yourself,” I replied, watching him glance up at the house.

I did the same, and saw my mother dropping the curtain at once.

“Let me guess, they’re not exactly delighted you’re going out with me?” he remarked as he pulled out of the driveway and into town.

I shook my head. “Actually, I didn’t tell them who you were. I might even have lied about your profession. They have no idea who you are,” I confessed.

“So I’m the taboo choice, huh?”

I suddenly realized how it must sound to him. I was so caught up in how I was feeling I didn’t think how it would sound to him to tell him how my parents thought about people from his social class. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. It’s just my parents, you know?”

His eyes gleamed with amusement. “Don’t feel guilty on my behalf. I have often found forbidden fruit to be the sweetest.”

I smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you for understanding.”

He fired up the ignition and put the car into motion. “That’s me. An understanding guy.”

“So where are we going for dinner?”

“There’s a place just outside town. Opened up a few months ago,” he replied, glancing at me. “It’s nothing very special, but it’s better than the bar again.”

“No, that sounds perfect,” I murmured, and I felt the butterflies stir excitedly in my stomach even as I tried my very hardest to play it cool. How could this guy have this much of an effect on me? He hadn’t so much as laid a finger on me, not even a kiss on the cheek to say hello, and yet my body felt as though it was being drawn to his. It was almost impossible to resist, and definitely impossible to ignore. Even knowing that this was exactly how he landed all the girls in this town in his bed before me, I was helpless to push back against the strong desire for him welling up inside me.

We arrived at the restaurant, and I raised my eyebrows as I climbed out of the car.

“What is it?” he asked. “Something wrong?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “Just didn’t expect a place like this to have set up shop here, that’s all.”

“Hey, we’re not a completely backwater town,” he reminded me.

I looped my arm through his. I was trying to playing casual even though just touching him like this made the soles of my feet prickle with excitement.