The wide span of his smile made his slightly crooked front teeth visible. The imperfection endeared him to her. Whatever this man had achieved in his life, he’d blazed the path to success himself. The part of her that had clawed its way to the top recognized its counterpart in him. He draped his arm around her waist and tugged her against his side. Heat poured off his rock-solid torso, infusing her with warmth. Thank God the table prevented her from climbing into his lap right then and there. That would have been embarrassing. Especially given the resigned shake of his head that Chase surrendered when he detected her instant capitulation to Ryder’s allure. “Sorry,” she murmured. Neither of them deserved rejection. In five minutes they’d turned her on more than a year of pointless dates. “It wasn’t any easy decision.” “Not a big surprise. Everyone loves to go wild their first time out of the gate.” Chase smiled at her, sincere in his encouragement. “I don’t blame you in the least.
