Shit.

“Hi, Kassidy. Good to meet you.”

“Dag. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Oh now, that makes me nervous.” He sent her a smile and she blinked at him and grew even pinker. “Let’s have a seat.”

He held Kassidy’s chair for her so she was seated between him and Chris, Dag facing his old friend across the square table.

The waitress approached to take drink orders. Dag requested Scotch, Chris went with his usual beer and Kassidy ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio.

“So.” Chris shot him a grin and shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re back in town. What the hell, man? You were too busy making money to even come back and visit once in a while?”

Dag laughed. “I guess so. I didn’t plan it that way. It has been a long time, huh?”

“Too long.” Chris’s smile faded. “I would’ve visited you, but it seemed like every time I suggested it you were too busy traveling or having meetings or something.”

Dag’s chest tightened but he gave his friend a rueful smile. “I know. It never seemed to work out.”

“Are you here to stay?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got a few business meetings lined up next week. I’ll have to see what develops.” He smiled at Kassidy. “Chris didn’t tell me how gorgeous you are. Wow.” He put a hand over his chest and turned back to Chris. “How the hell did you hook up with someone this good looking?”

Chris’s smile broadened and he glanced at Kassidy. “Yeah, she’s pretty sweet.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re talking about me like I’m not even here.”

Chris reached over and covered her hand on the white tablecloth. “I know you’re here, sweetheart.” Their eyes met in a shared exchange that had Dag’s stomach rolling over.

“This looks serious,” he drawled, watching them eye each other. His gaze moved between them. “Chris. What’s up, man?”

Chris looked at him. “We just bought a condo and moved in together,” he said. Pride and obvious love shone on his face. “As of today.”

“Wow.” Dag nodded, heart descending slowly in his chest. “That’s great. Where’s the new place?”

The waitress arrived with their drinks as they described the condo to him, and the same warmth and affection sparkled in Kassidy’s eyes as they talked. She was as happy as if she’d just won a multi-million-dollar lottery, shacked up with Chris. Dag’s chest tightened.

“How’d you two meet?” he asked, picking up his Scotch and taking a big, burning mouthful.

“At work. We both work at RBM.”

Dag lifted a brow at Kassidy. “And what do you do there, Kassidy?”

She smiled. “I’m in Human Resources. Training and Development.”

“Cool.”

She glanced at Chris. “Just over a year ago I was assigned a training project for Chris’s department. That’s how we met.” Her eyes moved over Chris warmly. “We started going out after the project was done.”

“That’s okay?” Dag asked. “I mean, RBM doesn’t have any policies against that kind of thing?”

“No.” She shook her head, her silky hair sliding. “You have to use some judgment of course. But since that project, we haven’t worked directly together again, and the company is so huge, we often don’t even see each other during the day. Right now I’m working on a project for our marketing division.”

“I see. That’s great.”

“Yeah. I really love it. This time I’ll have to travel a bit, as I’ll be delivering training in Minneapolis and Detroit later this year.”

Chris frowned at that. “Yeah.”

Chris was going to miss her. How touching.

Then Chris looked at him. “What about you, man? No wife, no girlfriend?”

Dag laughed. “No. I’m not ready to settle down.”

“Will you ever be?” Chris shook his head, smiling.

“Who knows?” Dag had had all kinds of relationships, but the idea of spending the rest of his life with one person scared the crap out of him. He changed the subject. “What about you, buddy? How’s work? Vice President of Product Development. Impressive.”

Chris grinned. “Hell yeah. Didn’t I tell you I’d be VP by the time I’m thirty?”

“Just under the wire, huh?” Dag returned the smile. “Turning thirty next month, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. And you the month after that.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve done all right too.”

“Yup.” Dag swallowed more Scotch. “And I’ve been having a blast.”

“Making a living off fun,” Chris said with a grin.

“You bet.” He wasn’t going to apologize. The online games and fantasy sports he’d developed had become hugely popular. And what was wrong with fun? Much as he admired Chris and his business sense, he couldn’t do what Chris did—slaving in a corporate box developing data storage solutions. Thankfully it took all kinds.

The waitress returned to take their order but they hadn’t even looked at their menus yet, so they spent the next few moments studying the selections. Finally, Dag closed his.

“Let me guess,” Chris said with a grin. “Steak.”

“Prime rib.”

“Close enough. I knew you’d order a big hunk of beef.”

“Probably because you want the same thing,” Kassidy said dryly. She, too, closed her menu.

“I’m betting you’re a chicken or fish kind of girl,” Dag said, watching her. “Or maybe salad.”

She reached for her glass of wine with a graceful motion of her hand and flashed him a look. A faintly hostile look. “Chicken or fish kind of girl?”

He tipped his head to one side. “Don’t tell me you want beef too?”

She gave him a slow smile that sent heat sliding right through him. “I believe I will have a steak tonight,” she said softly.

“Attagirl,” he replied, holding her gaze. Another flash of heat jolted him.

Huh. Something flowed between them, something warm and magnetic, something that felt a lot like…attraction. He could not be feeling that for his best buddy’s girlfriend, for Chrissake. He tossed back the rest of his Scotch.

And yet, better he flirt with her than… Hell. Luckily Chris knew what he was like. Chris would know it didn’t mean anything. Dag flirted with every female he met—that was just him.

Her smile went a little crooked, her eyes grew wary and she broke the connection to look down at her wine.

“Well, if we’re all having beef, let’s order a nice bottle of red wine,” Dag said. They looked over the wine list, and when the waitress returned, he ordered a bottle of Shiraz he knew was excellent.

He saw Kassidy and Chris exchange a glance.

“What?”

“That wine…” Kassidy began.

Chris just shook his head and laughed. “Quit showing off, asshole. We know you’re loaded.”

Ah. Hell. The money he’d made still blew his fucking mind. Him, a kid who’d grown up with nothing, less than nothing in fact. But he must be getting used to the good life because he hadn’t even thought twice about ordering an expensive wine. He just ordered it because it he liked it. He forced an answering grin. “Didn’t need to do that, huh?”

Kassidy’s pretty lips pressed tightly together. Had he pissed her off? He leaned toward her, close enough that he caught a whiff of her scent—vanilla and amber, warm and sexy, sweet and provocative.

“Sorry,” he said, laying his hand on her bare forearm. He curled his fingers around her and gave a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t even think. I’m buying dinner and I like that wine. So let’s just enjoy it.”

Her big eyes met his, mouth still pinched. He held her gaze, ignoring the sparks ricocheting inside his body, trying to disregard the softness of her skin, the hitch of her breath. Then her lips softened.

“Thank you,” she said politely. “That’s very nice of you.”

He had pissed her off. What? What?

Suddenly his entire focus became trying to get back to that place where they’d been locked in an eye clinch, warm and sensual. Because this was his friend’s girlfriend. It was important they get along.

And it was important Chris not know how he was really feeling.

Chris watched the exchange between Dag and Kassidy. Damn, he wanted Dag to like Kassidy. Because she was so important to him. They hadn’t talked marriage, but that’s probably where they were headed. It was…right.